Maria Andreoli and EmmaLee Kidwell

MARIA: I first discovered theatre after a voice lesson when my teacher, Lisa Franklin, asked if I wanted to audition for a musical called Really Rosie. I was incredibly shy, but I auditioned anyway and completely fell in love with it.

EMMALEE: I grew up listening to cast albums in the car with my mom, and then she brought me to see the national tour of Cats when I was four or five. I was absolutely obsessed with Grizabella. It's one of my earliest memories - watching her ascend, singing "Memory." I've been chasing that feeling ever since.

MARIA: I always wrote songs as a kid to process my emotions, but my journey as a musical theatre writer truly began at Pace University. While studying Musical Theatre there, I took a writing class with Eric Price and Will Reynolds and fell in love with the craft. That class is actually where my writing partner, EmmaLee, and I first started collaborating on The Waiting. In terms of inspiration, I have always been deeply moved by artists like Sara Bareilles, Anaïs Mitchell, and Joni Mitchell.

EMMALEE: I moved to New York City when I was seventeen to pursue a BFA in Musical Theatre from Pace University, but I had a vocal injury between high school and college. When I showed up for the first day of class, I couldn't phonate through half my register. I spent my first years of college both rehabilitating my voice and trying to figure out other ways to express myself creatively. When I took a musical theatre writing class with Eric Price and Will Reynolds as an elective, I met Maria and started writing. I've never looked back.

MARIA: I write stories that are heartfelt and rooted in rich world-building, and my music is inspired by the folk genre.

EMMALEE: I'm drawn to pieces that are larger than life, and a lot of Maria and I's work pertains to world-building pieces and magical realism. I gravitate toward lyrics that feel like poems, and let the audience bring their own interpretation to the text while still advancing the arc of the character.

MARIA: Getting to hear it played out loud by a full band! There is truly no better feeling.

EMMALEE: I love bringing people together. While I love the writing process, the best part of making musicals is the part where we get to go into a rehearsal room and meet people and see their interpretation of the material. Theatre is the greatest group project of all time.