Since my last newsletter, I have been in no altercations. Thank you for your outpouring of support. The “Smith! Dive Away!” mantra is embedded in me now. I got my hair cut. All of ‘em. RIP man bun. The tail hangs off the living room mantel as I ponder what to do with it (Fishing […]

EARLY SPRING NEWSLETTER When I turned 24,  I was in the North of Sudan, talking to a local guy my age, and I told him it was my birthday. He looked perplexed. I asked him if he celebrated his birthday. More perplexed still. “We celebrate Mohammed’s Birthday”. And I was slightly altered. I didn’t start […]

There is no template for navigating the death of a friend. Each loss scrapes its unique hole.  An agitated inner chorus wakes up loudly, and indicates, as a bad actor might, that which is suddenly missing. The recent loss of my friend John Spiers has brought me a spirited gratitude for what I still have.  […]

Frank Buxton, 85, is the world’s oldest living improviser performing outside the walls of a retirement home. He plays with The Edge on Bainbridge Island (founding member) and is still really good. Having recently returned to performing improv myself, I am experiencing its rejuvenating powers. So, here are a few tips to feeling young: 1. […]

Trip to New Orleans Summer Intensive Found object Smitty & Miles Improv shows this Summer! Elizabeth’s brother Eric is working on a film, The Free State of Jones, near New Orleans. All the Heffron clan converged on his 1852 shotgun townhouse in The Garden District. I lived in New Orleans for eight months in 1984, […]

April 1st & April 8th: Smitty & Miles, a new and used impro/sketch duo, has its first show at West of Lenin! It will take courage to push the send button on this one. You see, I risk my reputation as a good improviser, which I have because: 1. I teach improv. 2. No one […]

I am enjoying my 15 minutes of fame NOW, before anyone sees the film. But I’ll go out on a limb and recommend it! My Last Year with the Nuns exceeded all expectations, is in the can, and IN The Seattle International Film Festival. For fun facts, we have a Facebook page. Egyptian Theatre May […]

My back yard is half edged. Mom is doing “Sit and be fit” in front of the TV. Brother Steve’s wives #’s 1 & 2 (once you’re in, you’re in) are bustling in and out like bees. The dog is shedding. My wife is typing in the basement. I am sneezing. Feels like Spring. And […]

I saw it was coming. I pushed the idea out of my mind when it popped in from time to time, but those knocks at the door of my brain are louder now, and more frequent, so I’m letting it in. I have become Elizabeth Heffron’s husband. She’s the famous one. There. I feel, now, […]