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Lisa Monde
Lisa Monde is a writer, playwright, director, actress, singer, and theatre critic with a PhD in Musical Theatre. She has written ten plays and eight internationally performed musicals and, with over fifteen years of multilingual theatre criticism and two decades of experience, offers deep insight into musical theatre onstage and off.
My name is Lisa Monde — I am a writer, playwright, director, actress, and singer. I earned a PhD in Musical Theatre and am the author of ten original plays and eight musicals, most of which have been produced and staged in the U.S. and internationally. For the past fifteen years, I have also worked as a theatre critic, writing news articles, reviews, essays, and interviews for various specialized magazines—in four European languages.
My research-based work has been published in multiple scientific journals. I also teach acting and musical theatre performance to aspiring theatre and film actors, and I created an original master class in musical theatre history. I am a multi-award winner of various theatrical contests, playwriting competitions, and prestigious accolades.
My life in musical theatre began over twenty years ago, when I first stepped onto the stage of a musical I composed and wrote myself. Since then, I’ve written, directed, and performed in dozens of shows. I know the world of theatre—and especially musical theatre—inside and out. Being a critic, writer, journalist, and interviewer of legendary musical creators worldwide is one of the many roles I embrace.
By talking to renowned creators and performers, I’ve come to understand how important it is to share their stories, perspectives, and future plans with a broad audience. There’s nothing quite like hearing directly from the creators how they wrote their masterpieces—or from the performers how they originated the roles we all know and love.
It is both a great honor and a great pleasure for me to communicate with the legendary minds behind musicals such as Evita, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Starlight Express, Miss Saigon, and many more. It’s also deeply meaningful to receive professional recognition for my work, to know that the material I provide is of high quality and resonates with a wide range of readers. Of course, this validation strengthens my confidence as a theatre critic and interviewer.
I’m also proud to be part of the amazing, passionate, and hard-working team at The Theatre Times digital portal, which—quite literally—brings theatre from around the world to the people.
I still can’t believe that Alan Menken and Tim Rice—whose music I grew up with, whose musicals I sang in and staged with schoolchildren—spoke with me for hours. They not only shared stories about the creation of their masterpieces but also gave me advice for my own projects. I also had the honor of speaking with Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay, Claude-Michel Schönberg, and many others.
I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to ask questions that matter to me as a composer, performer, playwright, and translator-adapter. Sadly, many of them are no longer young. Their voices and their stories are priceless. I promised myself I would publish a book of these conversations, titled Conversations About Musicals. I’m honored to be the keeper of their stories and to have the chance to pass them on to future generations.
I’d say the story behind any success is simple: dedication and hard work.
First of all, I believe it’s because I’m deeply knowledgeable about the field I write about—I come from the world of musical theatre, and that’s exactly what I write about. Secondly, the exclusive and unique interviews I conduct with the very people who helped shape the world of musical theatre—well, you really can’t top that.
I also conduct thorough research when writing my articles and share those discoveries with readers. I believe my Master’s degree in English Linguistics helps as well—it allows me to write with clarity and precision.
Music journalism is not an easy job—you need to be highly knowledgeable and stay up to date with what’s happening in the world of musical theatre across the globe. I do my best to personally attend significant premieres, which often involves travel and a great deal of time to gain access to the “right” people in the industry. Once again, persistence is key.
There’s only one way to overcome these challenges: never stop trying, never spare the time, and don’t be afraid to be persistent—even if it means being a little intrusive.
Today, more than ever, I feel ready to share my knowledge of musical theatre not only with readers, but also with students. In the near future, I plan to offer an original course on the history of world musicals to several schools.
Musical theatre continues to evolve, and we evolve with it—but it’s equally important to preserve the gems of the past and show them the respect they deserve.
My new musical, "LOVE: Extraterrestrial Extravaganza," will premiere this fall in New York City. I’m thrilled to be working on this project with an amazing cast! Come see our show—we invite all lovers of fascinating stories about theatre, backstage life, and space aliens!
In the near future, I also plan to meet more creative people from the world of theatre. Fragments of these interviews will be featured in my upcoming thematic publications. And yes, I do dream of new awards—why? Because they help grow my circle of readers, increase audience numbers, and multiply followers on social media. I have so many exciting things I’m ready to share with the world!
Lisa Monde
Lisa Monde is a writer, playwright, director, actress, singer, and theatre critic with a PhD in Musical Theatre. She has written ten plays and eight internationally performed musicals and, with over fifteen years of multilingual theatre criticism and two decades of experience, offers deep insight into musical theatre onstage and off.
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