Smith & Kraus

Smith & Kraus is the premier American publisher specializing in acting, theater, and performance books, founded in 1990 by Marisa Smith and Eric Kraus with a mission to serve the professional and educational theater community with high-quality publications that support actors, directors, playwrights, and theater educators. Over more than three decades of continuous publication, Smith & Kraus has released over 700 titles, establishing the deepest catalog of acting-specific publications of any publisher in the United States. The company is best known for its annual Best Men's Stage Monologues and Best Women's Stage Monologues series, which have become the industry-standard audition material resource used by actors, acting teachers, and theater programs nationwide. For actors, Smith & Kraus represents the single most important publisher to know, as their catalog addresses virtually every aspect of the performing craft from audition preparation through advanced technique and career development. The company's focus on the specific needs of theater professionals means that every publication is designed with practical utility in mind, not academic abstraction. Smith & Kraus has earned the trust and loyalty of the theater community through decades of consistent quality and relevance.

The Best Stage Monologues series is Smith & Kraus's flagship publication line and the most widely used monologue resource in American theater. Published annually in separate volumes for men and women, these collections gather the strongest monologue-length passages from the most notable plays produced in the United States during the preceding year, providing actors with a curated selection of fresh, high-quality audition material from current theatrical writing. Each monologue is presented with contextual information about the play, the character, and the dramatic situation, giving actors the context they need to prepare an informed, intelligent performance of the material. The series editors are experienced theater professionals who read extensively across the American theatrical landscape to identify the most compelling and performable monologue passages, applying a curatorial standard that actors and teachers have come to trust. For actors who need to maintain a rotation of current, well-chosen monologue material for auditions and showcases, the annual Best Stage Monologues volume is considered an essential purchase. The series has been published continuously for over thirty years, creating a substantial archive of monologue material that represents the evolution of American playwriting.

Beyond the monologue series, Smith & Kraus publishes an extensive catalog of scene collections, play anthologies, acting technique books, and career development resources that serve actors at every stage of their professional journey. The scene anthologies compile two-person and ensemble scenes from contemporary plays, providing actors and acting students with fresh material for scene study classes, showcases, and audition preparation. The play anthologies collect full scripts from emerging and established playwrights, introducing actors to new voices in American theater that they might not encounter through traditional publishing channels. The technique books cover a wide range of approaches and methodologies, from introductory guides for beginning actors to advanced texts on specific aspects of performance craft. Career development titles address the business side of acting, including guides to the audition process, self-marketing, agent relationships, and navigating the professional theater industry. The breadth of the catalog means that Smith & Kraus serves actors from their first acting class through established professional careers.

Smith & Kraus has also established itself as an important publisher of dramatic literature, making available plays by emerging and mid-career playwrights whose work might otherwise remain unpublished and therefore inaccessible to actors, students, and theater companies outside the original production's geographic reach. By publishing these plays, Smith & Kraus extends the life and reach of new American dramatic writing, ensuring that important theatrical voices are available to the broader community rather than remaining confined to the markets where their work was originally produced. For actors, this publishing mission means access to a wider range of contemporary dramatic material than the catalogs of larger publishing houses typically provide, as Smith & Kraus actively seeks out and publishes work from diverse voices, smaller theaters, and regional companies whose productions may not reach the national consciousness through reviews and media coverage alone. The company's relationships with playwrights, theaters, and literary managers across the country give them early access to new work that they can evaluate for publication. This curatorial function serves the entire theater ecosystem by creating a published record of contemporary American playwriting. The availability of these texts in print ensures that actors in any market can access and perform material from the full breadth of American theatrical production.

The educational market is a significant part of Smith & Kraus's audience, as theater programs at universities, conservatories, and high schools rely heavily on their publications for class material, monologue assignments, scene study texts, and supplementary technique reading. Many acting teachers build their course reading lists substantially from Smith & Kraus titles, particularly the monologue and scene collections that provide students with age-appropriate, current, and well-curated material for performance assignments. The company's publications are stocked by academic bookstores and theatrical supply retailers, making them readily available through the purchasing channels that students and programs already use. For aspiring actors just beginning their training, Smith & Kraus books are often among the first acting-specific publications they encounter, establishing a relationship with the publisher that typically continues throughout their professional careers. The company's educational focus also extends to publications for theater educators, including guides to teaching acting, directing student productions, and building theater programs. This dual service to both performers and educators has made Smith & Kraus an integral part of the American theater education infrastructure.

Smith & Kraus publications are available through the company's own website, major online retailers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble, theatrical bookstores like the Drama Book Shop, and academic bookstores serving theater programs. Individual titles are typically priced between $12 and $25 for paperback editions, with the annual Best Stage Monologues volumes falling in the $15 to $20 range — a modest investment for what many actors consider the most important single audition resource published each year. Scene collections and play anthologies are similarly priced, making it feasible for actors to build a substantial personal library of performance material without significant financial strain. Some titles are available in digital formats for e-readers, though many actors prefer physical copies that can be marked up, tabbed, and carried to auditions and classes. The company occasionally offers bundle deals and sales through their website that provide savings on multiple-title purchases. Compared to the value of having fresh, professionally curated audition material readily available, the cost of Smith & Kraus publications represents one of the most favorable investments in an actor's career toolkit.

Smith & Kraus publications are recommended for every theater actor who needs a reliable, professional source of audition material, scene study texts, and craft development resources. The annual Best Stage Monologues volume should be an automatic purchase for any actor who auditions regularly with monologues, as it provides the most efficient way to maintain a current repertoire of fresh, well-chosen material. The scene collections are invaluable for actors in scene study classes who need material beyond what their teachers assign, and for self-directed actors who want to practice with partners using professional-quality contemporary scenes. Actors building their personal technique library will find Smith & Kraus's acting books to be practical, readable, and grounded in professional experience rather than academic theory. Theater educators and program directors should explore the full catalog, as many titles are designed specifically to support teaching and training contexts. For actors at the very beginning of their training, starting with a Best Stage Monologues volume and a fundamental technique book from the Smith & Kraus catalog provides an excellent foundation for professional development.

Purchase the most recent annual Best Stage Monologues volume for your gender or the combined edition, and read through every monologue to identify pieces that resonate with your type, emotional range, and audition needs, marking your top choices for deeper preparation. Build a collection of at least three to five years of Best Stage Monologues volumes to create a substantial library of audition material that gives you options across genres, tones, and character types without relying on a single year's selections. Explore the scene collections to find material for scene study class and self-tape practice, selecting scenes that challenge you in specific ways — comedy if you tend toward drama, heightened language if you gravitate toward naturalism — to expand your range. Visit the Smith & Kraus website to browse the full catalog and identify technique books that address specific areas of your craft that you are currently developing or struggling with. When selecting monologues from the annual collections, look for pieces from less well-known plays rather than gravitating toward the most famous selections, as these less familiar monologues are less likely to have been seen by casting directors from other auditioners. Keep your Smith & Kraus monologue volumes organized and accessible so you can quickly pull appropriate material when an audition opportunity arises on short notice.