THOMAS MIZER
Alumni Writing Mentor
THOMAS MIZER is an accomplished songwriter and storyteller whose work has appeared on screens and stages around the world. In television, he and his frequent collaborator Curtis Moore are best known as the official composers for the acclaimed Prime Video series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, resulting in three Primetime Emmy nominations and a 2023 World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Song. As a lyricist and librettist, he received the prestigious Fred Ebb Award “for excellence in musical theatre songwriting.” His stage credits include the romantic mystery Triangle (World Premiere at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Richard Rodgers Award Finalist) and upcoming musicals for Universal Theatrical Group and Michael Cassel Group. www.thomasmizer.com
RYAN CUNNINGHAM
Alumni Writing Mentor
RYAN CUNNINGHAM is a Jonathan Larson Award-winning lyricist and bookwriter, and a Drama Desk and MAC Award nominee. His Off-Broadway musical, written with composer Joshua Salzman, I Love You Because, was in the NAMT Festival of New Musicals and went on to be produced all over the world in five languages. His next musical also with Salzman, Next Thing You Know (Developed at AMTP), has been produced at CAP 21 in New York, across America and in Europe. He also wrote the book and lyrics to The Legend of New York, (O'Niell finalist, developed at AMTP) Michael Collins (ASCAP Musical Workshop winner, developed at AMTP), and The Morris & Essex Line, all currently in development with Salzman. With award-winning writer Charles Antin he wrote the comedies Half-Married and Television's Greatest Playwright. He has also enjoyed a 20-year, award-winning career in advertising, and is currently a Vice President of Creative on the Creative Partnerships team at NBCUniversal. Ryan is a graduate and adjunct faculty member of the NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program and is a member of ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and two sons.
ALAN SCHMUCKLER
Alumni Writing Mentor
ALAN SCHMUCKLER fell in love with songwriting thanks to the Waa-Mu Show. Now he writes for the live stage, television, film, podcasts and digital formats. His work has been performed across the US and internationally. Selected credits: music, lyrics, score & song production for TV series Kidding (Showtime); Kleban Prize, Webby Award, both for musical Wait Wait Don’t Kill Me (Wondery). With Michael Mahler (SoC ‘05), music & lyrics, My Little Pony: A New Generation (Netflix); LEGO Store: The Musical (The LEGO Group); Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Alchemation); An American Tail, The Secret of My Success (NBCUni); others; Richard Rodgers Award, for stage musical The Monster. Alan lives in Connecticut with his wife Sara and their daughter Hallie.
JOSEPH THALKEN
Alumni Writing Mentor
JOSEPH THALKEN is an award-winning composer, conductor and pianist whose theater and concert works have been performed internationally. He is the composer of the musicals Was, Harold & Maude, Fall of ’94, Borrowed Dust and Inventions for Piano. His concert works encompass chamber, choral, orchestral, wind ensemble and vocal. He has served as music director and/or arranger for luminaries of Broadway and classical music, including Julie Andrews, Liza Minnelli, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Renée Fleming, Rebecca Luker, Marin Mazzie, Liz Callaway, Sierra Boggess, Kristin Chenoweth, Faith Prince, Hugh Panaro, Michael Crawford, Howard McGillin, Brian Stokes Mitchell and many more. He has taught music theatre composition at Yale and is a proud graduate of Northwestern University. www.josephthalken.com
IAN WEINBERGER
Alumni Writing Mentor
IAN WEINBERGER is the music director of Hamilton on Broadway. As music supervisor, arranger and/or orchestrator: Titanic, Disney's Moana Jr., and the documentary concert The Eyes of the World (on PBS with the Boston Pops, at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and at the White House for President Biden). He is a proud member of the hip-hop improv group Freestyle Love Supreme, with whom he performed on and off-Broadway and on the Tony Awards. Other Broadway and Off-Broadway orchestras: The Book of Mormon, Kinky Boots, Rocky, Side Show, Chaplin, and Little Miss Sunshine. Cast recordings: The Christmas Schooner, A New Brain, and The Theory of Relativity. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education and percussion performance from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in jazz piano from New York University. He is proud and only slightly embarrassed to have seen every Waa-Mu Show since 1997's All Grown Up.
DANIEL GREEN
Alumni Writing Mentor
DANIEL GREEN was recently the associate music director of Almost Famous on Broadway. Previously he was the associate conductor of In Transit and Rocky on Broadway, and he has played or conducted on Broadway for many other shows including Parade, An American In Paris, Peter and the Starcatcher, and Wicked. Other credits include Ride (Old Globe), Ever After (Alliance Theatre), The Wild Party (Encores!), Theory of Relativity (Goodspeed), and Between the Lines (Second Stage). As a writer, Daniel won the Holof Lyricist Award with David H. Bell for The Museum of Broken Relationships, which was developed at the Eugene O’Neill National Music Theater Conference and later presented at the Aspen Theatre Festival. His solo musical Window Treatment, written with Deborah Zoe Laufer, was produced at the TBG Theatre Off-Broadway, and his show The Tale of the Gifted Prince, written with Lezlie Wade, has been featured in festivals around North America, including the NAMT Songwriter's Showcase and the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop with Stephen Schwartz. Daniel is a graduate of Northwestern University and the BMI Musical Theatre Advanced Workshop.
JED FEDER
Alumni Writing Mentor
JED FEDER is a songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and actor based in New York City. He and co-writer Matt Deitchman create and produce Yellowfin Grouper, P.I., the radio-play musical podcast for all ages (their first collaboration was a song for Waa-Mu!). As a musician, Jed has played drums with theatre companies around the country, including for the off-Broadway production Trevor. As an actor, his various credits include the First National Tour of Disney’s Aladdin and many others. More at jedfeder.com
MATT DEITCHMAN
Alumni Writing Mentor
MATT DEITCHMAN is a NYC based music director, orchestrator/arranger, multi-instrumentalist, actor, and composer whose credits include: Broadway — SWEPT AWAY (Banjo/Guitar/Associate Conductor) and THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL (Guitars/Synth/Associate Conductor). He has also played in the Broadway orchestras of REDWOOD, PARADE, A STRANGE LOOP, ALMOST FAMOUS. Off-Broadway: TREVOR (MD/Conductor - Disney+ and Original Cast Recording). As an arranger/orchestrator/recording artist he is currently supervising the development of several new musical revues installing on Norwegian Cruise Lines in the coming year.
Prior to NYC, Matt was based in Chicago for several years where his credits include work with: Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Writers Theatre, Marriott Theatre,Paramount Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre, Chicago Children’s Theatre, Mercury Theatre, Griffin Theatre, Hypocrites, and many others. Add'l Regional credits include work with: Arena Stage (DC), Shakespeare Theatre Company (DC), Asolo Repertory Theatre (FL), American Stage Theatre (FL), South Coast Repertory (CA), Ogunquit Playhouse (ME), Norwegian Cruise Lines.
Matt is a proud graduate of the Northwestern University (SoC, 2012) where he twice music directed the Waa-Mu show.
CURTIS MOORE
Alumni Writing Mentor
CURTIS MOORE (Music ‘95) is a three-time Emmy Award nominee for his songwriting on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Broadway: Nora Ephron’s Lucky Guy starring Tom Hanks. Public Theater: Venice with Matt Sax and Eric Rosen, Barry Edelstein's Timon of Athens. With Thomas Mizer, he was awarded the Fred Ebb and Jonathan Larson awards. Regional: Triangle (Williamstown, Theatreworks SV — six Theatre Bay Area Awards and two SF Bay Area Critics Circle Awards including Best Musical). At the Old Globe, Barry Edelstein’s Othello and Hamlet. With Amanda Green, Mizer, and Matthew Brookshire, the Fringe Festival hit, For The Love Of Tiffany. Music supervisor and performer in Sam Mendes’ Richard III. TV/Film: Fox’s HouseBroken, starring Lisa Kudrow, Todd Solondz’ film Palindromes, upcoming: Regency Girls (The Old Globe, spring 2025), The Amazing Mr. X (Manchester UK, summer 2026). www.trickybox.com