S1 Episode 7: Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson

In this episode, Hayley and Amy speak with musical theatre writing team Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson. We talk about writing authentic and multifaceted characters, women celebrating and supporting each other, and the importance of innovation and risk taking for producers, creators, and theatre audiences. Click here for a transcript!

Episode Notes

Guests: Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson
Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews
Music: Chloe Geller

See full episode notes here

Guest Bios

Elyssa Samsel (she/her) is a composer, violinist, pianist, and one half of the Songwriting team known as Samsel/Anderson, alongside Kate Anderson. They penned songs for Disney Animation’s Olaf’s Frozen Adventure and the hit Apple TV+ series Central Park. Elyssa and Kate met in the acclaimed BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Writing workshop in 2010 and have been writing partners ever since. Their musical BETWEEN THE LINES debuted off Broadway in July 2022 and their musical adaptation of THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak premiered in the UK September 2022.

Kate Anderson (she/her) is a songwriter, improv comedian, sketch comedy writer, singer, and voice over actress. She has studied at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade in New York, and performs regularly with her improv team Duran Duran Duran. Kate’s voice can be heard as the “Norwegian Cookie Lady” and “Cat Lady” in Disney’s “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure”. Originally from Charlotte, NC, Kate graduated cum laude with a degree in Music and Creative Writing from Gettysburg College, where she studied classical voice on scholarship at the Sunderman Conservatory. Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson are the songwriting duo behind Apple TV’s Central Park, Disney Animation’s “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure” (Annie nomation), the off-Broadway Musical, “Between the Lines” , and “The Book Thief” which opened to rave reviews in the UK in 2022.

Find Elyssa and Kate Online:

Website: www.samselanderson.com

Instagram: @SamselAnderson @kateoboyleanderson @elyssalynnesamsel

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