Theatre Now to Host Master Class with Mindi Dickstein

Theatre Now will host a Master Class with Jonathon Larson Award-winning writer Mindi Dickstein (Little Women, Benny & Joon) on Monday, February 17th at 6:30pm as part of its Industry Nights series. The evening will include songs by Theatre Now Musical Writers Lab members Jonathan Keebler & Bob Kelly, Jonathon Lynch, Kit Goldstein Grant, and Michael Finke.

Theatre Now's Industry Nights are an ongoing series featuring experts in the field of musical theatre. Past guests include Tony nominees Andrew Lippa and Susan Birkenhead and Tony winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, among others. Upcoming evenings will include a Find Your Dream Collaborator Mix & Mingle as well as Master Classes with Tony winners Lisa Lambert and Rachel Sheinkin. Additional information can be found at www.tnny.org/industrynights.

Industry Nights are held in Midtown Manhattan and are free for Theatre Now members. There is a suggested donation of $10 for non-members. Annual individual memberships start at $25 or only $15 for students and seniors. Reservations are required as space is limited. 

Mindi Dickstein is a Jonathan Larson Award-winning writer, best known as the lyricist for Broadway's Little Women. She is currently writing book and lyrics for Maiden Voyage, with music by Carmel Dean (upcoming UK). She also wrote the lyrics for Benny & Joon, music by Nolan Gasser and book by Kirsten Guenther. Based on the MGM film, the show was a 2016 NAMT selection and had its world premiere at The Old Globe and East Coast premiere at Paper Mill Playhouse. Other recent projects include lyrics for Saint Ex and the Little Prince (which premiered in Katowice, Poland in October 2024) and lyrics for Witnesses, based on the diaries of teens who perished during the Holocaust. Mindi was also commissioned by Disney to write the book for Toy Story: the Musical. She received her MFA from the NYU Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program, where she currently serves on the faculty.

Founded in 2013, Theatre Now New York (TNNY) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development, production, publication, and circulation of short and long-form musicals by providing ongoing support for writers and their work in order to nurture voices and forms that push the boundaries of musical theatre. TNNY produces developmental readings and productions of new works as well as the annual SOUND BITES Festival of 10-Minute Musicals. Their work is supported by recent grants from the NEA, the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT), the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Foundation for Musical Theatre.