Plays in Progress Mentor

Sam Willmott

Sam Willmott (he/him) is a NYC-based composer/lyricist. His projects include Bhangin' It with playwrights Mike Lew and Rehana Lew Mirza, Yo, Vikings! and Wake Up, Daisy! with Marcus Stevens, and HBO's Emmy-nominated Song of Parkland. He is the recipient of the Kleban Prize for Lyrics, the Fred Ebb Award, the Richard Rodgers Award, a Jonathan Larson Grant, and the ASCAP Foundation Harold Adamson and Cole Porter Awards. Sam has taught at Harvard University and with Lincoln Center Theater's Songwriting in Schools Program, and has written over 175 songs for English Egg, a Korean language training company for kids. He is a proud alumnus of the Dramatists Guild Fellowship ('13-'14 cohort). For more, visit SamWillmott.com.

I love working with fellow writers and would consider it an honor to be entrusted with the opportunity to discuss your new work. I always prioritize centering the needs of the artist, so I like to start any dialogue by asking you about your goals and what kind of feedback would be most constructive to you at this juncture of your creative process. The conversation could go anywhere from there, though I'll admit my own intense love for nerding out about structure, clarity, craft, character and story. I'm happy to delve into book, music, and/or lyrics... or explore how those elements interface with other disciplines in musical theater storytelling (dance, staging, design, musical arrangements, etc.). Wherever the conversation goes, I'll promise candor and transparency in my responses, paired with a full-hearted "yes, and" spirit to help you get closer to the piece of your dreams.