Hi! I'm Heidi, a freelance recruiter and non-profit fundraising consultant. It has been creative, strategic and rewarding work over the past 25 years, but I'm excited to be on another path as a writer for the screen and stage, including musical theatre (for which I write book, lyrics and music).
I've adapted my first stage musical, IN COMMON, to a feature screenplay. I have a couple of short film screenplays (HAPPY NEW YEAR and JACK AND JILL), a pilot, and unscripted television projects.
I'm an alumna, among 12 emerging musical theatre writers of the 2016/2017 CMTWC Writers Workshop program led by Leslie Arden (student of Sondheim).
In 2018/2019, I joined Davenport Writers Group (with acclaimed lyricist Amanda Yesnowitz as instructor). In 2021/2022, I was part of Theater Makers Studio's Writers Group, led by award-winning composer-lyricist Ryan Scott Oliver (recipient of the Kleban Prize, Jonathan Larson Grant, and Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater).
Most recently, I'm a member of Next Stage, a development and mentorship program for emerging theatre writers and producers, with multiple Tony Award-winning lead producer Ken Davenport as mentor.
Proud supporter of fellow artists by co-producing showcase opportunities (including the Books & Stands Showcase donor recognition event at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2023) and providing mentor opportunities for aspiring poets, songwriters and screenwriters in Canada through ACWC.
Hear more (literally) about my 90-minute pop/rock musical, IN COMMON, on the musical's website (link provided below).
Thank you Stage 32! The pitch opportunities, consultations and labs I have taken have been invaluable.
In Common Musical On the eve of a career-defining success and her 40th birthday, an emotionally distant woman struggling to keep her family together finds hope through a series of remarkable coincidences and spiritual awakenings.
Happy New Year Drama A sensitive and anxious 30-something woman struggles to come to terms with her grief over the loss of her mentally ill brother. But on the first anniversary of his death (New Year’s), she receives reminders of a life less reclusive and more expressive when her brother was alive.
Jack and Jill Drama A modern spin on the old tale. At his Jack and Jill bridal shower, a groom-to-be is distracted by a conflict with the maid of honour, while his frustrated fiancee strives to put an end to it.
In Common
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Theater
by ACWC / Chad McNamara (Drama and Musical)
Writer and Producer College workshop stage production. Two week run in resort town of Thousand Islands. Director/Choreographer: Chad McNamara (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1822381/). Music Director: Aaron Eyre (ASCAP Toronto, https://stephenvilletheatrefestival.com/tag/aaroneyre/).
Photo credit: Chad McNamara
Mentor Me: Instruction and Advice for Aspiring Writers
(
Print
by ACWC
Creator & Editor MENTOR ME: INSTRUCTION AND ADVICE FOR ASPIRING WRITERS is a guide to Creative Coaching, Poetry, Songwriting, Screenwriting, and Musical Theatre. Interviews and essays in each section of the guide provide instruction and advice from acclaimed writers and industry experts. These are followed by a concluding piece called Mentor Me: An Inside View, which guides the reader through the creation of first and final drafts of a poem, song, or screenplay, to give a sense of the process and possible outcome of one-on-one mentoring sessions.
BlueInk Review in June/July 2017:
- "offers solid advice for aspiring writers"
- "altogether, the book forms a useful primer for would-be writers"
- "anyone trying to break into the fields covered here will benefit from reading this book"
- "aspiring writers will find a wealth of useful - even inspirational - information to mine in these pages"
Chasing Valentine
(
Film
by Splice Films / Navin Ramaswaran (Drama and Thriller)
Background Actor Unable to get over the tragic loss of the love of his life and stuck with a day job of editing adult videos, Chase meets an unlikely ally, Valentine - a call girl who works under the various personas she has created for herself. Is Chase ready to uncover Valentine's dark secrets?
Top 20 all-time Stage Musical Plays, IN COMMON, The Red List, Coverfly
(2024)
Selected, IN COMMON, Create Theater, Festival Showcase, NYC
(2024)
Finalist, IN COMMON, Rave Festival, NYC (created by Tony Award-winning producer Ken Davenport)
(2019)
Top 25 Finalist, IN COMMON, SheNYC Arts Summer Theater Festival, NYC
(2019)
Winner, Anthology category, MENTOR ME, IndieReader Discovery Awards, BEA/BookCon, NYC
(2018)