Stacey Smith

Background

About Stacey Smith

Recognized for her enduring positivity, explosive shows, and unparalleled work ethic, Stacey has worked in the field for over a decade. She is currently a mainstage cast member at the famous Boom Chicago Theater in Amsterdam, former Artistic Director and newly appointed Director of Education. Stacey is also the creator of Stacejam, an improvised solo musical extravaganza that has earned her critical acclaim. As a performer, Stacey has toured with The Second City and was a featured performer for two of the company’s theatricals, Life Hacks and #DateMe. She has performed shows with renowned talents like Jason Sudeikis (SNL/Ted Lasso), Brendan Hunt (Ted Lasso), Taran Killam (SNL), Arjen Lubach, Chris Redd (SNL), Amber Ruffin (Amber Ruffin Show), Terry O’Quinn (LOST), Kevin McDonald (Kids in the Hall) and Dickie Smothers (The Smothers Brothers). Though she claims to hate travel, Stacey has performed and taught in Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Estonia, Greece, France, Belgium and Canada. She has made 67 appearances at 25 international improv festivals, many of them as a headliner. As a teacher and education director, Stacey has created programs for multiple schools and has designed specialized workshops, including a program for young female-identifying students called S.H.E.(Sisterhood Humor Empowerment). Before joining BoomChicago, she taught and managed training centers in Chicago and Boston, including ComedySportz Chicago, ImprovBoston, The Second City, and iO Chicago. Aside from her work as a performer and teacher, Stacey has worked in Youth & Teen Programs and Wellness Programs (Improv for Anxiety) and with seniors (Humor Doesn’t Retire) at The Second City. Stacey has also done residencies at the Florida Studio Theater in Sarasota and Just The Funny Theater in Miami to help build education programs for local improv communities. Stacey is also an accomplished comedy producer. In 2015, she founded The Chicago Musical Improv Festival at the iO Theater in Chicago, and before this, she worked as an assistant producer on the Chicago Improv Festival, Chicago Women’s Funny Festival, The Teen Comedy Fest, and The Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival. Stacey has produced countless shows in Chicago, including the long-running musical comedy show The Musical Armando and Fraudway. In 2021, she became the artistic director of The Boom Chicago Comedy Festival.