STAGES Episode 615: LYNN AHRENS

STAGES Episode 615: LYNN AHRENS

From STAGES with Peter Eyers by Peter Eyers

April 15, 2026 · 55 min · Season 9 · Episode 615

About this episode

Lynn Ahrens discusses her career as a Tony Award-winning writer and lyricist, highlighting her contributions to musical theatre and her collaborations with composer Stephen Flaherty.

Tony Award®-winning writer and lyricist Lynn Ahrens is a native New Yorker. She began her musical career fresh out of college when she became one of the principal songwriters and singers for the renowned American television series, “Schoolhouse Rock.” Since then, she has written extensively for theatre, film and television, winning theatre’s triple crown – the 1998 Tony Award®, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards – for the lyrics of the acclaimed Broadway musical, Ragtime . In the same year she received two Academy Award® nominations and two Golden Globe nominations for Best Song and Best Score, for Twentieth Century Fox’s animated feature film Anastasia . With her longtime collaborator, composer Stephen Flaherty, her many Broadway, off-Broadway, and Lincoln Center Theatre credits include Once On This Island , Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life , My Favorite Year , Lucky Stiff , A Man of No Importance , Rocky, Dessa Rose , The Glorious Ones and Broadway’s Seussical , which is now one of the most performed shows in America. A new work, Little Dancer , inspired by the Parisian Ballet world and the impressionist artist Edgar Degas, is presently awaiting production. Ragtime was…

People in this episode

Host: Peter Eyers

Guest: Lynn Ahrens

Topics covered

  • musical theatre
  • songwriting
  • Broadway
  • collaboration
  • awards

Keywords

  • Lynn Ahrens
  • musical theatre
  • Ragtime
  • Anastasia
  • Broadway
  • songwriting
  • Tony Award

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Schoolhouse Rock, Ragtime, Anastasia, Once On This Island, Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life, My Favorite Year, Lucky Stiff, A Man of No Importance, Rocky, Dessa Rose

Places: New York City

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