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Robert Smythe is a renowned theater director, academic, and puppeteer based in Philadelphia. He founded Mum Puppet Theater in the 1980s, helping to spark the city^s theater renaissance. Over his illustrious career, Smythe has won numerous awards for his puppetry and productions, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and multiple Barrymore Awards. His scholarly research on puppetry, motor contagion, and the autistic community has been published widely in academic journals.

As a professor at Temple University, Smythe was named Best Professor and earned his MFA. He has directed puppet productions for theaters across the U. . and co-created a popular podcast celebrating life with autism. Applying his research, Smythe has engaged the autistic community through the arts.

Beyond the theater, Smythe also owns a bakery business. Overall, Robert Smythe’s creative talents, academic rigor, and passion for puppetry and performance have left an indelible mark on Philadelphia’s theater scene.

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