2024 Write Out Loud
Winners & Finalists
From Contest to Concert Volume 6
Winner
"California"
- When did you first discover theater/what was your first experience?
I first discovered theater when I began taking musical theater/dance classes at 8 years old. I remember vividly it was the first time I’d ever experienced true self expression and creative freedom, and I fell in love with it. I spent my adolescence learning more about singing/acting through my participation in school plays, musical showcases, and theater company productions, ultimately realizing the special passion I had for music.
- When/how did you become a writer? Is there a writer, show, or text that particularly inspired you?
I received my first Taylor Swift album, Speak Now, for Christmas when I was six years old in 2010 and immediately fell in love with the writing. Since I can remember, I’ve wanted to be able to tell stories through words and music like her and the other singer/songwriters I grew up listening to at home. I started writing songs at age 12 and it quickly became my outlet and my escape. Whenever I’d be going through something significant in my life, I would turn to my piano or guitar and start sorting through feelings of confusion, frustration or wonder and finding the words and music to give them expression.
- How do you describe your style/work?
Considering how much I’ve been inspired by Nashville-style songwriters, I'd say I gravitate toward writing music with a country influence. I love the storytelling aspect of country music, and I try to incorporate that into most of the music I write. That said, I've been inspired by listening carefully to the songwriting techniques of a wide range of artists including Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Lady Gaga and Adele who bring such unique creativity to their writing.
- What is most rewarding to you about writing music?
I love the mystery that unfolds in the creative process. Sometimes I’ll stumble upon a chord progression I love or strum my guitar until a melody pops into my head that I really love. Other times, a lyric will pop into my head and I’ll immediately grab a napkin and a pen and write it down. I have a list of lyrics on my phone that’ll come to me in the middle of the day (most of the time when I’m in class). There are days I’ll clear an afternoon in the hopes of writing a song and I’ll just end up staring blankly at the piano for hours. And then there are days I’ll be sitting in the classroom, writing a test, and an idea I love will pop into my head and I know I need to write it down immediately or forget it. The process follows me everywhere. No two songs are written the exact same way, and you never know when creativity is going to strike. I’m just always chasing the feeling I get after finishing a song I'm proud of.
Winner
"Necromancy"
- When did you first discover theater/what was your first experience?
I've been a fan of theater literally since before I can remember; my first musical was when my parents took me to see The Lion King stage show when I was like three years old. It's always been an important part of my life.
- When/how did you become a writer? Is there a writer, show, or text that particularly inspired you?
I've been writing music for a long time, but it was almost certainly Rent that inspired me to turn my eyes toward musical theater. Really, it was my friends who encouraged me to pursue theater, receiving feedback from friends with all levels of experience with music, writing, and theater showed me that I could actually do this.
- How do you describe your style/work?
I like writing catchy melodies and stories about the desire for connection.
- What is most rewarding to you about writing music?
Music is something that brings people together. It brings an artist's ideas to others, it brings together performers with different backgrounds, and it unites an audience in the emotions of the song. It's just a wonderful moment of connection.
Winner
"Self-Portrait"
- When did you first discover theater/what was your first experience?
JAR: My first experience with theater was a pivotal moment that shaped my artistic journey. After immigrating to the USA, I found myself drawn to the stage in a high school production of West Side Story.
YK: When I was 8 years old, I participated in an after-school musical theatre class and performed in "Sister Act." I remember the enjoyable and unforgettable moments during rehearsals, singing and acting with my friends.
- When/how did you become a writer? Is there a writer, show, or text that particularly inspired you?
JAR: I began writing during my teenage years, drawn to the coming-of-age genre, which remains a constant source of inspiration. I was particularly spellbound by David Nicholls' novel 'One Day', whose lyrical and humorous prose brought characters to life in a way that I strive to emulate in my own writing. The iconic songs from West Side Story, 'Somewhere', and Anais Mitchell's powerful song 'Why do We Build The Wall?' from the musical Hadestown resonated deeply with me, inspiring me to craft stories and songs that capture the complexities and vulnerabilities of the human experience. These influences sparked a passion for writing that has only grown stronger over time.
YK: I saw my first musical, "Jekyll & Hyde" when I was in high school. I was completely captivated by how the musical conveyed stories through music. That was the moment I decided to become a musical theatre composer and began capturing my emotions in music. Since then, composing has become a way for me to express my inner self and communicate with others.
- How do you describe your style/work?
Our writing style combines fantastical, larger-than-life characters with real human emotional experiences, delving into the darker aspects of humanity with a touch of humor and irony. Through our stories, we explore themes of redemption, identity, power dynamics, and the human condition, inviting audiences to join us on a journey of self-discovery and growth. With a blend of drama, fantasy, psychological depth, and various musical worlds that our work aims to captivate, inspire, and perhaps even challenge audiences to see the world from new perspectives.
- What is most rewarding to you about writing music?
What we find most rewarding about music is its profound ability to evoke powerful emotions and memories, transporting us back to special moments in our lives. Additionally, music plays a significant role in preserving cultural heritage and telling stories of our past, present, and future, which resonates deeply with us. Moreover, its capacity to transcend language barriers and unite people from diverse backgrounds is incredibly rewarding. Through music, we’ve experienced a sense of connection and community that transcends words, and we cherish the way it weaves together our shared human experiences.
Winner
"Fade Away"
- When did you first discover theater/what was your first experience?
WS: My first experience with theater was auditioning for my hometown community theater's production of "The Sound of Music." While my dazzling rendition of "Ode to Joy" did not land me a role, my mom was cast as Sister Berthe, and I've cheered her on in many theatrical productions, ever since!
BT: I grew up going to local shows and watching musicals on PBS with my family. I've always loved watching musicals and was a big 'music enthusiast' like my parents. It was only after being a drummer for 7 years that I became interested in writing.
- When/how did you become a writer? Is there a writer, show, or text that particularly inspired you?
WS: I've been writing music since I was about 10 years old, with my first songs ambitiously tackling topics such as world peace, and conserving the environment (with hard hitting lyrics such as, "This world, this world... We all live in this world.") As a guitarist, "Spring Awakening" was the first musical I saw that really made me believe I could work in this field, and not only as a singer/songwriter, or supporting musician.
BT: I worked on my first musical when I was 16 with my best friend Leslie. She was the writer and I was the orchestrator. I later wrote a show of my own in undergrad where I took influence from Sound of Music and Andrew Lloyd Webber's shows. My writing is very different now than it was then, but I've always loved ALW's soaring melodies.
- How do you describe your style/work?
WS: My writing is often guitar-driven, and pulls from an array of genres, including folk, rock, and contemporary musical theater. As a trans man, a lot of my work includes LGBTQ characters and stories, though the heart of just about every piece is human emotion.
BT: While I have styles I come back to sonically like folk, rock, and classical, I like to think my sound is always changing and growing. It may sound different from song to song but still sounds like me. I think about music in terms of groove and what feels natural, and build off of that with structure and deliberate choices. I also write about subjects that are true to my experience in the hope that through giving a piece of myself, I can reach other people.
- What is most rewarding to you about writing music?
WS: To me, writing music is a language, a puzzle, a spiritual practice, and a little bit magic. It's so rewarding to work on a craft that can help people learn, heal, and process life, while using the tools I love the most: instruments and words.
BT: Every step of the process. From the inkling of an idea, to sitting down to write, to seeing an audience respond to it. It's all a blast, especially when you're lucky enough to write with people who make collaborating such a joy.
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Akira Sky
- Title
- "Take a Picture"
- Finalist
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Danielle Koenig & Raiah Rofsky
- Title
- "Start This Car"
- Finalist
- When did you first discover theater/what was your first experience?
DK: I went to a preschool where one of the parents was an acting teacher, and she volunteered to do a preschool Shakespeare play. We did a preschool friendly version of the Scottish play - nuts, I know - and I played one of the witches! I got to do the famous cauldron speech and started it off with a really beautiful and apt, "Double, double toilet trouble."
- When/how did you become a writer? Is there a writer, show, or text that particularly inspired you?
DK: I was originally a performer, but I have a chronic illness and got sick my sophomore year of musical theater school and wasn't allowed to sing. In that time, I started doing a lot of sketch comedy and improv to fill my time, and I loved it! For my senior thesis, I wrote a musical for my class at UCLA and the rest is history!
- How do you describe your style/work?
DK: I think of my work as comedy with heart. I can be earnest to a fault, but with a background in sketch comedy, there's always a joke or two even in my saddest songs (even if they're only funny to me).
- What is most rewarding to you about writing music?
DK: My favorite thing is when performers tell me a song is fun to sing. I love theatre because of the joy it brings me and so I like to write things that inspire play and joy and creation.
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Gabrielle Ammirato & Yen nien Hsu & Rona Moriah
- Title
- "Things will be Ok!"
- Finalist
- When did you first discover theater/what was your first experience?
YNH: When I was 17, I participated in a theater camp during summer break. This was the first time I discovered theater. I learned so much stuff from so many talented people and I knew I’ll stay here!
RM: I live close to New York City, so I have been lucky to have grown up around theater. I have seen theater since I was young but didn't appreciate it until I saw a production of Les Mis. It was my first experience where I remember being on the edge of my seat for a performance of any kind, and I realized how impactful it is on me.
- When/how did you become a writer? Is there a writer, show, or text that particularly inspired you?
YNH: I started learning music when I was a kid, then I discovered theater. After exploring more I realized there’s a performing art called “musical” that combines these two elements I love. This is why I became a writer!
RM: I remember seeing the Broadway production of Something Rotten and thinking "I want to be able to write something like that." It was the first time I was determined to make something of my own, and I just kept doing it from there! After that, I begun writing plays with the encouragement of a high school English teacher, but wasn't exposed to musical theater/lyric writing until I went to grad school. I fell in love with the craft and collaborating with others.
- How do you describe your style/work?
YNH: Emotional, delicate, and also playful!
RM: Witty, funny, and full of questions.
- What is most rewarding to you about writing music?
YNH: Telling my story and feeling without saying anything.
RM: Collaborating is one of the greatest gifts of being a theatrical lyricist. I absolutely love working with others and bouncing ideas off of people to make the best show/song we can. Seeing something come together over a period of weeks, months, and years is a slow process, but unquestionably the most rewarding.
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Jack Scott-Walker
- Title
- "Shouldn't Keep A Good Man Down"
- Finalist
- When did you first discover theater/what was your first experience?
One of my earliest experiences with theatre was at 12 years old. My parents took me down to London to see The Phantom of the Opera, and my mind was blown away by it all. The show still has a special place in my heart, and it opened me up to the world of musical theatre and its ability to capture raw emotion and the essence of character in well-crafted songwriting.
Since then, my affinity with theatre has grown with past involvement in various productions, from my school and college days, to amateur and professional productions later down the line. Nothing quite compares to the electric atmosphere you find onstage.
- When/how did you become a writer? Is there a writer, show, or text that particularly inspired you?
I’ve always had a passion for being creative in any way. I suppose I’ve always wanted to be unique and stand out from the crowd, creating something new and totally my own. I’ve also played piano from an early age, and in my teen years discovering amazing artists like Elton John and Billy Joel I wanted to emulate them in writing songs that hit an audience deeper than at the simple, superficial level.
I discovered I loved the feeling of channeling those formative and sometimes chaotic years into such a productive creative outlet.
- How do you describe your style/work?
As much as I love certain musical theatre writers, I tend to be much more pop-influenced. There are so many great artists I admire, a really eclectic mix. It really depends on the character or mood I’m trying to create within a song, I’ll take inspiration from a range of different places. As cliché as it sounds, I like to write songs that tell a story. A key component in my mind when writing is coming up with not only impactful lyrics, but a memorable melody. If I can write a tune an audience gets stuck in their heads, I’m happy.
- What is most rewarding to you about writing music?
I love how unpredictable the development process can be, from that first little spark of an idea to the final finished product. For me, it’s like chipping away at marble, inspiration can strike from anywhere and and I’ll constantly rework and tidy up things I don’t think are good enough until I believe I’ve found the true song hiding underneath. That feeling you get when finishing a song and having someone listen to it for the first time is indescribable. The audience may not know the hours of agonising that went into getting a work just how you want it, but when we hear it’s had an effect on them you know it was worth the extra care to get right.
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Maggie Kane & Dillon Feldman
- Title
- "Storm Chaser"
- Finalist
- When did you first discover theater/what was your first experience?
MK: my parents used to take me to shows as little kid in DC, and I loved Les Miserables!
DF: My first Broadway show was Wicked, but the first theatrical performance I was a part of was a riveting rendition of Parts of Speech: the Play at my elementary school
- When/how did you become a writer? Is there a writer, show, or text that particularly inspired you?
MK: I have always been drawn to poets such as Sylvia Plath and T.S. Eliot. I always go back to different types of literature old and new when I am looking for inspiration.
DF: I don't remember my answers from last time I was a part of this and I really hope I'm saying the same thing. The first things I ever wrote were for my school choir! I love dense, harmonically intricate music.
- How do you describe your style/work?
MK: Lately I have been drawn to references to nature and folklore. I also love to explore the fragility of the human condition and lots of singer-songwriter harmonies / vibes. I love working with Dillon because we have a great back and forth and dive deep into the intricacies of a story.
DF: I am drawn to light and magic. I would like to hope my work reflects that. In this shared project with Maggie, I find a lot of that in the vocal arranging. It's this buoyant, ethereal force that connects the four women at the heart of the story we're working on.
- What is most rewarding to you about writing music?
MK: Hearing a group of people bring it to life with their unique talents and abilities. I think our work as artists is only as strong as the community we surround ourselves with.
DF: Connecting with other people and their talents and artistry. There are so many moments of creation and amazingness that happen during the process that don't even necessarily make it to the stage! The process is the thing!
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Matt Gittins
- Title
- "Happiness"
- Finalist
- When did you first discover theater/what was your first experience?
My first experience with theater was exclusively watching the pro shot recording of CATS when I was a little kid. I had absolutely no interest in theater at the time, but I couldn’t get enough of that pro shot. It got to the point I had a CATS themed birthday party for my 4th birthday. I still don’t know what to do with that information.
- When/how did you become a writer? Is there a writer, show, or text that particularly inspired you?
When I was younger I’d sometimes write song lyrics and would rap by myself. I didn’t know why I wrote and didn’t care why, but in hindsight I think it all came back to self-expression which is something I struggled with as a child. I didn’t write for long and I didn’t have an interest in being a writer. However, I always seemed to hold writers in high regard, whether it was through reading quotes from Greek philosophers or listening to audiobooks that would make my favorite stories come alive. Even when my family went to church, I would listen to our pastor discuss writers of this sacred text with such high esteem. I suppose deep down I’ve also wanted to feel respected and helpful, and feel like I was contributing to the human experience in some way.
I rediscovered writing several years after I and my community endured the tragedy of a school shooting. After processing that event, I decided I wanted to write about it. That idea turned into my first musical, YOU GO ON, and the experience of writing that show was like nothing I had ever done or felt before. I wanted to keep doing writing and explore other topics, which leads me to where I am today.
- How do you describe your style/work?
I attempt to be versatile and original, while still holding on to some well-researched ideas on creating live theater. I’m a byproduct of my parents and growing up with Spotify. Since I have that tool in my back pocket I tend to try to keep making songs and ideas that I haven’t made before, but mesh it with the concepts of live theater that I think work well: ie. songs that push plot forward, help develop character, etc.
- What is most rewarding to you about writing music?
For me, this question has been an evolving conversation. Currently, it’s because there’s something about me deciding I’ve something to say. However I’ve had previous answers that were very different, so my opinion on this keeps changing. What I think my real answer is, is that writing and finishing music seems to fill every crack of insecurity that I have and reinforces who I am and want to be at whatever stage of life I’m in. It seems to make me stronger.
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Maxwell Carmel & MIles Walter
- Title
- "When I Look at the Stars"
- Finalist
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Meredith Brandt & Utsav Bhargava
- Title
- "Totally Rock"
- Finalist
- When did you first discover theater/what was your first experience?
MB: I performed a mean “Someday My Prince Will Come” as Snow White in the first grade afterschool production, and the rest is history!
- When/how did you become a writer? Is there a writer, show, or text that particularly inspired you?
MB: I always loved writing, but I didn’t start writing for the stage until I joined my college’s (DEFINITELY cool) all-female musical sketch comedy team. After graduated, I finally combined my longtime love of musical theater with comedy writing and joined the BMI Workshop.
I’m ever inspired by the hilarious and moving shows on stage today and those that I loved to listen to and perform growing up: Little Shop, Spelling Bee, 13, In the Heights, Kimberly Akimbo, The Bedwetter, and beyond!
- How do you describe your style/work?
MB: Silly and smart, character-driven and catchy, full of jokes and full of heart!
- What is most rewarding to you about writing music?
MB: The fun of cracking a musical or lyrical puzzle side-by-side with collaborator friends who inspire funnier, catchier, better work — and then getting that work endlessly stuck in my head! Thanks a lot, Utsav!
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Wesley King
- Title
- "Bad for Me"
- Finalist
- When did you first discover theater/what was your first experience?
I first fell in love with Theatre at a community production of “A Little Night Music."
- When/how did you become a writer? Is there a writer, show, or text that particularly inspired you?
I had been writing music for a while but began having a desire to create songs that were a part of a larger story. During the pandemic, my creative partner Jacob and I wrote our first musical “TEN YEAR.”
- How do you describe your style/work?
I like to work in several different styles, but “Bad for Me” and TEN YEAR in general definitely is drawn from my singer/songwriter background.
- What is most rewarding to you about writing music?
Hearing how stories that seem so personal to me can be so universal and human.