Resume
Beth’s words for theatre have won her the Director’s Choice Award (NYMF), the National Art Song competition, Jonathan Larson and NAMT grants, the Klinsky Award for excellence in musical theatre (2econd Stage), the GBH Lyricist Award (the O’Neill), and fellowships from The Dramatists’ Guild and America-In-Play. Her songs and shows have been performed at the Kennedy Center, the United Nations, and Lincoln Center, as well as across the US, Asia and Europe.
Beth’s musical The Mistress Cycle (music Jenny Giering) was produced in New York, London, DC and twice in Chicago, where it received multiple Jeff Award nominations. Island of the Blue Dolphins (music also by Jenny Giering) was commissioned by TheatreWorks USA and toured the US. Beth also received the first-ever commission from The Village Theatre for the musical Oneida. In 2017, she was commissioned to write a musical about the iconic politician and activist Bella Abzug.
Development/residencies include the Johnny Mercer Writers’ Colony (Goodspeed), the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the O’Neill, UCross (Sundance), Theatre Works Palo Alto, Goodspeed, Queens University (Belfast), Running Deer. Princess Caraboo (book Marsha Norman, music Jenny Giering, director Gary Griffin) was presented at NAMT. Oneida was presented in development at the Village Theatre Festival of New Musicals, Vox Fest (Hanover, NH) and Music Theatre of Connecticut.
Beth is also the founder of Hope Sings, the for-benefit music business whose mission is to harness the power of song and story to support women. Notable projects include the anthem for UN Women, the first-ever anthem for a UN agency, which she produced and for which she wrote the lyric.
Beth has taught Musical Theatre Songwriting at Adelphi University and is the co-founder of the Musical Theatre Writers’ Group at the Music Theatre of CT. She is a past member of the BMI/Lehman Engel Advanced Musical Theatre Workshop, a current member of the Dramatists’ Guild and the League of Professional Theatre Women. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Dartmouth College.
AWARDS/PRIZES
· Directors’ Choice Award from the New York Musical Festival (book and lyrics, The Mistress Cycle)
· NAMT developmental grant for Oneida (National Association of Musical Theatre)
· The Georgia Bogardus Holof Lyricist Award from the O’Neill Musical Theatre Conference
· Dramatists’ Guild fellowship (for lyrics and her play, Smotherhood)
· 2econd Stage Theatre Klinsky Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre
· Jonathan Larson Foundation grant
· The Sondheim Prize - two-time finalist (Mercury Musical Development, London)
RESIDENCIES
· Sundance/UCross Foundation (Wyoming)
· Running Deer Writers Retreat
· Queens University/Mercury Musical Development (Belfast, Ireland)
· Goodspeed Musicals (Hashi - with composer Jeff Blumenkrantz; and Princess Caraboo)
· The O’Neill Musical Theatre Conference
· Theatre Works Palo Alto, (thrice)
· America-In-Play (New York City)
· Vox Theatre Writers’ Retreat (Dartmouth College, Hanover NH)
COMMISSIONS
· Oneida - the first ever commission from The Village Theatre (Issaquah, WA).
· Island of the Blue Dolphins, based on the children’s classic - TheatreWorks USA
SONGS/REVUES
Beth’s songs have been sung by Rebecca Luker, Laura Benanti, Sara Ramirez, Julia Murney, Judy Blazer, Liz Callaway.
Beth conceived, produced and wrote the lyric for the anthem for UN Women, the first-ever anthem for a United Nations agency. The recording of "One Woman" featured 25+international musical artists.
In Japan, Beth wrote lyrics with legendary composer Yagi Masao for jingles, television theme songs, pop songs, and musicals. For the Hong Kong Arts Center, she conceived, created and sang in the revues “Hooray for Hollywood” and “The Women.” She has performed her sketch comedy and monologues in New York City with Chicago City Limits.
PERFORMING
Beth sang and danced her way across America and to Asia. She appeared with Anthony Newley in Stop the Word… and Fiorello with Tom Bosley.
In Tokyo, she had lead roles in two Japanese TV series and a radio program; she was also the pop/rock music critic for the Japan Times. In Hong Kong, she sang rock & roll and dubbed Kung Fu films.
Back state-side, she has performed at Hope Sings benefit concerts for Girls Inc. Westchester and Hour Children, singing songs she wrote for the occasions. She also joined an evening of women comedians at the Friars Club, singing “Our Bodies, They Are A’Changing” (with apologies to Bob Dylan).
ETC
Beth has taught Musical Theatre Songwriting at Adelphi University and is the co-founder of the Musical Theatre Writers’ Group at the Music Theatre of CT. She is a past member of the BMI/Lehman Engel Advanced Musical Theatre Workshop, a current member of the Dramatists’ Guild and the League of Professional Theatre Women. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Dartmouth College.
Before her theater life began, Beth worked in advertising at Ogilvy & Mather on the American Express and General Foods accounts. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Dartmouth College, where she majored in Comparative Literature. She has lived in France, Germany, Tokyo and Hong Kong, and speaks French (well), German (passably), Japanese (with lots of smiling) and Greek (when in Greece…).