Elizabeth Swados, Musical Composer and Writer, Dies at 64

Elizabeth Swados, musical composer and writer, beloved teacher, and a four-time Tony Award nominee for her musical Runaways, has died at the age of 64 after a battle with esophageal cancer.

During her life, Swados focused on creating pieces that would not only reach a wide range of people, but would draw attention to social and political issues. Her biggest hit was the musical Runaways, which is a collection of songs about children who have run away from broken homes and the world in which they now live. The piece premiered at the Public Theater on February 21, 1978 and moved to Broadway (Plymouth Theater) that spring, where it ran for 274 performances. At just 27-years-old, Swados was the show’s composer, book writer, director and choreographer. She was nominated for four 1978 Tony Awards, as well as Drama Desk Awards for her direction, music and lyrics.

Other pieces by Swados include Alice in Concert, a “music hall” version of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass; The Red Sneaks, a free wheeling contemporary musical for teens is a loose adaptation of the The Red Shoes, transposed to today’s urban jungle; and Doonesbury, a musical version of the Garry Trudeau comic strip. For a full list of her musicals, please click here.

Swados also spent much of her life as a teacher and mentor to many students, working at acclaimed institutions such at New York University’s Tisch School of the Performing Arts.

To learn more about Swados’ life and contributions to the theatre, please visit her New York Times obituary: Elizabeth Swados, Creator of Socially Conscious Musicals, is Dead at 64.