Emma Smith: The Girl Who Grew Up With TheatreiNQ
- Hunter Sams
- May 26
- 6 min read
In our training known as 'Sessions', we get assigned weekly ‘Expand Your World’ tasks designed to broaden our knowledge of the world we are entering. Writing blogs is one of those tasks, and a rather fun one at that. This year, as we celebrate TheatreiNQ's 15th Anniversary, we have all been asked to create a blog focussing on a founding ensemble member. I was very excited to find out that I would be interviewing my fellow The Assignment cast member, and one of my favourite people ever, Emma Smith. As we sat down in a car backseat to begin our conversation, I asked my first question expecting an answer that I did not get.
Ok, so what was your first role?
My first role was in ‘Henry V’'. Terri was playing the role of Chorus, and she made me, and my brother, Josh and sister Taylah, play three kids she was telling this story too. I can’t remember what my name was, but i remember Josh was in a wheelchair, and it was like he was playing a young
‘Richard III’ cause Terri knew the next show she wanted to do was ‘Richard III’. I don’t know if she knew that—maybe fact-check that?
So she delivered her monologues to you three kids?
Yeah, it was cool—when you watch the video, she walks onstage with us, sits down with us,
and tells us the story. I think I was 4. Terri directed that show but it was officially produced by Tropic Sun Theatre. I think ‘RICHARD III’ was the first TheatreiNQ show I did.
As you said, you were around 3 or 4 years old for your first show, were you immediately
hooked into acting?
I don’t think I understood that people were acting; like that this is what they did. I don’t think I really realised that at the time. I just remember having so much fun because it was all these adults just playing with me. Like, this is so fun — my Aunty is just playing with me and I get to dress up. Yeah! I think that was the kind of fun thing — it just felt like we were all having a play date, but they were adults.
When did it become like, “Oh, this is cool,” or more serious?
I think when I did ‘The Crucible’ in 2014, I think I was seven or eight. I played Betty, and I think that was my first bigger role. That’s when I realised, “Oh, I really need to lock in.”
Was that your first 'scripted' role?
No, that was the year before in ‘Macbeth’ That was the first ‘role’ I had, it was with Taylah and Josh—we played the witches. But then in ‘The Crucible’, I got to work with a lot of the Bridgees like Emily Edwards, Emma Lamberton and Meg Bowden. When we would rehearse I remember thinking, “Oh, this is serious.” It was still fun because the adults were playing with me. But also, when you’re a child, you just want people to look at you and clap. I mean, that’s the most fun thing ever.
Was it exciting being a kid in a professional theatre, with your family as well?
I think I didn’t get to do much with Brendan on stage when I was little. I was always with Terri.
And that was fun because it was my Aunty, you know? But I remember feeling quite special, because they weren’t treating me like a child. Like,“Yeah, I’m a serious actor, too” Does that make sense? That’s what made it fun —Terri and the older ensemble just made us feel part of it. It didn’t feel like, “I’m just a child and you’re all adults.”
Obviously, being related to people who work behind the scenes at TheatreiNQ, you've
seen how much work goes into running it. Does that inspire you?
Yes. Watching Terri direct and act, and watching Brendan play massive roles and also build massive sets. Like during 'Romeo and Juliet’, he built three scaffold structures with different paintings on them and I remember being so proud, thinking, “My uncle built that! You’ve got nothing on me.” But as a kid, you don’t register how much work it takes. Watching Mom constantly on her laptop, doing programmes, tickets, calling people all the time—I didn’t realise how much work it was until I got older.
And you could see that all that time and effort requires a certain amount of love for the theatre
and the company.
Yeah, and that’s what made it…, I keep saying it's fun, but that’s cause it was fun. We wanted
to be there. If we weren’t at home or at school we were at TheatreiNQ all the time and we
wanted to go there all the time, because it was just fun. I don't even think I answered that
properly. (Even if she didn’t, it’s still my favourite answer.)
How integral is TheatreiNQ to your life and who you are?
It’s a massive part of who I am. Like I said, if we weren’t home or school, we were at
TheatreiNQ. I was there all the time—and that hasn’t changed. Even when I took two years
off acting, I still went there all the time. It’s weird to think about, because we didn’t know any
different. It was just always there. It’s interesting thinking about how other kids come into
TheatreiNQ and realising that they didn’t grow up with it—it’s really odd to me. As a kid, you don’t realise how lucky you are to have that until you’re older. Being in those shows since I was little— that’s how I realised I wanted to do this. It’s a huge part of my life. We are very lucky that our
family did this. And I’m lucky they loved it enough not to drop it. Growing up in the theatre was
sick.
How’s THE ASSIGNMENT going?
Amazing, Hunter. This one feels really special, because I’m playing a young Terri. I’ve done
stuff with Terri before—played the younger version of her in BLOODY MARY and stuff—but I’ve
never played “Terri Brabon.” It’s not exactly Terri, it’s loosely based on her. It’s been fun
because everyone used to say I was a “young Terri” cause we’ve got similar personalities.
Another cast member of The Assignment, Ava Saldana-Lopez, was there when we started
talking about the play, so I asked her to say something as well. The following is a
small back and forth between the girls:
Ava: I think it’s a very special show, especially knowing that Terri wrote the characters with
us in mind and is giving us the opportunity to portray someone that isn't us but
accommodates our talents.
Emma: It’s really special that she writes stuff in the characters that were playing, for us, that
we find hard to do, but she thinks we can do that. You read it and you go, “oh this is gonna be
hard”, but she wrote that for me, she believes in me.
It’s really special. I don't think many people get to experience that.
Not to mention just the learning that you gain from this as well. Yes, it's been written for us
but we're learning so much as actors. I've learned a lot about myself and how I am
onstage in the past weeks of rehearsing, and I'm always grateful for that.
That marked the end of my conversation with Emma, but I decided to ask the entirety of The Bridge Project, all of which are involved onstage and/or behind the scenes on The Assignment, for one word to describe Emma. This is what they said –
radiant, joyful, dedicated, professional, magnetic, fun, determined,
confident, brilliant, welcoming, ambitious, passionate.
I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to miss a show with a lead described like that by
her team. So if you are reading this before the 21st of June 2025, then click on the link below and by a ticket to THE ASSIGNMENT, you won’t forget it.
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