Women Writing Musicals with Jennifer Ashley Tepper and Carly Heitner

Join us as Carly Heitner (Picnic Playlist) interviews Jennifer Ashley Tepperabout her new book, Women Writing Musicals: The Legacy that the History Books Left Out! The first-ever book about female musical theatre writers makes a great holiday gift and this event will include a live interview, audience Q & A, and book signing. 

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: The Legacy That The History Books Left Out is the first-ever book to tell the story of over 300 inspiring women who wrote Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals.

Author Jennifer Ashley Tepper offers here the definitive book on the topic, covering 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, the first Mexican female composer to achieve international success—who made her Broadway debut at age 56; and the first all-female writing team for a Broadway musical, Annelu Burns, Anna Wynne O’Ryan, Madelyn Sheppard, and Helen S. Woodruff—in 1922! This treasure trove of tales about women who wrote musicals will make you look at theatre in a whole new way. 

“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

“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

“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