Title Page | Collection Summary | History of the Collection | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Contents | Arrangement
Biographical Note
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1918, Feb. 13 | Born Oliver Lemuel Smith in Waupun, Wisconsin, to Larue F. Smith and Nina Kincaid Smith |
| 1932 | Smith family moved to Wellsboro, Pennsylvania |
| 1939 | Earned B. A. in fine arts from Pennsylvania State University Moved to Brooklyn, planning to work and support himself for a year before attending graduate school at Yale University. He soon after joined cousin and composer Paul Bowles at 7 Middagh Street in Brooklyn Heights, a residence also shared by poet W. H. Auden, composer Benjamin Britten, authors Carson McCullers and Richard Wright, lyricist John LaTouche, and burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee |
| 1939-1940 | Continued to refine art portfolio while holding down a variety of local jobs. At Bowles' suggestion, Smith began to apply his love of painting to theatrical design |
| 1941 | Opening of Léonide Massine's ballet, Saratoga, the first production featuring Smith's design work. Dance critic Edwin Denby praised Smith's innovative sets, opening the door for a stream of future design opportunities |
| 1942 | Collaborated with choreographer Agnes DeMille on her ballet, Rodeo, featuring music by Aaron Copland and sets by Smith |
| 1944 | Designed set for the ballet, Fancy Free, featuring choreography by Jerome Robbins and music by Leonard Bernstein Premier of On the Town, with Smith in his first role as co-producer alongside Paul Feigay |
| 1945 | Collaborated with Feigay on Billion Dollar Baby
Became co-director of Ballet Theater with Lucia Chase, a partnership that lasts until 1980 |
| 1948 | Ballet Theater premier of Fall River Legend, with sets by Smith, choreography by Agnes DeMille, music by Morton Gould, and costumes by Miles White |
| 1949 | Designed sets for and co-produced Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with Herman Levin |
| 1955 | Release of the MGM film, Oklahoma!, with Smith in his first role as art director |
| 1956, Mar. 15 | Opening of My Fair Lady with Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison, produced by Herman Levin and directed by Moss Hart, with production design by Smith, book and lyrics by Alan J. Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe, and costumes by Cecil Beaton |
| 1956, Oct. 31 | Opening of Auntie Mame at the Broadhurst Theatre, with sets by Smith and lighting by Peggy Clark |
| 1957, Sept. 26 | Opening of West Side Story at the Winter Garden Theatre, directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, with sets by Smith, book by Stephen Sondheim, and music by Leonard Bernstein |
| 1957 | Earned six Tony Award nominations for Best Scenic Design and ultimately won for My Fair Lady. In total, Smith would win ten Tony Awards and earn twenty-five nominations throughout his career |
| 1958, Dec. 1 | Opening of Flower Drum Song at the St. James Theatre, directed by Gene Kelly, with sets by Smith, book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joseph Fields, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, music by Richard Rodgers, and lighting by Peggy Clark |
| 1959, Nov. 16 | Opening of The Sound of Music at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, directed by Vincent J. Donehue, with sets by Smith, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and music by Richard Rodgers |
| 1960, Dec. 3 | Opening of Camelot, starring Julie Andrews and Richard Burton, with sets by Smith, book and lyrics by Alan J. Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe |
| 1963, Oct. 23 | Opening of Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park at the Biltmore Theatre, with sets by Smith. Simon and Smith would collaborate on several other successful plays, including The Odd Couple (1965), Plaza Suite (1968), and Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1969) |
| 1964, Jan. 16 | Opening of Hello, Dolly!, starring Carol Channing, with sets by Smith and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman |
| 1965-1970 | Served as member of the National Arts Council |
| 1967 | Ballet Theater premier of Swan Lake at the Metropolitan Opera House, the first of several collaborations with choreographer David Blair. The pair would also stage Giselle (1968) and Sleeping Beauty (1974) |
| 1971 | Co-founded the Lenox Arts Center with Lyn Austin, an organization dedicated to unusual new productions |
| 1971-1994 | Taught M.F.A. course in scenic design at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts |
| 1981 | Inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame Co-founded the experimental Emerging Artists Laboratory with Richard Englund |
| 1989 | Last credited design for Jerome Robbins' Broadway |
| 1990-1992 | Returned as co-director of Ballet Theater alongside Jane Herrman. Smith was later named director emeritus of the company from 1992-1994 |
| 1994, Jan. 23 | Died, Brooklyn |