Rogue Shakespeare®

An brief introduction to

ROGUE SHAKESPEARE®

(aka Ryan J-W Smith)

Ryan J-W Smith, BA Theatre Studies, MA Law (Dist)

Poet / Playwright / Filmaker / Artistic Director / Director / Producer / Actor / Composer / Legal Scholar

From the age of five until sixteen, Ryan trained to be a professional tennis player – winning countless regional tournaments in the UK, and beating Britain’s future Men’s Number 1 in straight sets at when he was fourteen. Wimbledon was in his sights… Injury at the age of sixteen may have subsequently set him on a different path, but he never lost the champion’s mindset: one of vision, dedication, positivity, iron-clad resilience and, above all else, an extraordinary work ethic.

Receiving a full scholarship from the European Union, Smith read Theatre Studies at Trinity College, Dublin. During his studies he was also awarded a scholarship from Trinity College as the highest achieving student in his year.

After Trinity, Smith founded Rogue Shakespeare® in 2001 with the debut production of his first verse play, Sweet Love Adieu, in the ruins of the Roman Amphitheatre in St. Albans, England. The production was a roaring success with the leading local paper confirming that “there IS culture – if you want it” – St. Albans Observer.

Since then Smith’s verse plays have received innumerable 4 and 5-star reviews, nominations and awards via stand-out productions across the world. Career highlights include:

In 2005, Smith received an Arts Council England financial award (his 3rd ACE award) to write his subsequently critically-acclaimed 3rd verse play, Love Labours Won, which stunned critics and audiences alike at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2006 and 2007 and became “one of the most acclaimed plays to ever come out of the Edinburgh Fringe” – Broadway world; ★★★★★ “the best Shakespearean comedy not written by Shakespeare – this is unmissable!” – Three Weeks; ★★★★★ “go see it and watch great theatre in action” – UK Theatre Network; ★★★★★ “a damned good romp” – British Theatre Guide; ★★★★“still excellent – Smith has done an astonishing job” – Broadway Baby; ★★★★“Smith – master of the iambic pentameter, cleverly matches Shakespeare at his own game” – Hairline; ★★★★“Smith is, to my point of view, far better than anything that came out of Stratord” – One4Review; ★★★★“Smith is one to watch” – Fringe Review.

In 2008, he was nominated for the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award for his 4th verse play – the politically daring one-man show, New World Order, which premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe receiving nothing but glowing 4 and 5 star reviews, and subsequently toured Australia: ★★★★★ “FLAWLESS” – Edinburgh Guide; ★★★★★ “hard-hitting one-man epic” – One4Review; ★★★★ “performed immaculately – it should be missed by no-one” – Fringe Review; ★★★★ “Smith has written an incredible play here” – Three Weeks; ★★★★ “sharply scripted” – British Theatre Guide; ★★★★ “STUNNING” – The List Magazine. On top of this, Smith also received a Gandhi Foundation Award for his New World Order.

Between 2009 and 2015, Smith mainly focused on his political documentaries, interviewing on-camera countless experts, whistleblowers, rebels and great thought-leaders of our times – from grass-roots activists to MPs, Members of Congress, US Senators and Presidential Candidates; as well as many out-spoken doctors, academics, prominent international lawyers; not to mention many former intelligence officers from multiple agencies, including: MI5, CIA, FBI, UK Police Intelligence, Secret Service and the US Army. Some of his most recognisable interviewees include the late author and political commentator, Gore Vidal, the late 7-time Emmy Award winning actor and activist, Ed Asner, the late former leader of the UK Labour Party Tony Benn, and political author, Noam Chomsky.

A festival-winning filmmaker, Ryan has written, directed and produced 5 short films and several feature documentaries. Collectively, Smith’s films have received 25 international film festival wins, nominations or selections.

In 2012, Smith’s fifth short film, The Poet Cursed, written in Smith’s unique rhyming verse, was selected for the Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival, and was also an official selection at 7 other international film festivals.

In 2015, moving back into theatre, Ryan directed and performed in the critically-acclaimed US premiere of his Love Labours Won. This production won the highly coveted International Award and an Encore! Producers Award at the Hollywood Fringe Festival.

In 2016, he repeated and expanded upon this success by concurrently playing lead roles/directing/producing both the world premieres of his critically-acclaimed 5th verse play, MacDeth! – which won both the International Award and an Encore! Producers Award and was also nominated for the Comedy Award at the Hollywood Fringe Festival – as well as a critically-acclaimed rewrite of his 1st verse play, Sweet Love Adieu (version II), which was also nominated for the Hollywood Fringe International Award (losing to Smith’s ‘MacDeth!‘).

In 2019, Smith directed his latest (7th) verse play, the one-woman tragicomic history, Pretty Witty, Nell®, at the Hollywood Fringe – it was nominated for the International Award and highly praised by critics and audiences alike – with Broadway World calling it “perfect – a stand-out solo show”.

In 2023, Smith revived Pretty Witty, Nell® with a critically-acclaimed run in London starring newcomer, Ms. Attfield, which garnered unanimous praise from critics: ★★★★★ “Smith’s writing is exquisite. Attfield was phenomenal… Simply put this play is a work of genius. Genius writing, genius direction and genius acting” – Pink Prince Theatre ★★★★ “Reenacted intricately and with flair, by this gentle wench, who knows the affair” – First Night Magazine ★★★★ “This is impressive… there is a lot of pleasure to be had in this kind of pastiche” – London Pub Theatres Magazine “Engrossing from start to finish… worthy of tremendous praise… I can only marvel at Smith’s craft” – Mark Aspen Reviews. “It’s modern, enjoyable Shakespeare; with comedy and tragedy – the lot!” – The Family Stage. “Pretty Witty Nell is a truly memorable production, a triumph.” – Twickenham and Richmond Tribune.

Smith winning the Hollywood Fringe International Award for the 2nd year in a row, 2016.

In 2024, Smith revived no less than 4 of his award-winning and award-nominated verse plays…

He started by producing and directing his Pretty Witty, Nell® to critical acclaim in the Rotunda Theatre in Brighton: “A show worth savouring, seeing twice and buying the text of… An outstanding gem. Smith – the most prolific and crucially, experienced verse-drama writer in the UK. His natural gifts have grown exponentially…” – Fringe Review ★★★★ “funny, sharp witted and brutally honest…an extremely strong performance… one to watch” – Broadway Baby ★★★★ “Smith’s objective in his Rogue Shakespeare company seems to be to revive the rhythm and richness of language achieved through the Bard’s iambic corpus; and the writing here definitely carries a similar spirit, though on the whole it’s much simpler and easier to understand, without the cryptic flights of fancy and lost usage. It’s a noble project and breathes new life into a kind of versification that is often needlessly assumed to be the preserve of one playwright.” – The Reviews Hub

Smith then produced, directed and performed in critically-acclaimed revival productions of 3 of his most popular plays, Love Labours Won, Sweet Love Adieu (version II) and MacDeth! with productions at the Brighton Open Air Theatre and the glorious open air Roman Theatre in St. Albans. MacDeth! was an especially popular sell-out show, which garnered Ryan much praise from audiences and critics alike: “Smith has actually rewritten MacBeth in his own outstanding verse… I really respected the adaptation and can honestly say I have never come across such a talented living poet-playwright as Ryan J-W Smith.” – St. Albans Times.

Alongside his verse plays, Ryan has written over 2,800 Shakespearean sonnets – the first 500 of which were published in 2012 in the critically-acclaimed volume, ‘500 Shakespearean Sonnets‘ – “A landmark in literature” – Watkins Magazine; “A tour de force” – Herald Scotland; “deserves to sit along side your Poes, Plaths, and T.S. Elliots” – Mass Movement Magazine; “Masters of the verse – Smith pays homage to the Bard with the must-read collection of his own modern verse” – London Planner; “Shakespeare’s record of 154 sonnets in his lifetime was breathtaking. But what Ryan J-W Smith has achieved is simply awe-inspiring.” – Book A Poet.

In October 2024, Smith published all of his sonnets (from 7 June, 2006 to September 11, 2024), up to and including sonnet 2,700, in his 1,388 page 3-part spiritual epic, ‘Rogue Shakespeare’s Bible – Truth in Verse: A path to spiritual liberation for the Brave New World‘. Ryan has since written another 100+ sonnets which will be published in the future as part 4 of Rogue Shakespeare’s Bible.

As well as holding a batchelor’s degree in Theatre Studies, Smith graduated from law school with a master’s degree in Law, awarded with distinction. Ryan has been admitted as a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn – a professional association for lawyers. Lincoln’s Inn is the largest inn of the famous Four Inns of Court in London.

Ryan is a long-time practitioner of the Buddhist arts of Mindfulness Meditation and Wing Chun Kung-Fu. Smith considers Buddhist philosophy to be the foundation of all of his achievements and skills.

Smith is an avid globetrotter and has lived in many different states and cities across the world, including a year in NYC and five years in L.A. Having spent a year in Paris, France as well as several years in Spain, he now speaks conversational French and Spanish.

Ryan is also a composer, music producer and recording artist, playing keyboards, lead guitar, singing lead vocals and rapping. His first two solo albums, ‘Deep in the Shallows‘ and ‘Samsara‘, were originally released with Universal Music in 2006