Whilst writing short stories, Smith was also studying at Soar Valley Community College, Leicester, where he developed a keen interest in the theatre. He joined Jez Simons' Haithi Productions youth theatre group where he appeared in Simons' and Joyti Patel's "The Fire Dragon" at the Phoenix Arts Centre alongside future "ER" cast member Parminder Nagra. He entered the Independent Radio Drama Productions (IRDP) Young Radio Playwright Competition 1994 with the play "Hello?", after re-writing the ending at Simons' suggestion. He won the competition, and the radio play was broadcast on LBC and performed at the Cambridge Theatre, before transferring to the Old Red Lion Theatre for a four-week run.