“I wish I'd understood the realities of working in the commercial theatre. I went in with a lot of illusions. I thought it would be this lovely happy family trying to make art - boy, was I wrong. I didn't know how cut-throat and mean it was. That phrase 'theatre community,' in my experience in New York, is a complete oxymoron.”

American musical theatre composer and lyricist

Stephen Schwartz is an American musical theatre composer and lyricist whose career has spanned more than five decades. He is known for writing stage musicals such as Godspell, Pippin, and Wicked. Schwartz has also written lyrics for films, including Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Prince of Egypt, Enchanted, Disenchanted, and the two-part adaptation of Wicked. His work moves between stage and screen, with songs and shows that have reached broad audiences over many years.