Open Writing Studio with Kit Yan and Melissa Li

Ring of Keys is thrilled to have hosted writers Kit Yan and Melissa Li for a look into their collaborative writing process for musical theatre. The session gives participants a chance to watch Kit and Melissa collaborate on new material, add methods and skills to their writing toolbelt, get an intimate look at what it means to write collaboratively, learn how to support this process from other roles in the theatre, and participate in a Q and A.

Kit Yan (they/she/he) is a 2023 Helen Merrill Award recipient, 2022 Harold Adamson Lyric Award winner, 2021 Jonathan Larson Grant and Kleban Prize recipient for Libretto, 2021 Sundance IDP Fellow and grantee, 2019 Vivace Award recipient, a former Musical Theater Factory Makers Fellow, Playwright’s Center fellow, Company One/Pao Arts Fellow, Lincoln Center Writer in residence, Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellow, and MacDowell Fellow. Musicals include Interstate (East West Players, Mixed Blood), MISS STEP (5th Avenue Theatre commission), Cancelled (Keen Company), and May Day (NewYorkRep). Kit’s work has been supported by Playwrights Horizons, MCC, OSF, Keen Company, and many others. @kityanpoet

Melissa Li (she/her) is a recipient of the 2022 Harold Adamson Lyric Award, 2021 Kleban Prize, 2007 Jonathan Larson Award, Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellow, Lincoln Center Theater Writer-in-Residence, 2019 Musical Theatre Factory Maker, MacDowell Fellow, Company One Pao Arts Fellow, and former Queer|Art|Mentorship Fellow. Musicals include Interstate (East West Players, Mixed Blood), MISS STEP (5th Avenue Theatre commission), Again (Theater Mu), Cancelled (Keen Company), May Day (NewYorkRep), and Surviving the Nian (The Theater Offensive). Her works have received support from 5th Avenue Theatre, The Village Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Weston Playhouse, and Company One, among others. @melsaboo