I love a good story…

…which is why I’m writing musicals and working in local journalism in New York City. As for my story, I was born and raised in Chicago—I like to think I combine a Midwestern sensibility with East Coast energy. As a theater writer, I’m passionate about telling stories that tackle tough topics with incisive humor, share new and surprising points of view, and peel back the layers of what makes us human.

It all started when…

I began writing diaristic songs in my school notebooks and saved up to buy my first guitar at age 10. As a teenager, I studied acting and playwriting at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre and songwriting at the UVA Young Writers’ Workshop summer session. I made my Chicago debut as a composer at Vittum Theater with Adventure Stage Chicago’s Trailblazers program before moving to New York for college.

I graduated from Columbia University, where I studied English with a focus on dramatic literature. There, I wrote my first full-length musical, The 127th Annual Varsity Show, an annual musical comedy satirizing life at Columbia. For my second outing, I wrote the lyrics for another annual show: XMAS!16, Columbia’s secular holiday spectacular.

The plot thickens…

By cutting my teeth on irreverent comedies, I developed a passion for using clear-eyed humor as an entry point to start difficult conversations and find common ground. To that end, I’ve recently been developing new work, including my song cycle Bedroom Pop and two new musicals, Mad World and Breaking.

I’m currently a first-year lyricist in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop. I’m also a proud alum of The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals and a member of the Dramatists Guild. Learn more about my theatrical projects.

What happens next?!

I’m so glad you asked. Let’s keep in touch!