Women Writing Musicals

Choice 2025 Outstanding Academic Title

Women Writing Musicals is the first-ever book to tell the stories of over 300 inspiring women who wrote Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals. Publishers Weekly calls it "an exhaustive tribute to women whose contributions to Broadway musical history have often been overlooked." Meanwhile, Library Journal praises the book, commenting, "Tepper has fashioned a winning book on the unsung heroines of Broadway musicals that will be appreciated by readers of women’s studies and theatre lore." Kirkus Reviews describes it as an "encyclopedic reference" and a "long-overdue tribute to female lyricists and composers."

From the composers who pounded the pavement selling their music in Tin Pan Alley at the turn of the twentieth century, to the lyricists who broke new ground writing shows during the Great Depression, to the book writers who penned protest musicals fighting for social justice during the 1970s, to those who are revitalising the landscape of American theatre today, Women Writing Musicals chronicles these extraordinary journeys.

Jennifer Ashley Tepper's definitive book covers prolific and celebrated Broadway writers like Betty Comden and Jeanine Tesori, women who have written musicals but gained fame elsewhere like Dolly Parton and Sara Bareilles, and dramatists you’ve never heard of—but definitely should have. Among the gems shared here are the stories of Clara Driscoll, who saved the Alamo and also wrote a Broadway musical; Micki Grant, whose mega-hit musical about the Black experience made her the first woman to write book, music, and lyrics for a Broadway show; María Grever, who made her Broadway debut at age 56 and was the first Mexican female composer to achieve international success; and the first all-female writing team for a Broadway musical in 1922: Annelu Burns, Anna Wynne O’Ryan, Madelyn Sheppard, and Helen S. Woodruff.

This book is a treasure trove for theatre-loving readers that Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor and singer Kristin Chenoweth praises as "a wonderful resource for actors, and an important read for anyone interested in theatre."