barbara bellman

After a career in advertising and marketing, Barbara re-careered to her primary love: writing, and earned first an MFA in Creative Writing (StonyBrook University -2012) and an MFA in Musical Theatre Writing (NYU/Tisch - 2018). She is a member of the BMI Librettists and an alum of the BMI Lyricists, a member of the Dramatists Guild and Founder of Philadelphia based MusiColab. Her plays and musicals have been recognized by the O'Neil Festival (semi-finalist), Broadway Bound (finalist) and NAMT (development grant through 11th Hour Theatre), Emerging Artists Theatre (The Word Police; Flirting After Fifty, the DC Swan Festival (Words Fail Me) and published in The Southampton Review. She is a published author and national speaker. Though a late-comer to theatre, Barbara is determined to catch up.

WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA:
Website: www.barbarabellman.com

MORE ABOUT ME:
Like many writers of a certain age, my life has been filled with decades of experiences that have informed me, challenged me, lifted me up and broken my heart. And like many writers, I look to these experiences as the stuff stories are made of. I write to explore life through the eyes of my characters, like putting on costumes and assuming different roles. It’s why I go to the theatre as well – to immerse myself in the world created by the playwright, brought to life by the actors. For me, it’s not escape, but a deeper dive into other worlds. If I could change one thing about theatre it would be to have artistic directors and literary managers recognize that creators are ageless – but age does offer wisdom, experience, and historical context–to provide perspective on how to navigate these times. If I had one wish, it would be for there to be a theatre dedicated to works by older playwrights, to bring these talents out into the open so what they have to offer can be SEEN and HEARD.

WHA T I'M WORKING ON:
I am currently working on BORDELLO, a historic musical set in the 1920s in Buenos Aires that features an unlikely heroine - Raquel Liberman – a Jewish Prostitute who had the courage to bring the notorious organization of white slave traders to trial. 

KEYWORDS:
​Jewish, Family, Historical, Comedy, Musical, Young Audiences, Heroic