J. André Smith,
the founder of the Maitland Art Center, was also a playwright, and his work is the focus of a series of readings.
J. André Smith is known as an artist and architect — and locally as the founder of the Maitland Art Center.
But there’s a lesser-known occupation on the man’s resume — playwright. And that’s what the art center, now part of the Art & History Museums — Maitland, is focusing on this summer.
The center, named a national historic landmark in 2014, is hosting “Summer Evenings With André,” a rare opportunity to hear Smith’s plays read.
“André was an individual who loved to experiment with different arts,” says Mark Harmon, the A&H executive director. An examination of old letters showed that Smith, who died in 1959, was as skilled with the typewriter as the paintbrush.
“He was an extremely good writer,” Harmon says. “The comedies are really funny, the dramas are deep.”
The works, some shorter one-acts and a longer fulllength play, date from the 1920s and were written in the Northeast before he established his Maitland artist colony a decade later. Harmon was impressed with their breadth.
“He wrote comedies, dramas, a little bit of romance, a little bit of murder,” he says. “He touched on all bases.”
The Saturday-night series, with future installments this Saturday and again on Aug. 25, checks a lot of boxes in what Harmon wants to be a hallmark of Art & History Museums programs: It’s unexpected, contributes to year-round arts events, thinks outside the box and involves community partnerships.
In this case, Central Florida Community Arts’ theater program is supplying the actors and directors for the play readings.
“They have been wonderful partners,” Harmon says. “When the actors got hold of those lines and breathed life into them, we were laughing out loud.”
The Saturday plays include:
“Unnamed World War I play”: A soldier, left for dead, returns to reveal the truth about a man labeled a war hero.
“Pumpkin Pie – A Shadow Play”: Two children encounter a witch in a “charming tale of adventure – and dismemberment.”
“The Bandit of the Var”: A prince loses his throne and kidnaps his brother’s fiancée to help regain it in this tale of love and war.
On Aug. 25, the series will feature “The Golden Tomb,” a full-length play about love, power and betrayal on an archaeological trip to Egypt.
Could the readings return in full-scale productions? Harmon doesn’t rule it out “down the road.”
“My goal is always to tie art and history together,” he says. “I want to do things that we’re not used to doing.”