
about
Photo: Mara seibert chan
Becca Blackmore
is the co-author of the musicals Quiz Bowl (formerly Academia Nuts) (Best New Musical, NYMF 2014), Snow Way Out (Micro-Musical Theatre Show Podcast; York Theatre Company Developmental Reading Series), The Peculiar Tale of the Prince of Bohemia and the Society of Desperate Victorians (Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals 2019), Hatter (Indiana University, NYU, Ronald M. Ruble New Play Prize Finalist), Heist, Grandma's Last Hurrah, and Period Piece (The Marilyn Monroe Theatre 2010) and the author of the plays President Mom (with Dan Marshall, Notre Dame College 2016, Caryl Crane Youth Theatre 2015, 'Iolani School 2015), Bedtime (The Blank Theatre Living Room Series 2015), Baby Factory, Dead Behind the Eyes, or The Ingénue Play (Vintage Theatre 2018), and Over-Ripe (LAFPI SWAN Day 2014, Manhattan Shakespeare Project 2011). Her works have been finalists for the Leah Ryan FEWW Prize, the NuVoices Playwriting Prize, the Trustus Playwrights Festival, and the Pittsburgh New Works Festival. Her play President Mom won the 2014 Ronald M. Ruble New Play prize and a 2015 Tam & Young Arts Chair Visiting Artist Residency in Honolulu. Becca’s songs have been performed on six continents, but she hopes that Antarctica will happen at some point, too. She holds both a BFA and an MFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
Résumé
Awards & Residencies
Finalist for Todd McNerney Playwriting Award 2019, Dead Behind the Eyes, or The Ingénue Play
Goodspeed’s Festival of New Musicals official selection, 2019 (The Peculiar Tale of the Prince of Bohemia an the Society of Desperate Victorians)
Vintage Theatre New Play Comedy Festival official selection, 2018 (Dead Behind the Eyes or The Ingenue Play)
Tam & Young Arts Chair visiting artist residency, 2015 (President Mom)
Play by Play Best New Musical, NYMF 2014 (Quiz Bowl formerly Academia Nuts)
Honorable Mention for Outstanding Writing Book, NYMF 2014 (Quiz Bowl formerly Academia Nuts)
Honorable Mention for Outstanding Writing Lyrics, NYMF 2014 (Quiz Bowl formerly Academia Nuts)
Kevin Spacey Foundation: America grant recipient, 2014 (Quiz Bowl formerly Academia Nuts)
Anna Sosenko Assist Trust grant recipient, 2014
(Quiz Bowl formerly Academia Nuts)
The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation grant recipient, 2014 (Quiz Bowl formerly Academia Nuts)
Official Selection of the New York Musical Theatre Festival's Next Link Project, 2014 (Quiz Bowl formerly Academia Nuts)
Winner, Ronald M. Ruble New Play Festival 2014 (President Mom)
Official Selection, LA Female Playwrights' Initiative SWAN Day of Action Fest 2014 (Over Ripe)
Finalist, Leah Ryan FEWW Prize 2013 (Bedtime )
Finalist, Trustus Playwrights Festival 2013 (Bedtime )
Official Selection, Occupy the Empty Space 2013 (Park Bench )
Finalist, Pittsburgh New Works Festival 2013 (Over Ripe )
Finalist, Ronald M. Ruble New Play Festival 2012 (Hatter)
CAP21 Musical Theatre Writers' Residency 2012 (Quiz Bowl formerly Academia Nuts )
Finalist, Rhinebeck Writers' Retreat 2012 (Quiz Bowl formerly Academia Nuts)
Berkshire Playwrights' Lab Residency 2011 (Hatter )
Official Selection, Manhattan Shakespeare Project Emerging Female Playwrights Festival 2010 (Over Ripe)
Press & Interviews
Union-Bulletin.com - New ‘Academia Nuts’ musical features WW Walruses
Review Fix - Review Fix Exclusive: Becca Anderson Talks ‘Academia Nuts’: Sneak Peek
Theater in the Now - Spotlight On...Jennifer Simard
Broadway.com - Snow Queens! Abraham Lincoln! Oprah? 10 NYMF Shows That We're Excited About This Summer
Garden State Journal - NYMF Highlight: Academia Nuts
BroadwayWorld.com - Photo Flash: Sneak Peak - In Rehearsal with NYMF's ACADEMIA NUTS
Playbill.com - Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Jay Thomas and More Will Rock NYMF Musicals
BroadwayWorld.com - ACADEMIA NUTS Kicks Off This Year's NYMF, 7/9-13
The May/June 2013 issue of "The Dramatist" includes a brief article on simplicity in lyric writing that I wrote. Copies can be purchased at The Drama Book Shop in New York, NY.
Academia Nuts recently received a lovely write up on Kimberly Lew's Emerging Musical Theatre blog here.
I was interviewed by Jenny Stafford for the NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program's monthly newsletter. You can read the full interview here.
Musical theatre blog "Musicals Are Trivial" posted a review of the 2011 NYU workshop production of Hatter stating, "Becca Anderson creates some lyrical treasures." Read the full review here.
While working as a writer's assistant on a workshop at the Roundabout Theatre Company, I was interviewed for MTI Showspace's New York Minute series. The video is below.