User:Pamelascc/sandbox

LaRita S. Smith (born April 17, 1973)[1] is an American poet, author, playwright, producer, director, filmmaker, and journalist. LaRita began writing poetry, short stories, and skits at the age of ten. In 2012, she self-published her first fiction novel titled, Trials Of The Heart and two books of poetry titled, Grains of Sand…Poetic life Reflections and Limerick Speaks in Haiku. Smith wrote her first full-length stage play titled, Tossing Stones while attending the ETA Creative Arts Theatre Playwriting course in 2014 and went on to produce it in April 2015. In October of 2015, the production took 3rd place in the A Taste of Theatre Festival. In the spring of 2016, LaRita decided to expand her horizons and wrote four short films and one full-length feature, which she is in the process of filming.

Early life [edit] Smith was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Alice M. Smith and the late William Earl Smith, a welder. [10] She has three siblings. [11] LaRita attended Thomas J. Higgins Elementary and Christian Fenger High School. During High School, several teachers saw her potential and mentored her. She attributes her success to her faith in God and the love and support of her parents and family.

Stage [edit] In April 2015, Smith financed and produced Tossing Stones, the play that she had developed in her playwriting workshop at a Liberal Arts High School in Chicago. LaRita financed the project, spending nearly $20,000 of her own money to bring her dream to fruition. The play included themes of infidelity, dignity, jealousy, betrayal and self-worth while addressing issues such as extramarital affairs, sibling rivalry, paternity testing and divorce. The drama/comedy received praise by those in attendance but didn’t receive the press needed to build a broader audience. LaRita decided to take her production on the road; her first stop was Atlanta, Ga. She sought out theaters and set her sights on the Balzer Theatre, in downtown Atlanta. The attendance was low, however, the production received wonderful reviews from those who saw the show. LaRita plans to continue to take her show on the road and build a broader audience. She has also completed the sequel to the production.

Film [edit] Smith has written four short films and recently completed producing her first short film titled Consequences. Consequences is the story of a young boy who decides to take matters into his own hands when the school board refuses to protect him from being bullied. LaRita goal is to pitch the film for inclusion in the Anti-bullying campaign. She has also written a full-length screenplay based on her stage production, which is also titled, Tossing Stones. She plans to begin filming in late fall of 2017.