RAY SMITH

While Ray did dabble in theater in high school and college, he began his theater career in earnest because of comedian Amy Poehler. Her unapologetic madness on the Comedy Central iteration of the Upright Citizens Brigade led him to seek out his first improv class at age 28. By fortune, there was one starting that week in the basement of the Quaker church on Forest Street. Since then he's filled his Bucket of Truth with equal parts improvised and scripted works. He trained at the Second City Conservatory in Toronto and has taught theater since 2003 at many schools, primarily Woodberry Forest in Madison County. Ray also taught public speaking at Woodberry for 7 years, and was the coach of the Speech and Debate team for 5 years, leading the team to rank in the top ten in Virginia for 4 of those 5 years. 

Ray's educational philosophy: the more a student enjoys, the more a student learns.