The Little Mermaid Study Guide

Chanhassen Dinner Theatres created this guide as a tool for educators to encourage their students to explore both the story and the production elements of the show. Live theatre can enrich young peoples’ lives like few other experiences. This study guide contains information that allows students of music, theatre and dance to experience, respond to and critique live performance. CDT's hope is that youth will gain a greater understanding and appreciation for musical theatre and its role in our lives and greater community.

Basic Theatre Etiquette Reminders‌ 1. Do not talk, whisper, sing or hum during the performance.

2. Keep feet on the floor, with your shoes on.

Health and Safety regulations require that everyone wear shoes.

3. Clap after the songs to show the performers that you are enjoying the show.

4. Remain seated until the end of the show, and clap during the curtain call to say "thank you" to the performers and orchestra.

5. Do not use any electronic devices during the performance. TURN OFF all cell phones, i-pods, cameras, etc. before the the show begins.

6. Photos may be taken prior to the show - Photography is not permitted during the performance.

7. Gratuity (tip) is not included on any items not included in your ticket price. Please be prepared to tip your server on those items. If you have questions, please ask your server.

Behind The Scenes From play selection to opening nightCheck out the process of getting a CDT show on stage

As a producing theatre company, CDT is one of the few theatres in the Twin Cities with facilities to create all production elements from scratch. From initial concepts of scenic design to costume creation to choreography, music, lighting, sound, and props everything is created at Chanhassen.

After a play title is chosen, the director works closely with the design team in development. Once designers understand the director's vision, they begin researching and creating. The scenic designer creates a scenic plot on paper and then makes a tiny scale model of the set, set pieces and backdrops. The costume designer sketches costume renderings and selects fabric swatches for each costume. From these drawings, costume artisans hand-make patterns and begin stitching away. Main Stage productions have included up to 250 individual costumes!

The properties master begins gathering the wide range of props called for in the script. Props are created in the scene shop – furniture, loaves of bread, shrunken heads, foreign currencies and hairspray cans – each item hand-crafted to look like the real thing according to the time period. It takes the scene, costume and prop shops about twelve weeks to produce everything needed for the show.

Items need to be made sturdily to handle wear and tear.

The musical director re-works the musical score for Chanhassen's live, professional orchestra and rehearses with musicians. The choreographer works closely with the director and music director to create actors' movements for dance and musical numbers. Sound and lighting designers plot technical components to create effect and mood.

The makeup and hair designer develops a specific look for every character.

Actors begin rehearsals just 2 ½ weeks prior to opening. When they arrive, they have their lines and much of the music prepared. Rehearsals are packed with perfecting music, learning choreography and blocking scenes. In-between, are costume fittings and press interviews. During a rehearsal period many actors do double-duty: they rehearse by day and perform the currently-running production by night.

The currently-running production closes over the weekend, at which time the old set is removed to make room for the new one. Scenery is brought in, drops hung, special effects set, floor painted. "Tech Week" is in full-swing. Light and sound technicians re-direct over 250 separate lighting instruments in accordance with the designer's plot. Body microphones are re-plotted and all sound cues recorded. Finishing touches are made to costumes, scenery is put into place and the production stage manager coordinates the details and communication.

Everything comes together for the actors' first stage rehearsal. The director, cast, orchestra and design team work to make sure that everything is seamless.

Can you believe the company has only three days to make this happen before opening night? It's nothing short of amazing that a new musical can be created in such a short time. Another op'nin, another show!

Prince Eric, his adviser Grimsby, and sailors are aboard a ship at sea, discussing the "mythical" merfolk that supposedly live under the sea. Grimsby wants Eric to return to court to fulfill his birthright as king. However, Eric hears a beautiful voice and commands it to be followed ("Fathoms Below").

Deep on the ocean floor in the merfolk kingdom, a concert in honor of a thwarted coup d'état by the Sea Witch, Ursula is underway, being performed by the daughters of Triton the sea king. King Triton's court composer, Sebastian the crab, has composed a song for Trinton’s daughters to perform ("Daughters of Triton"). However, the youngest daughter, Ariel, is not there for her solo, bringing the concert to a halt. Ariel has forgotten about the concert and is swimming around the surface, admiring a new item for her collection, a fork. She reveals that she is fascinated with the human world ("The World Above"). Together with her best friend Flounder, Ariel visits Scuttle and his fellow seagulls to ask about the human things she's collected, and Scuttle explains them somewhat erroneously ("Human Stuff").

Elsewhere, the sea witch Ursula is planning revenge against her brother, King Triton. She was banished from the palace for using black magic, and tells her minions Flotsam and Jetsam to keep an eye on Ariel, whom she thinks will be the key to getting the crown and trident ("I Want the Good Times Back").

When Ariel returns home, she is berated by King Triton, who is angered to learn that she has been on the surface, since contact between the merfolk and human world is forbidden. Ariel rushes off upset, and King Triton assigns Sebastian to watch over Ariel to make sure she doesn't get into trouble. Ariel sits alone in her grotto, which contains her collection of human things, and imagines living in the human world ("Part of Your World").

Ariel and Flounder meet Scuttle at the surface to see Prince Eric's ship up close. On board, Grimsby tells Eric that he must find a bride and take his place as king. A storm suddenly hits, and Eric is tossed overboard. Ariel saves him from drowning and drags him to shore. Quickly, Ariel realizes that she is falling in love with Eric, and vows to find a way to be with him ("Part of Your World (Reprise)").

After Ariel returns home, her behavior makes her sisters and Flounder suspect that she has fallen in love ("She's in Love"). On land, Eric is determined to the find the woman who saved his life, but the only clue he has is ("Her Voice").

Sebastian reveals to King Triton that Ariel has saved a human. Triton angrily confronts her about it ("The World Above (Reprise)") and uses his trident to destroy Ariel's human collection. After the king leaves, Sebastian tries to comfort Ariel by pointing out the wonders of the undersea world ("Under the Sea"), but she is furious with him for reporting to her father and sneaks off with Flounder during the song. Once she's away, she's stopped by Flotsam and Jetsam, who sweet talk her into seeking help from Ursula ("Sweet Child").

Ariel goes to meet Ursula, who presents a deal: Ariel will be turned into a human for three days, during which time she has to win the kiss of true love from Eric. If she does, she will be human permanently; if not, her soul will belong to Ursula. In exchange, Ariel must give up her voice, which will stay in Ursula's magic Nautilus shell ("Poor Unfortunate Souls"). Ariel signs the agreement and sings into the shell, after which she is transformed into a human and swims up to the surface.

Sebastian and Flounder bring Ariel, newly human, to shore. Scuttle and the seagulls give her a pep talk to raise her spirits and help her get used to her new legs ("Positoovity"). Eric arrives, but when Ariel tries to talk to him, she cannot speak. Eric brings Ariel back to his palace, where Carlotta, the head mistress, and the maids bathe and dress Ariel. Ariel is fascinated by the human world, while the maids wonder why Eric has brought such a girl to the palace ("Beyond My Wildest Dreams"). That night Chef Louis cooks dinner for Ariel, Grimsby, and Eric, and almost cooks Sebastian for the grand finale ("Les Poissons"/"Les Poissons (Reprise)").

Eric and Ariel spend time together, during which Eric teaches her to dance ("One Step Closer"). Meanwhile, Ursula is anxiously waiting for the three days to end and sends Flotsam and Jetsam to hurry things along ("I Want The Good Times Back" (Reprise)). After a tour of the kingdom, Eric takes Ariel on a quiet boat ride through a lagoon. Sebastian and Scuttle watch anxiously and try to create a romantic atmosphere for Eric to kiss Ariel ("Kiss the Girl"). Just before they kiss, Flotsam and Jetsam give the boat an "electric shock" and swim away gloating ("Sweet Child" (Reprise)).

As the second day ends, Ariel wishes she had more time and could tell Eric everything, Triton worries about where his daughter has gone, Sebastian is concerned that Ariel's time as a human is almost up, and Eric still dreams of finding the girl who saved him even though he does not want to lose Ariel ("If Only – Quartet"). Sebastian returns to the sea and tells an angry King Triton about Ariel's deal with Ursula.

On Ariel's last day as a human, Grimsby has arranged a contest for all foreign princesses to sing for Eric, so he may choose one for his bride ("The Contest"). Eric isn't interested in any of them, and Ariel asks to participate, dancing for him. Eric picks her, but before they can embrace, Ursula appears, declaring that the sun has set and Ariel now belongs to her. Flotsam and Jetsam grab Ariel to take her back to the sea. King Triton arrives to confront his sister, agreeing to take Ariel's place. Ursula claims the trident and declares herself queen ("Poor Unfortunate Souls" (Reprise)). She banishes Triton with a wave of the trident. During a battle with Eric's ship, Ariel grabs Ursula's Nautilus shell and regains her voice.

Ursula begs Ariel to return the shell to her, as her power is contained within it. Ariel is torn but destroys the shell just in time, which restores King Triton to his throne.

Eric and Ariel are reunited on the beach, and Eric asks King Triton for his blessing to marry Ariel. King Triton says that it is Ariel's place to answer, and she accepts Eric's proposal. King Triton then says goodbye to his daughter (“If Only” (Reprise)). In honor of his daughter, Triton declares peace between the humans and merfolk. Ariel and Eric are married and sail away on a ship ("Finale").

Ariel

A young mermaid, on the cusp of adulthood. She dares to dream about living in the world on land above the sea, thus irritating her father and alienating herself from him. She learns through the course of the show what it means to be an adult.

King Triton

The son of Poseidon, King of the Undersea World and father to Ariel and her sisters. Triton has a profound belief that the Human World is dangerous and should be shunned.

Prince Eric

Beneath his easy charm, handsome face and instinctive courage, Prince Eric is a reluctant ruler who would happily trade his crown for a life of adventure on the sea.

Grimsby

Prince Eric’s somewhat stuffy guardian. Without Grimsby’s advice, Eric would be lost.

Sebastian

The court composer to King Triton, this crab becomes Ariel’s unwilling protector.

Flounder

Faithful fish-friend to Ariel. What Flounder lacks in courage, he makes up for in enthusiasm.

Scuttle

A seagull who fancies himself the ocean’s greatest living expert on humans and their “stuff.”

Scuttle provides Ariel with the latest information on the land-dwellers.

Ursula’s lackeys, these two electric eels are slippery and cruel. Flotsam refers to floating wreckage of a ship and Jetsam is cargo thrown overboard to lighten a ship in danger.

Flotsan & Jetsam Ursula

Sorceress of the Sea, Ursula is Triton’s sister. Banished forever for dabbling with “black magic,” she plots to reclaim her powers and take the throne for the Undersea World of herself. Ariel gets mixed up with Ursula and is almost ruined by this association.

Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Atina Adella, Allana Chef Louis

Ariel’s older sisters who sing at the celebrations their father King Triton hosts for the undersea kingdom.

Carlotta

Head mistress of Prince Eric’s palace

The Royal Chef of Prince Eric’s palace. His specialty and great love is seafood.

“Overture”

“Positoovity” Scuttle, Gulls

“Fathoms Below/ Where I Belong Sailors” Pilot, Prince Eric, Grimsby “Daughters of Triton” Mersisters

“Beyond My Wildest Dreams” Ariel, Carlotta, Maids “Les Poissons” Chef Louis, Chefs

“The World Above” Ariel

“One Step Closer” Prince Eric

“Human Stuff” Scuttle, Gulls

“I Want the Good Times Back” (Reprise) Ursula, Flotsam, Jetsam “Kiss the Girl” Sebastian, Animals Sweet Child (Reprise) Flotsam, Jetsam

“I Want the Good Times Back” Ursula, Flotsam, Jetsam “Part of Your World” Ariel “Storm at Sea” “Part of Your World" (Reprise) Ariel

“If Only” (Quartet) Ariel, Prince Eric, Sebastian, King Triton “The Contest” Grimsby, Princesses

“She's in Love” Mersisters

“Poor Unfortunate Souls” (Reprise) Ursula

“Her Voice” Prince Eric

“If Only” (Reprise) King Triton, Ariel

“The World Above” (Reprise) King Triton

“Finale” Ariel, Prince Eric, Company

“Under the Sea” Sebastian, Sea Creatures “Sweet Child” Flotsam, Jetsam “Poor Unfortunate Souls” Ursula

The Little Mermaid not only features mythical and fantastical beings like mermaids, dancing seagulls and singing crabs, but real creatures of the sea as well! The following are mentioned in the the song “Under the Sea”

Newt: These brightly colored salamanders are amphibians, Trout: The common name of close to seventy species of which means they can live both in water and on land. freshwater fish, including the colorful Rainbow trout and the Apache trout.

Carp: This fish originated in Asia, but is now the most widely distributed freshwater fish in the world...to eat!

Black fish: This ocean-dwelling fish, found from the Nova Scotia to South Carolina coasts, can grow up to 25 pounds!

Plaice:The common name for three species of red and orange spotted flat fish that live in Alaska, Smelt: This family of small fish is common in the North America and Europe.

American Great Lakes. Smelt eggs or “roe” are often used to decorate sushi.

Bass: A name shared by many species of large game fish, including Australian bass, Chilean sea bass, Sprat: This small freshwater European fish of the herring and Largemouth bass. family is known for its short and rounded head.

Chub: A small grey & brown fish, found in freshwater as Blow fish: Also called the puffer fish, balloon fish or well as the ocean. bubble fish, this poisonous sea creature scares potential predators by filling its stomach with water and growing in Fluke: Another term for a flounder, this coastal-dwelling size. flat fish is known for its fighting abilities and its flavor...

Yum! Electric eel: This elongated fish with a flattened head can generate strong electric shocks of up to 600 volts for both Ray: The common name for a class of flat-bodied ocean hunting and defense.

Fish.

Ling: This large member of the Cod family is green and brown in color and feeds on all kinds of fish as well as sea stars and octopus.

Hermit Crabs: These crustaceans search the ocean floor for empty seashells to call home; they often compete with other hermit crabs for the best shell!

Triton was a Greek god of the sea. The son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, god and goddess of the ocean, Triton is usually portrayed with a powerful upper body of a human and the tail of a fish. Triton’s weapon of choice is his trident, a three-pronged spear. The sound of his twisted conch shell could calm the waves or raise mighty storms.

Mermaids, mysterious creatures with the head and torso of a human and the tail of a fish who live in beautiful cities beneath the waves have been a part of sailing lore throughout history. Famous explorers such as Henry Hudson wrote in their logs about encounters with mermaids. Hudson wrote, “One of our company, looking overboard, saw a mermaid...her body as big as one of us; her skin very white and black hair hanging down behind...they saw her tail, like the tail of a porpoise...” (from The New York Times, November 4, 1888).

Mermaids were known for their great beauty and the love of song. Sailors told of mermaids sunning themselves on rocks while ships passing would hear their sweet-sounding melodies. Their songs could make men fall in love or drive them mad. Over the centuries, many countries and cultures have created their own mermaid myths: Mami Wata, an African water spirit often shown as a mermaid, can bring good luck, or if crossed, may cause drowning.

The Aboriginal people of Australia told tales of the Yawkyawks, mermaids who would grow legs and walk among humans at night.

The Native American Shawneo people believe that a half-man, half fish with two tails led their ancestors across the water from Asia to North America.

Irish mermaids, called Merrows, were able to live underwater by wearing magical caps.

In Celtic and Icelandic lore, sea creatures known as Selkies, are said to live as seals in the sea but shed their skin at night to become human on land. Selkies are incredibly handsome and humans easily fall in love with them. By stealing a Selkie’s seal-skin, a human is able to entrap the Selkie as a spouse in human form.

The film The Little Mermaid is the twenty-eighth feature film in the Disney animation canon. It is based upon the Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale "The Little Mermaid" was first published in 1836.

In 1985, Ron Clements discovered a collection of Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tales while browsing a bookstore.

He presented a two-page draft of a movie based on "The Little Mermaid" to Disney CEO Michael Eisner, who passed it over, because at that time the studio was in development on a sequel to the live-action mermaid film, Splash. But the next day, Walt Disney Pictures boss Jeffrey Katzenberg, green-lighted the idea for possible development.

When the film entered active production, the staff started writing drafts of the story, making a few changes here and there and adding characters. They were able to reference the original story and visual development done at Disney Studios in the 1930s, including story sketches in pastels and watercolors created by Kay Nielson, who was one of the contributing artists on the Disney film Fantasia. Many of the changes made by the staff in the 1930s to Hans Christian Andersen's original story were coincidentally the same as the ones that the Disney writers were proposing in the 1980s.

For inspiring them, the team gave Nielsen a "visual development" credit on the film.

Disney Studios head Katzenberg was introduced to the songwriting team of Howard Ashman & Alan Menken by friend David Geffen, who was producing the team's off-Broadway musical "Little Shop of Horrors". The team worked alongside directors John Musker and Ron Clements throughout the whole story-boarding process so that the songs were an organic part of the film, making it feel more similar to a Broadway musical than previous animated films had. While writing "Part of Your World", Menken and Ashman discovered that the song shared contextual and rhythmic similarities to "Somewhere That's Green" from Little Shop of Horrors; this lead the duo to nickname "Part of Your World" as "Somewhere That's Dry".

Upon its release in November 1989, The Little Mermaid both ended an era and ushered in a new one. It was the last Disney film to use primarily hand painted cels along with analog camera and film work. There were over one million drawings done for the movie. The film was the most effects-animation-heavy Disney animated feature since Fantasia (1940). The two-minute storm sequence alone took ten special effects animators over a year to finish.

Effects animation supervisor Mark Dindal estimated that over one million bubbles were hand drawn for the film. Many of the bubbles were drawn by animators in Beijing, where student uprisings in Tienanmin Square threatened to delay production. The film also marked one of the first use of CAPS (Computer Animation Production System) in a Disney feature.

The Little Mermaid is given credit for breathing life back into the animated feature film genre after a string of critical and commercial failures, signaling the start of a decade-long period of commercially successful Disney movies. The film won two Oscars, one for best original score and the second for best original song for the catchy Calypso tune “Under the Sea.”

Disney Theatrical had success with stage adaptations of its animated musical films Beauty and the Beast in 1994 and The Lion King in 1997. Thomas Schumacher, head of Disney Theatrical, proposed another adaptation, this time of the 1989 film The Little Mermaid. He approached songwriter Alan Menken to be part of the production team. Schumacher contacted director Francesca Zambello, telling her, "We haven't found a way to do the water". Zambello's experience with the fantasy elements of opera made her open to the project, and the decision was made that there would be no water, wires or flying in the production.

Playwright Doug Wright was brought on as book writer, focusing the story line on Ariel's longing not for her prince, but for "a world in which she feels truly realized in her own terms. ... Her ambitions are bigger than any one man." For the additional songs, Menken brought on lyricist Glenn Slater and together they wrote ten new songs for the stage musical, adding '60s rock, vaudeville and 1920s Brechtian cabaret to the sound of the show.

In creating the underwater world on stage, director Zambello asked her design team to use translucent materials to create abstract shapes and manipulate light to give the watery illusion. The actors wore Heelys wheeled footwear, dubbed "merblades", and sprung-steel tails on their hips. Ariel's tail originally had a motor inside that allowed the fluke to move independently, but the mechanics made the tail heavy and loud and were removed.

From Screen to Stage cont.

Rehearsals for the Broadway production began on May 29, 2007 at the New 42nd Street studios in New York. The cast had six weeks of rehearsals before the pre-Broadway tryout. The Little Mermaid had a successful pre-Broadway tryout in Denver. Broadway previews began November 3, 2007 but the show didn't open officially until January 10, 2008 due to the Local One stagehands strike. The show features all songs from the animated movie plus nine new songs written by Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater.

The Little Mermaid was nominated for two Tony Awards: Best Original Score and Best Lighting Design of a Musical, as well as 3 Drama Desk Awards. After 50 previews and 685 regular performances, The Little Mermaid closed on Broadway August 30, 2009. Subsequent productions have made further additions and changes to the script and score, but audiences will recognize their favorite songs from the beloved 1989 film.

Hans Christian Anderson was one of the first authors to emerge from the under privileged class in Denmark.

He enjoyed fame as a novelist, dramatist and poet, but his best knows works are his fairy tales.

Born on April 2, 1805, in Odense, Denmark, Anderson was the son of a shoemaker and a laundress. At fourteen, he convinced his parents to let him try his luck in Copenhagen. For three years, Anderson lived in the slums. At seventeen, a government official arranged a scholarship for him to study. Although he was always poor and could not be called a great student, Anderson spent the next seven years in school.

Despite years of schooling, Anderson never became comfortable with the proper spelling or formal writing of Danish, so his stories remained closer to the spoken language, which makes for easier reading today.

Following university, Anderson’s first narrative was published in 1828. It was followed by a collection of poems. In this way, Anderson’s years of hardship were ended and his career as an author began.

The first fairy tales of Hans Christian Anderson were published in 1835 with little fanfare. He began by retelling the folk tales his grandmother had told him. Soon, however, he began to create his own stories. Among his most famous tales are “The Ugly Duckling,” “The Princess and the Pea,” and of course, “The Little Mermaid.” Interestingly, all three of these fairy tales have been adapted for the stage as musicals. Honk!, Once Upon a Mattress and Disney’s The Little Mermaid have re imagined Anderson’s classic tales for modern audiences.

Several elements from Hans Christian Andersen’s original “The Little Mermaid” were kept in the film and stage versions, including: The Mermaid, who is unnamed in the story- being the youngest of many sisters, the secret white marble statue and the Mermaid asking what she'll have left without her voice and the sea-witch's response. However, the original story, is much darker. When the Mermaid dances on her newly acquired legs it causes her extreme pain, as if she were dancing on daggers. The Mermaid doesn't become a princess at the end. Originally, Anderson’s tale has the sun rising on the last day and the Little Mermaid turning to foam and dying. Later editions included a slightly less grim fate;the Mermaid becomes a daughter of the air and rises to heaven.

Alan Menken (composer) Introduced to musical theatre as a child in New York, Alan Menken began composing while he was supposed to be practicing his piano lessons. Although he had aspirations of working in music, Menken thought he was doomed to the “family business,” dentistry.

His colleagues dedicated the film Beauty and the Beast to his memory: “To our friend Howard, who gave a mermaid her voice and a beast his soul. He will forever be missed.”

Glenn Slater (lyricist) After earning a degree in music from New York University, Menken found that he was able to support himself by writing jingles, accompanying ballet classes, and musical directing shows for others.

His collaboration with Howard Ashman began with God Bless You Mr. Rosewater and quickly moved onto the off-Broadway show, Little Shop of Horrors.

Slater began writing for the theatre at age seventeen, with the off-Broadway production of How I Survived High School.

While attending Harvard, he contributed to the legendary Hasty Pudding Theatricals. Slater was nominated for the Tony Award, Best Original Score for The Little Mermaid and received his second Tony nomination for Sister Act the Musical.

Menken is best known to the general public for his work with with Disney. He provided the score for the films The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Newsies, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Home on the Range, Enchanted, and Tangled.

He may be best known for his work on the Disney films Tangled and Home on the Range. He received a Grammy Award in the Best song written for visual media category for the song "I See The Light" from the film Tangled.

Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Newsies and Aladdin have all been adapted for stage. Menken also provided additional music and scoring for Broadway’s Sister Act the Musical.

A member of both ASCAP and the Dramatists' Guild, Slater resides in Manhattan with his wife, composer & lyricist Wendy Leigh Wilf, and their sons Benjamin and Daniel.

Menken has been nominated for and the winner of Oscars, Golden Globes, Grammys, Drama Desk Awards, and Tony Awards. He lives in upstate New York with his wife Janis, a former professional ballet dancer, and their children Anna and Nora.

Doug Wright (book)

Howard Ashman (lyricist) A native of Baltimore, Ashman grew up loving theatre.

He began acting at age 9 and started directing as soon as he figured out how to get others to follow direction. After receiving his MFA from Indiana University, Ashman moved to New York and began working in theatre.

His first collaboration with Alan Menken was an adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s God Bless You Mr. Rosewater.

The team soon went on to create Little Shop of Horrors. In 1986, Ashman joined forces with Marvin Hamlisch as the writer and director of Smile. This little-known show wasn’t appreciated at the time, but is now considered a lost gem of musical theatre.

On the silver screen, Ashman was pivotal in the renaissance of Disney animated musicals serving as the producer and lyricist of The Little Mermaid, executive producer and lyricist of Beauty and the Beast and as the lyricist of Aladdin, all with Alan Menken providing the music.

Ashman passed away from complications arising from AIDS in 1991. His accolades include two Oscars, two Golden Globes, four Grammys, a Drama Desk and London Evening Standard.

Born and raised just outside Dallas, Texas, Wright attended Yale for his undergrad work and earned his MFA from New York University.

He received both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play for I Am My Own Wife. In 2006, Wright wrote the book for the musical Grey Gardens, based on the Maysles brothers’ 1975 film documentary of the same title.

Wright adapted the Disney's film The Little Mermaid for the Broadway musical, expanding upon the original film script. His most recent Broadway show, Hands on a Hardbody, closed on April 13, 2013, having garnered three Tony nominations and nine Drama Desk Award nominations.

In television, he has developed material for Hallmark Entertainment and HBO. In film, Wright’s credits include screenplays for Fine Line Features, Fox Searchlight, and Dreamworks SKG. Wright lives in New York City with his husband, singer/songwriter David Clement.