Rían Smith

Rían Smith is a writer from Dublin, Ireland. He is a graduate of the National Film School of Ireland at IADT, having majored in Screenwriting. In his own work, he writes about people finding connection in the darkest of places; he also loves to write stories about liars – spies, thieves, people having affairs.

Rían’s plays have been shortlisted for such awards as The Papatango Prize, Theatre 503’s International Playwriting Award, and RTÉ’s PJ O’Connor Award for Radio Drama (his radio drama THE BOY IN THE BASEMENT was produced by RTÉ). In 2024, he was selected for Screen Ireland Spotlight, where he developed his anarchic thriller feature THE WINDOW SMASHER. In 2025, he participated in BBC Writers’ Voices, developing his horror TV pilot THE OLD HAUNT; Storyhouse Lab, developing his horror feature TRAUMATIC; and Greenlight Screenwriting Lab (ran by Philip Shelley of the Channel 4 Screenwriting Course), where he wrote his domestic thriller TV pilot, MRS X.

He is currently Literary and New Work Associate at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin.