About EmmaLee & Maria

In 2019, we both enrolled in an elective class in college, "Writing For Musical Theatre," led by esteemed writing team Eric Price and Will Reynolds. We had no idea that this one decision would set off a chain reaction - a butterfly effect, if you will - of events that would change our lives forever. 

After our first class, we sat in the library, caffeinated and inspired. The exchange went about like this: 

Maria: I love writing music, but sometimes I struggle to write the lyrics. 

EmmaLee: I love writing words, but I don't play an instrument well enough to write music. 

EmmaLee and Maria: Do you want to go to a practice room and try to write something together? 

A few hours later, we had our first song. Writing together created a palpable electricity that entered the room, and when we shared our creation in class the following week, Eric and Will encouraged us to keep working together. 

We became obsessed with working together - our new melodies, plot lines, and rhyming couplets became all we could think about. By the end of the semester, we had an idea for an original musical. It would become The Waiting. 

As we completed the Musical Theatre Writing course with Eric and Will, another exchange took place. 

Eric and Will: Have you considered doing this as a career? 

Us: No. 

Eric and Will: (changing our lives forever) Well I think you should. 

After graduation, we began to self-produce concerts and readings of our work. We have a passion for creating our own opportunities and take pride in the community of artists around us that we collaborate with to bring our work to life. 

Almost exactly a year after graduating, we were accepted into the SheNYC Festival with The Waiting. This led to the creation of our LLC, Butterfly Effect Productions, and was the first time we ever got to see our work staged! 

The next year would bring an immense amount of momentum into our lives - we began a two-year residency with Musical Theatre Factory, joined ASCAP, started working on a new musical, began writing for film and tv, and continued to hone our songwriting skills. 

As we plunge into our careers as writers, our mission of uplifting underrepresented communities with emphasis on women & queer folks has become more and more important to us. 

We are now working toward the Developmental Premiere of The Waiting at Playhouse Stage Company in June 2025, and are developing another new musical, Come See Your Future. We are planning a children's animated television project, and looking forward to continuing to grow our community and circle of artists around us. 

If you're interested in becoming a part of our journey, we hope you'll get in touch!