Columbia Theatre Alums Bring Camp, Comedy, and ‘Queen for a Day’ Off-Broadway

Tyler Anthony Smith ’17 as Queen Elizabeth I in Hell in a Handbag Productions’ “Queen for a Day.” Photo by Taylor Dalton.

Dakota Hughes ’15 as Liza Minnelli in Hell in a Handbag Productions’ “Queen for a Day.” Photo by Taylor Dalton.

Will Lidke as Halston in Hell in a Handbag Productions’ “Queen for a Day.” Photo by Taylor Dalton.

Tyler Anthony Smith ’17, Dakota Hughes ’15, and Stephanie Shaw ’92, MFA ’09, bring their acclaimed comedy “Queen for a Day” to New York for a limited Off-Broadway run.

Three �� Theatre alums have taken an absurdist comedy about Halston, Liza Minnelli, and a time-traveling Queen Elizabeth I from Chicago to an Off-Broadway stage.

Written by and starring Acting alum Tyler Anthony Smith ’17, “Queen for a Day” features Musical Theatre alum Dakota Hughes ’15 and is directed by Professor of Instruction Stephanie Shaw ’92, MFA ’09. Following a sold-out Chicago premiere, the production is running through Sept. 14 at in New York City.

For Smith, the show began with a fascination with Halston—and a television portrayal that left him wanting something different.

“I think the idea originated around 2022. There was a limited Netflix series about Halston,” Smith says. “It didn’t do it for me, but I’ve always been fascinated by Halston and Studio 54. I can’t remember how Elizabeth I got roped into my shenanigans, but that’s when the idea for the show began.”

The result is a high-concept comedy set in 1984. Halston is packing up his Olympic Tower office after losing control of his name and fashion empire when Queen Elizabeth I—dead for nearly four centuries—arrives with an urgent request: She needs him to design her final gown by the end of the day. Then Liza Minnelli appears, seeking help with her new act.

Smith plays Queen Elizabeth I, Hughes portrays Liza Minnelli, and Will Lidke plays Halston.

Creating Their Own Opportunities

Smith says his experience in Columbia’s Acting BA program continues to shape both his work and the kind of artist he wants to be.

“Columbia is definitely in everything I do,” Smith says. “I was an ‘older’ student in my class, so I had a clearer sense of what I wanted to get out of it. Columbia taught me that I wanted to be the kind of artist who does it for themselves.”

Waiting for the next role was never going to be enough.

“I could never be an actor who just sits around, auditions, and leaves so much up to fate,” he says. “I’d be institutionalized by now. Padded cell. Straitjacket. But wearing LaDucas.”

That impulse to create his own opportunities has also allowed Smith to build roles around artists he knows and trusts—especially Hughes, a close friend since their time together at Columbia.

“Dakota has been my best friend since 2014. My muse, my everything,” Smith says. “They’re the Divine or Mink Stole to my John Waters, if I may be so bold.”

Hughes had never performed an impression of Minnelli before taking on the role, but Smith had no doubt they could do it.

“That’s just who they are. They can do anything, which makes writing for them a dream,” he says.

A Collaboration Forged at Columbia

Shaw first met Smith and Hughes when they were Columbia students and immediately recognized two distinctive talents.

“I realized they were both artistic powerhouses: creative, dedicated, fiercely intelligent, and a little off the wall,” Shaw says. “They have grown into cherished colleagues in the years since they graduated.”

Shaw, who studied Theatre as an undergraduate at Columbia before earning an MFA in Creative Writing, currently teaches solo performance and directing at Columbia. She has directed Smith and Hughes several times since their graduation, often in works written by Smith.

“Tyler’s unique, bespoke plays are part camp, part satire, part existential howl—and sometimes surprisingly romantic,” Shaw says.

Smith describes Shaw as his definitive directorial collaborator.

“Stephanie is the be-all and end-all director for me,” he says. “Of course I love working with others, but nobody knows how to get a performance out of me—especially in my own writing—as swiftly as she does.”

Together, Hughes and Shaw have brought more than individual performances or creative choices to the production, Smith says, “I can’t tell you one or two things they’ve brought to this show because they’ve brought everything.”

Making Space for Theatrical Magic

“Queen for a Day” premiered in summer 2025 at Chicago’s Bramble Arts Loft, where it was presented by Hell in a Handbag Productions. The production earned enthusiastic reviews, including , theatre and dance editor for the Chicago Reader.

Reid called the show “a spectacular high-concept comedy” and praised its combination of extravagant camp and emotional depth. She also named Hughes’ Liza Minnelli one of the year’s best performances.

Ahead of the New York opening, The New York Times included “Queen for a Day” in its roundup “” identifying it as one of the month’s noteworthy productions.

For Smith, the recognition matters not only because it brings new attention to the production, but because it validates forms of theatre too often dismissed as frivolous.

“Camp, comedy, ridiculousness, absurdism, trash, surreal theatre—whatever you want to call what I do—is so rarely respected,” Smith says. “But it’s magic.”

That resistance only strengthens his determination to follow his vision.

“I always want to do what I want with the people I love—and give them the opportunity to do what they aren’t allowed to do anywhere else,” Smith says.

“Queen for a Day” runs through Sept. 14 at , 312 W. 36th St., New York.

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