Overview

The first-ever book to tell the stories of over 300 inspiring women who wrote Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals that Publishers Weekly calls ""an exhaustive tribute to women whose contributions to Broadway musical history have often been overlooked."" Library Journal praises the book, saying, ""Tepper has fashioned a winning book on the unsung heroines of Broadway musicals that will be appreciated by readers of women's studies and theater lore."" Kirkus Reviews says it's an ""encyclopedic reference"" and a ""long-overdue tribute to female lyricists and composers."" From the composers who pounded the pavement selling their music in Tin Pan Alley at the turn of the twentieth century; to the lyricists who broke new ground writing shows during the Great Depression; to the book writers who penned protest musicals fighting for social justice during the 1970s; to those who are revitalizing the landscape of American theatre today, Women Writing Musicals tells the stories of over 300 inspiring women who wrote Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals. Jennifer Ashley Tepper's definitive book covers prolific and celebrated Broadway writers like Betty Comden and Jeanine Tesori, women who have written musicals but gained fame elsewhere like Dolly Parton and Sara Bareilles, and dramatists you've never heard of--but definitely should have. Among the gems shared here are the stories of Clara Driscoll, who saved the Alamo and also wrote a Broadway musical; Micki Grant, whose mega-hit musical about the Black experience made her the first woman to write book, music, and lyrics for a Broadway show; María Grever, who made her Broadway debut at age 56 and who was the first Mexican female composer to achieve international success; and the first all-female writing team for a Broadway musical, in 1922: Annelu Burns, Anna Wynne O'Ryan, Madelyn Sheppard, and Helen S. Woodruff. This book is a treasure trove for theatre-loving readers that Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor and singer Kristin Chenoweth praises as ""a wonderful resource for actors, and an important read for anyone interested in theatre.""

Full Product Details

9781493080311

Table of Contents

Reviews

"Tepper, creative director at 54 Below, a nonprofit cabaret club, provides an exhaustive tribute to women whose contributions to Broadway musical history have often been overlooked. Spanning from the 18th century to the present, the brief profiles feature such figures as Ann Julia Hatton, ""the first woman to write a libretto"" (for 1794's Tammany); Elsie Janis, who starred in and wrote the lyrics for 1919's Elsie Janis and Her Gang onBroadway, which featured out-of-work WWI veterans; and the all-female creative team behind 1922's Just Because. Carolyn Leigh's lyrics to the mid-20th-centurymusicals Peter Pan and Little Me helped to make her one of the first ""female musical theatre writers to enter the permanent canon of the art form,"" while Quiara Alegr�a Hudes wrote the book to Lin-Manuel Miranda's hit musical In the Heights, helping to break new ground by ""paint[ing] a portrait of real modern-day Latinx people and their everyday struggles."" Tepper is thorough in her research.... It's a valuable.... accounting of a lesser-known corner of Broadway history. -- ""Publishers Weekly"" As an actress deeply rooted in the world of musical theater, I found Women Writing Musicals to be exciting and vital. Each story about an individual writer who contributed to the fabric of the art form was illuminating, inspiring, or both! Anyone passionate about theatre will be galvanized to champion musicals, songs, and scripts written by women after reading this indispensable book. --Laura Bernanti, Tony Award-winning actor and singer ""Any new work from the incomparable Jennifer Ashley Tepper is cause for celebration. This book feels especially essential in the way it celebrates and amplifies female writers who history has embarrassingly ignored. It does more than shine a light on under-appreciated artists, it gives them a stage and puts their talents on full display. Tepper has the singular ability to make history feel alive, legacy feel active, and art feel like the lifeblood of the human race. The book provides the electric thrills of a live performance and I am so grateful to be in the audience for this particular show."" --Joe Iconis, composer, lyricist, and playwright; Be More Chill ""As a woman with a career in the rarified world of musical theatre, I really appreciate Jennifer Ashley Tepper's thrilling deep dive into the history and meaning of our work. This book is a rich and timely addition to our canon of musical theatre literature."" --Lynn Ahrens, Tony Award-winning lyricist of Ragtime ""How wonderful that Jennifer Ashley Tepper has written such a loving and informative book about this fabulous collection of female theatre songwriters. Whether from today or years ago, the beautifully detailed stories highlight the highs and lows of the mysterious craft of musical theatre, and the women who created it."" --Liz Callaway, Emmy Award-winning actor and singer ""Jennifer Ashley Tepper has dedicated her life to telling stories that might otherwise fade away around this brilliant, live, ephemeral art form we call musical theatre. With Women Writing Musicals, she is putting the women back in the narrative where they belong, and highlighting generations of unsung innovators and theatre makers that have shaped the musicals we love."" --Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of Hamilton ""Nobody knows the history of Broadway - or the women who make it sing - like Jennifer Ashley Tepper. At once reverent, dishy, and passionately researched, this is an essential book for any fan of the Great White Way."" --Tim Federle, Emmy-nominated creator of High School Musical: the Musical: the Series ""Reading Jennifer Ashley Tepper's remarkable book, I was gobsmacked at the breadth and depth of women composing and writing musicals in America and found myself wondering, why didn't I know about so many of them before? Well, thanks to her, now we do. It is galvanizing and humbling to learn that women have always found a way to create and get their work produced and forged incredible careers for themselves, even when there was no way. In concise, fascinating and illuminating histories, we learn about each woman's work and career and, in the aggregate, we get to see how many of us there are and how long we've been part of the landscape of the American musical. Thanks to Tepper, our stories are unsung no more."" --Amanda Green, Tony Award-nominated writer of Hands on a Hardbody ""The stories about these amazing women are so inspiring! This book is a wonderful resource for actors, and an important read for anyone interested in theatre. How meaningful it is to put girl power where it belongs: in the spotlight. I loved it!"" --Kristin Chenoweth, Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor and singer ""This book is a miracle. Jennifer Ashley Tepper's painstaking research, attention to detail, and deep love of theatre has yielded a long overdue treasure trove of information about women who write musicals."" --Kirsten Childs, Obie Award-winning writer of The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin ""This book set my heart and head aflame!! I cannot believe how many of these women I'd never heard of. What a tremendous gift Jennifer Ashley Tepper has bestowed upon us - a delicious coup d'oeil into the kaleidoscope of badass women who, for decades, have been shaping American Musical Theatre as we know it."" --Jenn Colella, Tony Award-nominated actor of Come From Away ""Where are all the female musical theatre writers? Turns out, they've always been there, but they've been hidden away behind a mist, like Brigadoon! However, an intrepid explorer named Jennifer Ashley Tepper has found them and is finally giving us their amazing herstories in this gem of a book!! Let's give these creative and groundbreaking women their long overdue bravas!"" --Seth Rudetsky, Sirius XM host, author of Seth's Broadway Diary and Musical Theatre for Dummies ""Who better than Jennifer Ashley Tepper to dive into an examination of the unsung women of Broadway? She has become this generation's chief cheerleader and chronicler of Broadway, examining both the bricks and mortar of the street and the ethereal nature of the shows and people who have brought that street to life. This book is a gem - some of these women were known to me, some unknown, and some completely surprising. Once again, Tepper takes us on a glorious ride."" --Ted Chapin, Former president of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, author of Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical Follies, co-founder of City Center Encores!"

As an actress deeply rooted in the world of musical theater, I found Women Writing Musicals to be exciting and vital. Each story about an individual writer who contributed to the fabric of the art form was illuminating, inspiring, or both! Anyone passionate about theatre will be galvanized to champion musicals, songs, and scripts written by women after reading this indispensable book. --Laura Benanti, Tony Award-winning actor and singer Tepper, creative director at 54 Below, a nonprofit cabaret club, provides an exhaustive tribute to women whose contributions to Broadway musical history have often been overlooked. Spanning from the 18th century to the present, the brief profiles feature such figures as Ann Julia Hatton, ""the first woman to write a libretto"" (for 1794's Tammany); Elsie Janis, who starred in and wrote the lyrics for 1919's Elsie Janis and Her Gang onBroadway, which featured out-of-work WWI veterans; and the all-female creative team behind 1922's Just Because. Carolyn Leigh's lyrics to the mid-20th-centurymusicals Peter Pan and Little Me helped to make her one of the first ""female musical theatre writers to enter the permanent canon of the art form,"" while Quiara Alegría Hudes wrote the book to Lin-Manuel Miranda's hit musical In the Heights, helping to break new ground by ""paint[ing] a portrait of real modern-day Latinx people and their everyday struggles."" Tepper is thorough in her research.... It's a valuable.... accounting of a lesser-known corner of Broadway history. -- ""Publishers Weekly"" ""Any new work from the incomparable Jennifer Ashley Tepper is cause for celebration. This book feels especially essential in the way it celebrates and amplifies female writers who history has embarrassingly ignored. It does more than shine a light on under-appreciated artists, it gives them a stage and puts their talents on full display. Tepper has the singular ability to make history feel alive, legacy feel active, and art feel like the lifeblood of the human race. The book provides the electric thrills of a live performance and I am so grateful to be in the audience for this particular show."" --Joe Iconis, composer, lyricist, and playwright; Be More Chill ""As a woman with a career in the rarified world of musical theatre, I really appreciate Jennifer Ashley Tepper's thrilling deep dive into the history and meaning of our work. This book is a rich and timely addition to our canon of musical theatre literature."" --Lynn Ahrens, Tony Award-winning lyricist of Ragtime ""How wonderful that Jennifer Ashley Tepper has written such a loving and informative book about this fabulous collection of female theatre songwriters. Whether from today or years ago, the beautifully detailed stories highlight the highs and lows of the mysterious craft of musical theatre, and the women who created it."" --Liz Callaway, Emmy Award-winning actor and singer ""Jennifer Ashley Tepper has dedicated her life to telling stories that might otherwise fade away around this brilliant, live, ephemeral art form we call musical theatre. With Women Writing Musicals, she is putting the women back in the narrative where they belong, and highlighting generations of unsung innovators and theatre makers that have shaped the musicals we love."" --Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of Hamilton ""Nobody knows the history of Broadway - or the women who make it sing - like Jennifer Ashley Tepper. At once reverent, dishy, and passionately researched, this is an essential book for any fan of the Great White Way."" --Tim Federle, Emmy-nominated creator of High School Musical: the Musical: the Series ""Reading Jennifer Ashley Tepper's remarkable book, I was gobsmacked at the breadth and depth of women composing and writing musicals in America and found myself wondering, why didn't I know about so many of them before? Well, thanks to her, now we do. It is galvanizing and humbling to learn that women have always found a way to create and get their work produced and forged incredible careers for themselves, even when there was no way. In concise, fascinating and illuminating histories, we learn about each woman's work and career and, in the aggregate, we get to see how many of us there are and how long we've been part of the landscape of the American musical. Thanks to Tepper, our stories are unsung no more."" --Amanda Green, Tony Award-nominated writer of Hands on a Hardbody ""The stories about these amazing women are so inspiring! This book is a wonderful resource for actors, and an important read for anyone interested in theatre. How meaningful it is to put girl power where it belongs: in the spotlight. I loved it!"" --Kristin Chenoweth, Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor and singer ""This book is a miracle. Jennifer Ashley Tepper's painstaking research, attention to detail, and deep love of theatre has yielded a long overdue treasure trove of information about women who write musicals."" --Kirsten Childs, Obie Award-winning writer of The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin ""This book set my heart and head aflame!! I cannot believe how many of these women I'd never heard of. What a tremendous gift Jennifer Ashley Tepper has bestowed upon us - a delicious coup d'oeil into the kaleidoscope of badass women who, for decades, have been shaping American Musical Theatre as we know it."" --Jenn Colella, Tony Award-nominated actor of Come From Away ""Where are all the female musical theatre writers? Turns out, they've always been there, but they've been hidden away behind a mist, like Brigadoon! However, an intrepid explorer named Jennifer Ashley Tepper has found them and is finally giving us their amazing herstories in this gem of a book!! Let's give these creative and groundbreaking women their long overdue bravas!"" --Seth Rudetsky, Sirius XM host, author of Seth's Broadway Diary and Musical Theatre for Dummies ""Who better than Jennifer Ashley Tepper to dive into an examination of the unsung women of Broadway? She has become this generation's chief cheerleader and chronicler of Broadway, examining both the bricks and mortar of the street and the ethereal nature of the shows and people who have brought that street to life. This book is a gem - some of these women were known to me, some unknown, and some completely surprising. Once again, Tepper takes us on a glorious ride."" --Ted Chapin, Former president of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, author of Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical Follies, co-founder of City Center Encores!

"""Any new work from the incomparable Jennifer Ashley Tepper is cause for celebration. This book feels especially essential in the way it celebrates and amplifies female writers who history has embarrassingly ignored. It does more than shine a light on under-appreciated artists, it gives them a stage and puts their talents on full display. Tepper has the singular ability to make history feel alive, legacy feel active, and art feel like the lifeblood of the human race. The book provides the electric thrills of a live performance and I am so grateful to be in the audience for this particular show."" --Joe Iconis, composer, lyricist, and playwright; Be More Chill ""As a woman with a career in the rarified world of musical theatre, I really appreciate Jennifer Ashley Tepper's thrilling deep dive into the history and meaning of our work. This book is a rich and timely addition to our canon of musical theatre literature."" --Lynn Ahrens, Tony Award-winning lyricist of Ragtime ""How wonderful that Jennifer Ashley Tepper has written such a loving and informative book about this fabulous collection of female theatre songwriters. Whether from today or years ago, the beautifully detailed stories highlight the highs and lows of the mysterious craft of musical theatre, and the women who created it."" --Liz Callaway, Emmy Award-winning actor and singer ""Jennifer Ashley Tepper has dedicated her life to telling stories that might otherwise fade away around this brilliant, live, ephemeral art form we call musical theatre. With Women Writing Musicals, she is putting the women back in the narrative where they belong, and highlighting generations of unsung innovators and theatre makers that have shaped the musicals we love."" --Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of Hamilton ""Nobody knows the history of Broadway - or the women who make it sing - like Jennifer Ashley Tepper. At once reverent, dishy, and passionately researched, this is an essential book for any fan of the Great White Way."" --Tim Federle, Emmy-nominated creator of High School Musical: the Musical: the Series ""Reading Jennifer Ashley Tepper's remarkable book, I was gobsmacked at the breadth and depth of women composing and writing musicals in America and found myself wondering, why didn't I know about so many of them before? Well, thanks to her, now we do. It is galvanizing and humbling to learn that women have always found a way to create and get their work produced and forged incredible careers for themselves, even when there was no way. In concise, fascinating and illuminating histories, we learn about each woman's work and career and, in the aggregate, we get to see how many of us there are and how long we've been part of the landscape of the American musical. Thanks to Tepper, our stories are unsung no more."" --Amanda Green, Tony Award-nominated writer of Hands on a Hardbody ""The stories about these amazing women are so inspiring! This book is a wonderful resource for actors, and an important read for anyone interested in theatre. How meaningful it is to put girl power where it belongs: in the spotlight. I loved it!"" --Kristin Chenoweth, Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor and singer ""This book is a miracle. Jennifer Ashley Tepper's painstaking research, attention to detail, and deep love of theatre has yielded a long overdue treasure trove of information about women who write musicals."" --Kirsten Childs, Obie Award-winning writer of The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin ""This book set my heart and head aflame!! I cannot believe how many of these women I'd never heard of. What a tremendous gift Jennifer Ashley Tepper has bestowed upon us - a delicious coup d'oeil into the kaleidoscope of badass women who, for decades, have been shaping American Musical Theatre as we know it."" --Jenn Colella, Tony Award-nominated actor of Come From Away ""Where are all the female musical theatre writers? Turns out, they've always been there, but they've been hidden away behind a mist, like Brigadoon! However, an intrepid explorer named Jennifer Ashley Tepper has found them and is finally giving us their amazing herstories in this gem of a book!! Let's give these creative and groundbreaking women their long overdue bravas!"" --Seth Rudetsky, Sirius XM host, author of Seth's Broadway Diary and Musical Theatre for Dummies ""Who better than Jennifer Ashley Tepper to dive into an examination of the unsung women of Broadway? She has become this generation's chief cheerleader and chronicler of Broadway, examining both the bricks and mortar of the street and the ethereal nature of the shows and people who have brought that street to life. This book is a gem - some of these women were known to me, some unknown, and some completely surprising. Once again, Tepper takes us on a glorious ride."" --Ted Chapin, Former president of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, author of Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical Follies, co-founder of City Center Encores!"

Author Information

Jennifer Ashley Tepper is the author of four volumes of ""The Untold Stories of Broadway"" book series. She is the Creative and Programming Director at 54 Below, a position she has held for over a decade, curating or producing over 7,000 shows. In addition, she was the producer of the musicals Be More Chill, Broadway Bounty Hunter, and Love In Hate Nation, projects that are part of a decade-long collaboration with Joe Iconis & Family. Her other Broadway credits include [title of show] and Godspell. Tepper is co-creator of the Bistro Award-winning concert series ""If It Only Even Runs A Minute,"" celebrating underappreciated musicals, and conceiver of The Jonathan Larson Project. She was the historian consultant on the film, tick, tick... BOOM!

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