Christopher Smith: Music / Lyrics / Co-author of book

Christopher wrote his first musical at the age of 17. That musical was performed at the University of Delaware when Chris was a senior in high school. Chris had left theatre behind to work as a Police Officer and as a Youth Director at his local church when the idea of Amazing Grace fell into his lap. A chance stroll through the church school library led him to pick up a book about a person he hardly knew: John Newton. Chris became convinced that his was a story that could bridge the gap between ordinary experience and deep struggles of the soul.

He raised money from local business leaders and put on a reading inside the Empire State Building in 2007. Out of the hundreds who attended only one was a Broadway producer, Carolyn Rossi Copeland.  She now produces Amazing Grace. Chris is entirely self-taught and apart from his close work with Arthur Giron has no training in writing for the theatre. 

Chris lives with his wife Alana, son Josh, and daughters Alana and Alexandra in Warwick, PA. “My family has held me up, struggled alongside me and given everything they could to support the pursuit of this dream.”