Lisa is a lyricist, librettist, and playwright based in New York City. Her unique voice blends sharp wit with keen social insight and a good dose of heart—creating stories that challenge conventions and resonate with both humor and humanity. From dark, absurd comedies to historical horror stories to modern fairy tales, she is known for crafting bold, unexpected, character-driven shows that will stick with audiences long after the lights come up.
She brings a fresh perspective and fearless originality that make her work impossible to ignore.
Lisa is a member of the world-renowned BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Advanced Workshop (for Songwriting & Bookwriting), an alumna of The College of William & Mary, and a contributing satire writer for Reductress. Her work has been seen Off-Broadway and at Joe’s Pub, Feinstein’s/54 Below, The Duke, Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium, and other stages from LA to Paris. She was an artist in residence at the Pendragon Theater in Saranac Lake, NY, and was selected for the Johnny Mercer Foundation's Songwriters Project and Writers Colony.
She is a collaborator of award-winning composers and writers like Joanna Burns, Jake Chapman, Amanda D’Archangelis, Sami Horneff, Jaime Lozano, Grace Oberhofer, Fernanda Douglas, and others. She is a member of Ring of Keys, Maestra, and the Dramatists Guild.
musicals & plays
Lisa’s musical The Radium Girls: An American Horror Musical (lyrics, book), a collaboration with Sami Horneff and Amanda D’Archangelis, was a 2022 NAMT Finalist, a 2019 O’Neill Semi-Finalist, a selection for Latiné Musical Theatre Lab’s 2023 showcase, and was workshopped at Western Connecticut State University in 2020 in a production selected for the 2021 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. It received an industry presentation in NYC in October 2023, directed by Tony winner Marissa Jaret Winokur, starring Tony nominees Andy Karl and Orfeh. It is in development with a commercial producer. The creative team recently took part in a February 2025 developmental retreat at Cabbage Hill Farm in NY.
Her musical We Are the Benjamin Harrison High School Horse Girls! (lyrics, book), a collaboration with Joanna Burns, was part of Out Of The Box Theatrics’ New Works Series and presented through the In The Works series at The Duplex. It is in continued development for film and will be showcased in an upcoming concert performance in NYC in 2025. Lisa and Joanna’s collaborative work, including their spec adaption of Lars and the Real Girl, has also been showcased by the BMI Workshop at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theatre, by Ring of Keys at Joe’s Pub, and more.
She is developing Sick (lyrics, book), a collaboration with Jake Chapman, through the BMI Workshop. The darkly whimsical musical is expanded from their short piece which won Best Book at the TNNY SoundBites Festival at Signature Theater, and was a City Theatre National Short Playwriting Award Finalist. The story is inspired by Lisa’s own unconventional hospital stays as a cancer patient.
Works in early development include: the family musical The Color of Things (lyrics, book), a collaboration with Grace Oberhofer adapted from the children’s book of the same name by Vivienne Shalom; the vampiric musical parody Forever Noon (lyrics, book), a collaboration with Fernanda Douglas and Danielle Smith developed through the Blu|Pen residency at the Pendragon Theater; and the brutally funny play Ugly: A Case Study of a Wannabe Hot Person, directed by Molly Heller.
Additional credits include: lyrics for the song cycle A Never-Ending Line (Off-Broadway, album released by Broadway Records); the play Party People (Samuel French Off-Off-Broadway Festival); book for the musical Guts (Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium, NYPL of the Performing Arts); and lyrics for the cabaret B**** Carols (self-produced as a for-charity album and concert).
comedy and more …
Lisa’s sketch comedy shows (The Longest Con, Mongill-O-Connor, Frat Castle, and Immaculate Reception) were performed at The Public House Theater, the Second City’s de Maat Studio Theater, and in Chicago Sketchfest at Stage 773. She has performed in improv comedy shows on stages and in basements across Chicago and NYC.
For the viral satirical women’s publication Reductress, she’s written headlines like “How To Be a Lady in the Streets and a Haunted Clock Tower in the Sheets,” “How To Ask For a Raise in a Soft, Shaky Voice,” and many more.
Her teleplay/screenplay placements include: Hometown Magic (Austin Film Festival Second-Rounder, Final Draft Big Break Quarterfinalist); Streetlight (Stowe Story Labs Semifinalist); and Wardos (Nicholl Fellowship top 10%). She has written scripts for creative promos for new Netflix content and worked on Comedy Central’s The President Show.
She studied comedy writing and performance at the Second City Conservatory, iO Chicago, and the Annoyance Theater.