Steven Sater

Born in Evansville, Indiana, playwright and lyricist Steven Sater acquired his love of the theater from an early age. First attending Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, as an undergraduate, Steven Sater narrowly missed a premature end one night when his apartment building caught fire. To avoid being consumed by the flames, Steven Sater jumped from his third-story window and severely damaged his spine. While recovering from his injuries and burns, Steven Sater decided to dedicate his professional and personal life to art and literature. Soon afterward, Steven Sater transferred to Princeton University, where he concentrated on English literature, creative writing, and drama. Upon graduation, Steven Sater found employment with a New York literary agency, though his true passion remained in the theater. Steven Sater wrote and produced a number of plays, including Carbondale Dreams; Perfect for You, Doll; A Footnote to the Iliad; Asylum; Murder at the Gates; and In Search of Lost Wings. Along the way, Steven Sater earned the Rosenthal Prize, the Steppenwolf New Play Prize, a commission from Eye of the Storm, and other honors. Also noteworthy is Steven Sater’s collaboration with punk-rock icon Laurie Anderson on a musical version of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, which played at London’s Lyric Hammersmith and elsewhere in England. Steven Sater has worked with pop musician Duncan Sheik on numerous creative projects. Beginning with 1999 musical theater production, Umbrage, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik forged a close bond as lyricist and composer. Steven Sater went on to write the lyrics for Duncan Sheik’s critically acclaimed 2001 album, Phantom Moon. Since then, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik have collaborated on additional albums and productions for stage and screen. Together, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik wrote the lyrics and music for the international Broadway hit Spring Awakening, which explores the formative sexuality of adolescents living in Victorian-era Germany. At once controversial and timely, the newly reimagined Spring Awakening benefited from the addition of Steven Sater’s and Duncan Sheik’s pop-rock score. Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik won the 2007 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score for Spring Awakening.