Trish Brown Schmit

Trish Brown Schmit is a Professor of Theatre at Principia College, where she combines academic teaching with an active professional career in theatre direction and film. She co-founded and serves as Artistic Director of Prism Theatre Company in St. Louis, focusing on promoting women and emerging artists through inclusive productions. Her work includes directing acclaimed plays like Bandera, Texas and The Revolutionists, and she has received multiple BroadwayWorld STL nominations for her direction.

Education: MFA in Directing from Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University; BA from Principia College.

Research interests emphasize women's contributions to film/television direction, film editing, and amplifying new works by female playwrights. She is a leading practitioner of the Michael Chekhov acting technique, having trained under master teachers including Dawn Arnold and Joanna Merlin.

Awards highlight her impactful direction across comedy, drama, and musical theatre. Professional affiliations include the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, Michael Chekhov Association, and Association for Theatre in Higher Education.

Trish also co-created the short film Bottom Little Theatre and is developing Girl’s Night Out. Her professional theatre credits span companies like Insight Theatre (St. Louis) and Bankside Repertory Theatre (Alton, IL).