Meet the Fellows:
Rachel Griffin
What was your first experience with Theater?
I was a munchkin in The Wizard of Oz at a community theater when I was really little. My mom let me wear a ridiculous amount of rainbow scrunchies in my hair for my costume so I was the happiest little person ever. I’ve been hooked since!
My sister and I were always either in a musical or searching for the next audition we could attend. I was actually in Annie with Anna Kendrick way back when! Musical theater still makes me feel like the little girl getting to wear way too many rainbow scrunchies.
Growing up, my mom always played cast albums and just great music in general. She even played Carole King’s Tapestry to her belly when she was pregnant with me! I saw Beautiful, the musical, for my birthday a few years ago, which was amazing! I’ve been waiting for that musical since before I was a born!
When did you recognize you were a writer? Or when did you start writing?
I actually thought everyone made up songs in their heads all the time so it was awkward when I realized not everyone does! I was like, “Hey, guys! Let’s share our songs! Guys?!” I’ve written songs in my head since I can remember. I started accompanying myself on the piano when I was in fifth grade. I was really prolific in high school, but I didn’t identify as a composer until college when a fantastic professor, Dr. Michelle Snow, kept calling on me and encouraging my work. When girls aren’t shown female composers in school, it’s hard for us to imagine ourselves as composers.
We can be told our musical voice is valuable but if at the same time we are not being shown any female writers this message doesn’t stick. “You can be a composer! Ok, back to this white man’s work we are studying…” Not cool.
This is why, as a music educator, I am so passionate about teaching girls and children of color that they are/can be composers/conductors/writers and that we need their voices! I had a seven-year-old girl up in front of the class as a conductor the other day and she totally lit up when the class followed her cut off. It was the best.
Where does your inspiration come from? Or who do you look to for inspiration.
I am so inspired by both the beautiful, classic musicals like Fiddler on the Roof and West Side Story and new, bold, brilliant work like Fun Home and Hamilton. I am so grateful for amazing female composers like Jeannine Tesori (my hero!) who show girls that they can be phenomenal musicians, instrumentalists and composers at the top of their industry, creating work that can change conversations and lives.
Writing is how I navigate my inner world. It helps me bring a light to the confusing, dark paths and helps me understand them better. I aim to do the same thing with the work and bring light to human rights and social justice issues that I am passionate about. I aim to help others understand something that feels complex, stigmatized and foreign and make it human and relatable.
What are you most looking forward to as a fellow? Or what do you hope to accomplish / learn this year?
I am really excited to learn from Michael Korie, Laurence O’Keefe, Sheri Wilner, Diana Son, and the brilliant playwrights and composers in the fellowship. I would like to finish the musical I am writing, We Have Apples, which highlights the stigma associated with mental illness and the lack of accessible, high-quality mental health care.
What do you find most rewarding about being a dramatist? Or what do you find most rewarding about the writing process?
I believe that our struggle and pain soften when we use them to create, and then with our art we are able to soften the same pain living in others. Struggle can become our power. Pain can become connection and foster compassion. Taking something hard and stagnant within and making it something living and beautiful to share is my favorite part!
Rachel Griffin is an up-and-coming musical theater songwriter and librettist. She is currently writing the book, lyrics and music for a musical, We Have Apples. Selections of We Have Apples have been showcased at the Musical Theatre Factory, New Light Theatre Company and at 54 Below in the Cutting Edge Composers Concert. A table reading of We Have Apples was held in April at NYU. As a singer/songwriter/pianist, Rachel won two national songwriting contests (National Public Radio, American Idol Underground), garnered over 1.5 million YouTube views, and received a publishing deal for several of her songs. Recently she wrote a song for a Macy’s internal campaign which premiered at Alice Tully Hall. With the help of the Kickstarter, Rachel put out an EP of original music in 2013: Over the Moon. She has performed at Rockwood Music Hall, The Bitter End, The Living Room, Hotel Cafe, and Caffe Vivaldi. Rachel is currently getting a masters in Music Education at New York University. She also enjoys blogging about mental health and volunteering at the Lighthouse Music School for the blind and visually impaired. http://dgfund.org/fellows/rachel-griffin/
