WRITERS
JILL ABRAMOVITZ
Lyricist - Co-Bookwriter
A contributing lyricist on Broadway’s IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU, Jill is the English language translator of the award-winning Israeli musical BILLIE SCHWARTZ, running at the Haifa Theatre. She is the lyricist of TheatreworksUSA’s MARTHA SPEAKS (book by Kevin DelAguila, music by Brad Alexander), which toured nationally, and she is the lyricist/co-bookwriter of THE DOGS OF PRIPYAT with composer Aron Accurso and co-bookwriter Leah Napolin (Weston Playhouse New Musical Award, Jerry Bock Award, NAMT 2011 and Goodspeed’s Festival of New Artists 2012). With composer Brad Alexander, she adapted the film BREAD AND ROSES (NYMF Reading 2016, AMAS Dare to be Different Festival 2017). Jill is a past Dramatist Guild Fellow, a Harrington Award winner in the BMI Workshop, as well as a past member of the Musical Theatre Factory writer’s workshop and an alumna of Goodspeed’s Mercer Colony, where she developed MISTY MAKES IT BETTER with Brad Alexander and playwright Erik Forrest Jackson. Jill is also an actress, with recent credits including BEETLEJUICE on Broadway, CHICAGO MED and THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL.
ARON ACCURSO
Composer
Original shows include: The Dogs of Pripyat (NAMT, Jerry Bock Award, Weston Award, Festival of New Artists at Goodspeed), with Jill Abramovitz and Leah Napolin; a comedy with puppets about immigration, Seeing Red (TRU), with Joey Mazzarino; a mental health musical, with Rachel Griffin (his wife), We Have Apples, (Theatre Now NY); and Strega Nona (Atlantic for kids, national tour). BMI Workshop (Harrington Award), Dramatist Guild Fellow, Johnny Mercer colony. Choral commissions include University of Michigan, Colorado Children’s Chorale, Tennessee All-State Choir. He is the Associate Music Director for Aladdin (Broadway) and was the Incidental Arranger/Music Director for Up Here, by Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (La Jolla) and Calvin Berger by Barry Wyner. Other Broadway: Sister Act, Nice Work…, The Little Mermaid, and Billy Elliot. He co-produces the YouTube channel “Songs for Littles,” which has over 30 million views and 100K subscribers. aronaccurso.com
LEAH NAPOLIN
Co-Bookwriter, Play Author
Leah Napolin (1935-2018) made her Broadway playwriting debut in 1975 with Yentl, adapted from a short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Yentl played for a full season at the Eugene O'Neill Theater, was published by Samuel French, and made into a movie by Barbra Streisand. Yentl continues to be produced worldwide, including Ms. Napolin’s 2013 revision of the play with songs added by singer-songwriter Jill Sobule. Other plays include Lost Island; Aristophanes’ Retreat; Trash and Treasures, commissioned by the Actor’s Theater of Louisville; and, The Dogs of Pripyat for which Ms. Napolin was awarded the John Gassner Memorial Playwriting Award. Ms. Napolin penned two memoirs, Joined and War Baby. Her novel, Split at the Root: A Novel in Three Acts was published in 2018.