We are excited to sit down with book writer & lyricist Rebekah Greer Melocik who alongside composer Jacob Yandura is the co-creator of the upcoming Broadway musical How to Dance in Ohio. Based on the award-winning HBO documentary, How to Dance in Ohio is a heart-filled new musical exploring the need to connect and the courage it takes to step out into the world. The show will include autistic actors in the seven principal roles. We talk to Rebekah about her writing process, what it was like to connect with the real life documentary subjects and how that shaped her process. We’ll also discuss the process of creating the show with accessibility in mind rather than it as an afterthought.
Bridget FinkeldeyREBEKAH GREER MELOCIK is a lyricist and bookwriter. Her work with composer-collaborator, Jacob Yandura, includes WRINGER (dir: Stephen Brackett), THE LAST QUEEN OF CANAAN (book: Harrison David Rivers) and HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO (dir: Sammi Cannold), which starts performances on Broadway on Nov 15, 2023. Recognitions / residencies include: SPACE on Ryder Farm residency, Jonathan Larson Grant finalist, NAMT Festival of New Musicals, Ars Nova’s UNCHARTED residency, the Johnny Mercer Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals, the York Theatre's NEO residency, the Yale Institute for Music Theatre, the Dramatists Guild fellowship, the Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, Cap21’s Writers Residency and Ars Nova’s ANT Fest. Rebekah holds a B.A. in Poetry from University of Southern California and an M.F.A from New York University’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. She also has written stories for the award-winning educational company Chess At Three.