Chicago Musical Theatre Writers Workshop
In the Fall of 2025, The American Music Theatre Project (AMTP) at Northwestern University launched a new, weekly writers’ lab for Chicago-based musical theatre composers, lyricists, and bookwriters. Over a 10-week session, the Chicago Musical Theatre Writers Workshop provided selected participants with a forum and feedback to develop their existing work and build essential skills in the craft of writing/composing for the musical stage, free of charge. In addition to serving rising writers and composers from the greater Chicago music and theatre communities, the Workshop offers Northwestern students the opportunity to learn from professional artists by performing new work and assisting with the process of new musicals development. The Chicago Musical Theatre Writers Workshop is led by AMTP artistic director and Tony-nominated musical dramatists Masi Asare (read about Masi’s vision for the workshop in Newcity magazine here.)
The Fall 2025 Workshop participants are listed below. Industry guests who joined at various points to share feedback include Malkia Stampley (BOLD Artistic Producer, Goodman Theatre), Cheryl Coons (award winning lyricist/librettist, and member of the National Council of the Dramatists Guild), Ericka Ratcliff (Literary Manager, Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Amanda Dehnert (associate professor, Northwestern Theatre Department), Sandy Rustin (Broadway playwright, actress, and librettist), and Rick Boynton (creative producer and dramaturg).
AMTP is not currently accepting applications from writers and composers for this program. The application process for the 2026 Chicago Musical Theatre Writers Workshop (to take place late September to early December 2026) will open in summer 2026.
PROJECTS AND WRITERS/COMPOSERS
Read the bios of the 2025 Chicago Musical Theatre Writers Workshop writers and composers here.
CODE by Brandon Jackson Baird
COMMON ROMANCE by Michael R. Oldham
COMPUTER CHESS by Rebecca Beegle and Robert Melton
HEEL TURN by Eric Matthew Richardson
MYSELF, AND MYSELF, AND MYSELF by Samantha Westlake-Hart
SIREN SONG by Jack Foley and Bennett Petersen
TIGHT by Ellen Warner O’Brien and Gabrielle Winter
WAYWARD by Maya and Gabriel Rowe
STUDENT ARTISTS
AMTP Ensemble
Aaron Amhof
Sophia Bogdanovitch
Sasha Durta
Hannah Gill
Veronica Gonzalez
Lucy Honor Lewis
Lauren Nishi
Michael Peterson
Sarah Olson
Annika Raj
Additional Student Singer-Actors
Tessa DeJesus
Santina Juma
Palima Lukins
Nithya Malempati
Paddy May
Angel Napp-Cáceres
Rowan Sharma
Lucca Silva
Holly Simon
Student Music Directors
Brandon Baade
Sammy Grob
Zoë Kales
Ethan Weisman
Student Acting Coach
Rosalind Faires
Music Assistant & Copyist
Michael Peterson
Workshop Assistants
Aiden Kaliner
Gabriel McDerment