Special Guests

Alyssa Payne is a composer, lyricist, and performer whose work blends humor, honesty, and heart. Her one-woman musical comedy Extra Crispy—a sharp, funny exploration of burnout and artistic survival—was commissioned by Forestburgh Playhouse for its In the Works ~ In the Woods Festival and recently made its New York City debut at Joe’s Pub.

Her other writing credits include F Word, a musical about aging out of the foster care system, as well as commissions for organizations including Theatrely and American Girl.

Payne is a finalist for the Write Out Loud Songwriting Competition and has participated in both the Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project and the prestigious BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.

Beyond the stage, Payne has built a devoted following of more than 300,000 people across social platforms, sharing original musical material and insights into the life of a working musical theatre writer. @alyssathepayne

Currently based in New York City, Ash is developing several projects across musical theatre, choral music, and experimental performance. Their work includes the innovative This Side of the Door: A Song (to break out of the) Cycle, the musical Crumbs, and the short-play trilogy MOVE – BEND – FALL, among other projects.

Ash has developed work with numerous national writing programs, including National Queer Theater’s Criminal Queerness Studio, Fresh Binder’s Writers Cohort, The Workshop Theater’s Writers’ Intensive, and PlayGround NYC’s Writers Pool, as well as MusicalWriters.com’s Next Level Writers Lab.

As a queer, non-binary, Persian, and hard-of-hearing artist, Ash’s work explores identity, belonging, and the power of storytelling to build connection across communities. Their choral music and arrangements have been performed internationally, and her theatrical writing continues to expand across both musical theatre and dramatic work. @withmusicbyash

Composer-lyricist Elle G. Tyler tells musical stories centered on transformation, resilience, and the human search for meaning.

Her musical Getting Through April recently received its world premiere here in Dallas, TX, in a production directed by Rebecca Lowrey and presented as one of MusicalWriters.com’s first full productions.

A classically trained pianist whose musical language blends influences from Chopin to Jason Robert Brown, Tyler’s work combines the singability of contemporary musical theatre with rich harmonic textures drawn from jazz and classical traditions.

Her newest musical Every Color receives its world premiere this summer in Boulder, Colorado, and the show’s title song will be featured at the 2026 TYA/USA National Festival & Conference. Additional projects include the musicals The Door, Nadia Half Dreaming, and the devised work Female Troubles, which she is currently developing into a full-length musical. @ellegtyler

Rebecca Lowrey is passionate about creating new works and has spent the past 20 years as a premier music director, vocal coach, and accompanist in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, New York City and everywhere in between. The impressive ability to play anything put in front of her has gained her entry to elite casting rooms, production meetings, rehearsals, and beyond, resulting in a unique skillset that spans more than just music — simply put, she knows what works for a musical. A director and producer as well, Rebecca is adept at getting new shows up on their feet in record time, all while efficiently coordinating the long list of to-dos required to prepare a show for an audience.

Rebecca is a champion of diverse casting and production teams (#WomenDirect) and has the pull and connections to assemble unforgettable, live, onstage bands. In 2017, Rebecca began producing a series of intimate productions known as the Living Room Concerts. Starting with simple piano-only performances in her living room with friends, the series expanded to poolside parties and festive holiday gatherings. Her pre-Covid credits include the critically acclaimed production of the rock musical Lizzie at Imprint Theatreworks in Dallas, a lauded run of Gutenberg! The Musical! at Amphibian Stage in Fort Worth, and a Rocky Horror Show and 9 to 5 that celebrated the uniqueness of its performers.

You may recognize Rebecca from TikTok, where her popular #DuetWithMe videos encourage thousands of performers to #KeepSinging. Rebecca earned her bachelor of arts degree in music (with a minor in business administration) from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. accompanymusicals.com

Trent Clifford is a playwright, dramaturg, and director currently based in Waco, TX. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of Wild Imaginings, the first professional theatre company in Central Texas, and the only theatre company in the area dedicated to new work. There, he runs the Epiphanies New Works Festival, where he works as a dramaturg with playwrights and musical writers across the country.

Trent’s own plays have been widely produced, and he currently serves as the playwright-in-residence for the Heart of Texas Children’s Theatre. trentclifford.com