Seminar Playwright Theresa Rebeck Steps Down as Smash Showrunner

Theresa Rebeck, creator, executive producer and showrunner for NBC’s Smash, will step down after the first season wraps, according to Deadline.com. Rebeck will keep her executive producer title and may have a hand in writing scripts, but she will no longer be involved in the daily operations of the series' second season. Rebeck is reportedly looking to return to theater.

Rebeck’s theater credits include Broadway’s current comedy Seminar, as well as the 2007 main stem production of Mauritius. Rebeck was nominated in 2004 for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for co-authoring Omnium Gatherum. Her other credits as a playwright include Good Behavior, The Understudy, Our House, Spike Heels and The Butterfly Collection. 

Smash centers on newcomer Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee) and showbiz vet Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty). Both actresses are vying for the lead role of Marilyn in the musical of the same name. The series details the process of bringing a Broadway musical to life, and features original music by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.