Winner

"Samson"

When did you first discover theater/what was your first experience?

I have been a performer my whole life, and after my career breaking role of “Straw” in The Straw That Broke The Camel’s Back, my kindergarten musical, I knew theatre was all I ever wanted to do. But my first experience with professional theatre was seeing the Hairspray tour in Chicago. It blew me away, and I remember going back to our hotel and not being able to sleep because of the pure adrenaline and love I felt. A feeling I will never forget, and still feel to this day.

When/how did you become a writer? Is there a writer, show, or text that particularly inspired you?

My writing journey began in high school, as I began to learn piano. My learning piano naturally evolved into me just writing on the piano, not learning lol. So I started to write, and just never stopped from there. But when I knew it was part of what I wanted to do professionally, Ryan Scott Oliver (who I believe to be truly the most genius composer of our time) really helped me become the writer I am today. Regina Spektor also has always been a huge source of inspiration for me, as I feel she does what no one else has done before.

How do you describe your style/work?

I would describe my work as having piano-led infectious melodies, whimsical yet strong storylines, imaginative lyricism, folk stylings and a balanced mix of pop + musical theatre sensibilities: all invoking a new sound. My aim is to muse all of this into Musical Theatre in a new, exciting way, which I think sets me apart. I hope it does, and if it doesn’t then I will just throw my lover to the cats (I KNOW YOU DID IT CAROLE).

What is most rewarding to you about writing music?

Watching an artist perform it. It genuinely feels like ice cream. When someone performs your work and has a connection to it: it feels like your mission has been accomplished. Another thing I find so rewarding about writing music is that it is all in my control. So much of the world today is not in our control (…) and having 88 keys under your fingers that will create something that wasn’t there before, all at the bend of a finger, is magical. Pure magic.

Winner

"Sang Along"

When did you first discover theater/what was your first experience?

I was incredibly lucky to have two parents who are very well versed in the arts- my Mom, Lois Sage, is a cabaret singer and actress and my Father, Chris Oyen has been a show director at DisneyWorld for my entire life- I can’t remember my first theatre experience necessarily but I do remember seeing Cats when I was a child (my “guncle” Kelly Briggs was plating Old Deuteronomy) and being absolutely scarred by the Cats interacting with me.

When/how did you become a writer? Is there a writer, show, or text that particularly inspired you?

I may be the single most ridiculous human being in the world, but when I was 13 years old I had just finished up a stint on a reality television show (VH1’s In Search of the Partridge Family). I was pretty down (I… didn’t win) and my parents took me to go see Wicked. The show absolutely changed my life and made me want to write songs for musicals. It honestly decontextualized what I even thought theatre was, which is crazy. I love Wicked.

How do you describe your style/work?

I think that I pretty much just try write songs that make complete sense to me and that satisfy me as an audience member- and then just hope beyond hope that other audience members like what I like. I think every single writer succeeds most in what makes them most unique and authentic.

What is most rewarding to you about writing music?

Handing the song to a performer and getting to hear what the song actually sounds like. I don’t think I ever really have a firm grasp on what the song should be/sound like or what rewrites I should make until I really hear it sung by someone who can interpret the song!

Winner

"Coffee in the Morning"

When did you first discover theater/what was your first experience?

My first experience with theater was in the 4th grade - My mom was directing Aladdin Jr. for our k-8 school district, and she forced me to audition for the show. I was interested in theater but had no idea what I was doing. She ended up casting me as Iago in that production, and every year after that I was in the next "MTI Jr." show that was being put up by my mom.

When/how did you become a writer? Is there a writer, show, or text that particularly inspired you?

I started writing music when I was 14. What really kickstarted my passion was being in a Pop/Rock band called Cross The Line in high school. I was the songwriter for the band, and we released an E.P. and played a lot of shows locally for about 3 years. That kept me writing all through out high school. Most of the music I write for the stage now is very heavily Pop/Rock influenced with a full rock band, etc. So when I saw American Idiot for the first time, I was completely blown away. It was the only show I knew at the time that meshed both of my opposite interests - Pop/Punk band music and musical theatre. That tour definitely ignited a flame in me.

How do you describe your style/work?

My work is very heavily influenced by early 2010's Pop/Rock/Punk. I love simplicity. I love how easy "Coffee in the Morning" is to hear and play, and I think there's a lot of beauty in keeping music stripped down. A lot of that early Pop/Rock is pretty standard, 4 chord melodies with a reoccurring chorus that builds each time it repeats. It's not very complex, but I really like to follow that structure whenever I start writing. I think what sets me apart from others is that I really just like to sit in the basics of songwriting. I like to tell the most story with the least amount of moving parts.

What is most rewarding to you about writing music?

Whats most rewarding to me is making people feel something with music. I love to think of songs as short stories. Stories impact people in many different ways and make people feel emotions they maybe forgot about. That's really my only goal when writing music, is to make the listener feel something they aren't already. It's incredibly rewarding to me when a song of mine helps bring those forgotten feelings to light.