October 12, 2018 (Jackson, Miss.) - The Dramatist Guild Foundation's Traveling Masters Program selected Belhaven University to be the first college in the state of Mississippi to receive a free visit by a professional theatre writer.
Broadway lyricist Mindi Dickstein, best known for her work onLittle Women the musical, spent two days on campus, October 2-3. Her visit consisted of public and private events that included lectures, writing workshops, and song coaching workshops.
“We are incredibly honored to have been chosen by the Dramatist Guild Foundation as the first college in Mississippi to host a traveling master,” said Dr. David Sollish, chair of Belhaven's Theatre Department. Students and the public got a peek into the world of Broadway! Mindi is a master of writing and performing, and our students took away a wealth of insight and knowledge that will ultimately help them in their studies and careers.”
Dickstein is a lyricist and librettist who is best known for the Broadway musical Little Women. She is currently writing lyrics for Benny & Joon and is coming in 2019 to The Paper Mill Playhouse. Her work has been commissioned, produced, and developed by Disney (Toy Story - the musical), Second Stage (Snow in August), Playwrights Horizons, The Kennedy Center, ASCAP Workshop, Goodspeed Johnny Mercer Colony, Rhinebeck Writer's Retreat (Arise, Alight, Return), Theatreworks Silicon Valley, Lincoln Center, and London's Bridewell Theater.
Her honors include a Larson Foundation Award, New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowships, and a Second Stage Klinsky Award. She currently works at New York University's Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild and ASCAP.