A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (Saratoga Shakespeare Company)
"Thanks to excellent performances by Lucy Miller as Helena and Shayna Schmidt as Hermia, the frustrations of the lovers come across as legitimate rather than as adolescent."—Bob Goepfert, Troy Record; Full Review
GOD OF VENGEANCE (New Yiddish Rep)
"Rifkele, played with lovely sensitivity by Ms. Schmidt, yearns for freedom, too — the freedom to love Manke... they share a tender scene in which Manke playfully pretends to be Rifkele’s bridegroom and impulsively implores her to come away with her so they can share a life together. The purity of the affection between them is beautifully played."—Charles Isherwood, New York Times; Full Review
"Shayna Schmidt’s Rivkele glows with the hope and beauty of youthful love."—Myra Chanin, Theatre Pizzazz; Full Review
"Ms. Schmidt's Rifkele, whose easy smile almost never reveals her teeth, has a giddy but shy energy; her sexuality is budding rather than bloomed, leaving her relationship with Manke one of the play's more interesting and unresolved mysteries."—Aaron Botwick, Scribicide; Full Review
"Shayna Schmidt as Rifkele is particularly captivating in a skillful and nuanced portrayal of a girl forced to choose between two unforgiving worlds. When Schmidt is onstage, there is no looking away."—Debra Caplan, Digital Yiddish Theatre Project; Full Review
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (Artistree Theatre Company)
"Karcher and Schmidt both shine with their clear voices, whether chafing against the arranged marriages that await them in Matchmaker, Matchmaker or fighting back tears and second thoughts as they prepare to leave home and hearth for the suitors of their own choosing in Act II."—David Corriveau, Valley News; Review of FIDDLER
PRIDE & PREJUDICE (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park)
"The relationships between all the sisters (played by Stepanov, Schmidt, Seibert, & Kyler) was great. Even when they were just in the background they would still be playing or talking to one another and the different relationships between them were on full display. It was subtle and unique and added an extreme value."—Kelly Thompson, BroadwayWorld; Review of PRIDE & PREJUDICE
SLUT SHAMING (Cincinnati Fringe Festival)
"Tatum and director Bridget Leak challenge their audience with time shifts, surrealism and a swirl of narrative and character portrayals delivered by three young actresses (Shayna Schmidt is the most versatile and expressive of them)." —Matt Peiken, WCPO Cincinnati; Review of SLUT SHAMING
"Performed by three talented actresses (Chelsea D. Harrison, Shayna Schmidt and Britian Seibert) playing multiple and sometimes identical roles, we're told the story of Lauren... the actors themselves move seamlessly between characters... it is dizzying at times, truly fine ensemble work." --Ed Cohen, CityBeat; Review of SLUT SHAMING
"I was able to see three of my favorite actresses - Britian Seibert, Chelsea Harrison, and Shayna Schmidt, three recent graduates of the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park intern acting company - tackle the very poignant, timely, and important topic of... how we treat our girls. Schmidt comes alive when Lauren is interrogated by the prosecutor... these ladies have a bright future ahead of them, I'm confident." --Kirk Sheppard, The Sappy Critic; Review of SLUT SHAMING