BRITTNY SMITH (Director/Choreographer) is excited to return to Riverside in this full-circle moment as director of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. She starred as Diva Donna in the Broadway National Tour of the Donna Summer Musical! A native of Houston, TX, and a two-time graduate of Texas Southern University, she began her professional career as a child tv and film actor (BET, NBC, Shell, Kraft, Hi-C). She went on to perform as a Southern University Dancing Doll and an NBA/NFL dancer before signing a major label recording contract managed by Matthew Knowles, father of Beyoncé. Her performance career spans tv/film (Stomp the Yard 2), national and international touring with Step Afrika!, bgv for major r&b recording artists, as well as the Broadway stage! Some of her favorite tour credits include Tina: The Tina Turner Musical First National Tour, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations First National Tour, and Dreamgirls International Tour. She is also immersed in artistic philanthropic work, having led workshops and master classes domestically and abroad, working with the White House Initiative on Academic Excellence for African Americans, and is the founder of the Idemo Scholarship Fund, created for young artists of color. @bbenai08