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Shaina Taub
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Shaina Taub is an American actress, singer, musician, and Tony Award-winning composer.[1][2][3]
Early life
[edit]Taub was born in Waitsfield, Vermont and attended the theater camp Stagedoor Manor. Taub's interest in social justice started at a young age.[4] At 16, Taub graduated from her high school and went on to attend New York University Tisch School of the Arts where she graduated in 2009.[4][5]
Career
[edit]Taub appeared in “Spare Some Change: NYC Artists for Barack Obama” directed by Ryan Mekenian in 2008 alongside Lindsay Mendez, Carrie Manolakos, Joe Iconis, Seth Rudetsky, and Celia Keenan-Bolger.[6]
Taub composed and starred in three adaptations of Shakespeare plays for The Public Theater's Public Works program: Twelfth Night in both 2016 and 2018[7] and As You Like It in 2017[8]
Taub has appeared Off-Broadway in the revival of the revue show Old Hats in 2016,[9][10] Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 as Princess Mary (2013),[11] and in the original Off-Broadway live cast performance of Hadestown as a Fate (2016).[12]
She played the role of Emma Goldman in the Ragtime on Ellis Island concert.
She performed at Joe's Pub in Manhattan monthly during a solo residency.[13]
In 2022, her original musical Suffs, based on suffragists and their American women's suffrage movement, premiered off-Broadway at The Public Theater. Taub wrote the book, music, and lyrics, and also starred as Alice Paul. The show transferred to Broadway in April 2024 to positive reviews. Taub won Tony Awards in 2024 for Best Book and Best Score.[14]
Alongside Elton John on music, Taub penned the lyrics for the 2022 musical adaptation of the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada, based on Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel of the same name. It enjoyed a limited run in Chicago in 2022, and a new production opened in London's West End in October 2024.
In November 2024, she reprised the role of Emma Goldman in New York City Center’s Ragtime. In May 2025, it was announced that Taub would play the role again when it transfers to Broadway in September 2025.[15]
Taub was named one of the Time 100 most influential people of 2024.[16]
Work
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-2014 | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Princess Mary | |
| 2016 | Old Hats | Performer | |
| Hadestown | Fate | Live Original Cast Off-Broadway | |
| Ragtime | Emma Goldman | ||
| 2018 | Twelfth Night | Feste | Adapted for Shakespeare in the Park |
| 2022 | Suffs | Alice Paul | Also composer, lyricist, and created book |
| As You Like It | Jaques | Adapted for Shakespeare in the Park | |
| 2024-2025 | Suffs | Alice Paul | Broadway, Music Box Theater; Also composer, lyricist, and created book |
| 2024 | Ragtime | Emma Goldman | New York City Center |
| 2025-2026 | Broadway[17] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Tick...Tick...BOOM! | Composer |
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]- Visitors (2015)
- Hadestown (2016, Live Original Cast Recording)
- Old Hats (2016)
- Die Happy (2018)
- Twelfth Night (2018, original Public Works cast recording)
- Songs of the Great Hill (2022)
- As You Like It (2022, original Public Works cast recording)
- Suffs (2024, original Broadway cast)
- Ragtime (TBD)[17]
Singles and EPs
[edit]- What Otters Do (2011)
- "Given" (2014)
- "Harvest" (2014)
- "Another Winter" (2020)
- "Keep Marching (feat. Broadway Inspirational Voices)" (2024)
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Lucille Lortel Award[18] | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical |
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Nominated |
| 2019 | Drama Desk Awards | MTI Award For Outstanding Music | Twelfth Night | Nominated |
| 2022 | Outstanding Lyrics | Suffs | Nominated | |
| 2024 | Outstanding Music | Won | ||
| Outstanding Orchestrations | Nominated | |||
| Outer Critics Circle Awards[19] | Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Won | ||
| Outstanding New Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Won | |||
| Tony Awards | Best Original Score | Won | ||
| Best Book of a Musical | Won |
- 2014 Jonathan Larson Award recipient[20]
- 2017 Fred Ebb Award recipient[21]
- 2019 Kleban Prize, most promising lyricist award which includes a $100,000 monetary award[5]
Personal life
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Holden, Stephen (March 27, 2015). "Review: Shaina Taub, Prolific Earth Mother, and Friends". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- ^ "Meet Shaina Taub: 2014 Jonathan Larson Grants Recipient". American Theatre Wing. April 16, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- ^ Myers, Victoria (August 22, 2016). "An Interview with Shaina Taub". The Interval. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- ^ a b Paulson, Michael (2018-07-27). "Finding Music in Shakespeare, Suffragists and Mitch McConnell". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
- ^ a b "Tisch Drama Alum Shaina Taub '09 Receives $100,000 Kleban Prize". tisch.nyu.edu. January 10, 2019.
- ^ "White, Brier, Rudetsky, Ralston, and More Will Be Part of Obama Fundraiser Spare Some Change". Playbill. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
- ^ Isherwood, Charles (September 4, 2016). "Review: 'Twelfth Night,' Anything Goes in Love and Shakespeare". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
- ^ Soloski, Alexis (September 4, 2017). "Review: 'As You Like It' Creates a Sanctuary City in Central Park". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
- ^ Scheck, Frank (February 18, 2016). "'Old Hats': Theater Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- ^ Genzlinger, Neil (February 18, 2016). "Review: 'Old Hats,' Mime and Mayhem From Irwin and Shiner". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- ^ Cox, Gordon (April 1, 2014). "'Here Lies Love,' 'Great Comet' Shatter Records in Lortel Nominations". Variety. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
- ^ Stasio, Marilyn (May 24, 2016). "Off Broadway Review: 'Hadestown'". Variety. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
- ^ Rabinowitz, Chloe. "Shaina Taub Extends Solo Residency at Joe's Pub with Three Additional Shows". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
- ^ Lang, Brent; Woerner, Meredith (June 16, 2024). "Tony Awards: 'Stereophonic,' 'Merrily We Roll Along,' 'The Outsiders,' and 'Appropriate' Take Top Prizes". variety.com. Variety.
- ^ Evans, Greg (2025-05-28). "Colin Donnell, Shaina Taub Join Cast Of Broadway's 'Ragtime' Revival". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
- ^ Miranda, Lin-Manuel (2024-10-02). "2024 TIME100 Next: Shaina Taub". TIME. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
- ^ a b Gordon, David Ragtime reveals additional Broadway casting WhatsOnStage, May 28, 2025
- ^ "2014 Nominations". Lortelaward.com. Archived from the original on 2014-05-08. Retrieved 2017-05-06.
- ^ Culwell-Block, Logan (2024-05-13). "Stereophonic Leads 2024 Outer Critics Circle Awards, Wins Best Play; See the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
- ^ Hetrick, Adam (April 7, 2014). "Sara Cooper, Zach Redler and Shaina Taub Presented with 2014 Jonathan Larson Grants April 7". Playbill. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
- ^ "Brian Stokes Mitchell Presents Fred Ebb Award to Shaina Taub". TheaterMania. November 28, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
- ^ Cramer, Philissa (June 17, 2024). "'Suffs' creator Shaina Taub cites Jewish text in Tony Awards acceptance speech". Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle.
- ^ McHenry, Jackson (June 6, 2020). "Shaina Taub Describes Being Arrested on Her Stoop". Vulture.
External links
[edit]Shaina Taub
View on GrokipediaShaina Taub (born October 6, 1988) is an American composer, lyricist, librettist, and performer recognized for her contributions to musical theater.[1] Raised in Waitsfield, Vermont, she graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and has built a career blending songwriting with performance.[2] [3] Taub achieved prominence with Suffs, a musical she wrote (book, music, and lyrics) and starred in as suffragist Alice Paul during its 2024 Broadway production.[4] The work earned her Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score Written for the Theatre, making her the first woman to independently win both in the same season.[4][5] Suffs dramatizes the American women's suffrage movement, highlighting its internal conflicts and triumphs in the fight for voting rights.[4] Prior accolades include the Jonathan Larson Grant, Kleban Prize for Most Promising Librettist, Fred Ebb Award, and ASCAP Foundation's Richard Rodgers New Horizon Award, underscoring her early recognition in composition and lyrics.[5][3] She has also performed in productions such as Hadestown and Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.[6]
Early life and education
Upbringing in Vermont
Shaina Taub was born around 1989 in Waitsfield, a small rural town in Vermont's Mad River Valley.[7][8] She grew up in a Jewish family, though the area's lack of a local Jewish community meant her religious and cultural exposure was limited during childhood.[9][10] Her father worked as an optometrist, while her mother was an elementary school teacher.[8] From an early age, Taub immersed herself in performing arts, participating in school plays and musicals, dance classes, and piano lessons.[11] She attended theater camp and developed a passion for musical theater, often listening to cast albums and aspiring to a Broadway career, which she discussed watching on television with her mother annually.[12][13] This rural, homogenous environment in Vermont's Green Mountains fostered her early creative pursuits amid a backdrop of limited local opportunities for professional theater exposure.[10][14] Taub attended Harwood Union High School in nearby Duxbury, where she continued her involvement in performing arts but chose to accelerate her education.[12] She graduated a year early in 2005 at the age of 16, reflecting her determination to pursue theater professionally beyond Vermont's constraints.[15][12]Higher education
Taub enrolled at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University following her early high school graduation, training in the Experimental Theatre Wing of the Drama department.[16] She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama from the institution in 2009.[17] Taub has noted pursuing informal mentorships in songwriting rather than formal graduate study in the field.[11] In May 2025, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music during its commencement ceremony.[18]Early professional development
Initial songwriting and performances
Following her 2009 graduation from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Taub worked as a piano accompanist in New York City, providing musical support for auditions, classes, and freelance gigs while honing her compositional skills.[12] Encouraged by Tisch professor Liz Swados to pursue original songwriting, she adopted structured routines such as the Pomodoro technique—25-minute focused sessions—to build discipline amid early professional demands.[12] In 2012, Taub was appointed Composer-in-Residence at Ars Nova, an Off-Broadway theater supporting emerging artists, where she developed initial commissions including the soul-folk opera The Daughters and other musical theater pieces.[19][8] She also began performing her original material in New York venues with the Shaina Taub Trio, a group featuring piano, accordion, and supporting instrumentation, establishing regular gigs that showcased her blend of folk, soul, and theatrical influences.[14] Taub's songwriting gained recognition with the 2014 Jonathan Larson Grants, awarded for promising musical theater creators, highlighting her emerging voice in politically infused lyrics and melodies.[10] That year, she launched a year-long monthly residency at the Public Theater's Joe's Pub, presenting solo sets of new songs drawn from personal and historical themes.[20] Her debut album, Visitors, comprising 11 original tracks addressing immigration and social displacement, was independently released on December 16, 2015, via TuneCore Records.[21][22] Preceding the album, Taub performed selections live at Lincoln Center's American Songbook series on March 25, 2015, marking her first major solo concert debut with an ensemble reflecting the record's 26-musician scope.[23] In 2016, she contributed and performed original vaudeville-style songs for the Off-Broadway revue Old Hats at Signature Theatre, releasing a companion recording that extended her early performative footprint.[24][25]Grants and early recognitions
In 2014, Taub received the Jonathan Larson Grant, which supports emerging musical theater creators through mentorship and financial assistance.[26] She was also an early recipient of the ASCAP Foundation's Lucille and Jack Yellen Award, becoming the first woman to win it for promising songwriters.[27] In 2017, Taub was named the winner of the Fred Ebb Award, an honor for emerging musical theater lyricists and composers that includes a cash prize and opportunities for development.[27] That same year, she received the Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award from The Ziegfeld Club, providing a $10,000 grant to support female creators in the performing arts.[28] By 2019, Taub earned the Kleban Prize for the most promising lyricist in American musical theatre, recognizing her contributions to works like adaptations of Shakespearean plays.[29] These early accolades highlighted her potential in composing original scores and lyrics, often tied to her folk-influenced style and theatrical storytelling.Major theatrical works
Shakespeare adaptations
Taub composed original music and lyrics for musical adaptations of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and As You Like It as part of the Public Theater's Public Works program, which integrates professional artists with community performers to promote inclusive theater.[5] These adaptations featured shortened run times of approximately 90 minutes, flexible casting to accommodate ensembles of varying sizes, and scores blending contemporary genres with Shakespearean text to emphasize themes of identity, love, and revelry.[30][31] Her Twelfth Night adaptation premiered in September 2016 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah, with Taub portraying Feste and delivering a jazz-funk score that infused the comedy's mistaken identities and shipwreck plot with rhythmic, soulful energy.[32] The production involved over 100 performers, including community members from New York nonprofits, and ran for a limited free engagement before an encore in July 2018, where Taub again starred as Feste amid expanded orchestration.[33] A cast recording of the 2016 production, featuring 23 tracks, was released in 2018, preserving songs like those highlighting Viola's disguise and Orsino's courtly woes.[34] Subsequent licensed stagings, such as at the San Francisco Playhouse in 2021-2022 and University of Michigan in 2024, have extended its reach to regional theaters.[33][35] As You Like It, co-adapted with director Laurie Woolery, debuted in September 2017 at the Delacorte Theater, presenting a folk-pop score that underscored the pastoral exile of Rosalind and Orlando in the Forest of Arden, with Taub contributing vocals in ensemble roles.[36] Like its predecessor, it incorporated community participants from organizations such as the Fortune Society and returned for an encore in August-September 2022, directed by Woolery with Aja Holmes, running 95 minutes and drawing capacity crowds for its free performances.[37] The 2022 cast recording, released in December 2022 via streaming platforms, captured the production's original choreography by Sonya Tayeh and highlighted tracks exploring gender fluidity and romantic pursuit through upbeat, accessible melodies.[38] The adaptation has since been licensed for educational and professional use, including a March 2025 production at UVA Drama directed by Jessica Harris.[39] These works established Taub's approach to Shakespeare as one prioritizing communal joy and musical vitality over textual fidelity, fostering broader audience engagement.[40]Suffs
is an original musical with book, music, and lyrics by Shaina Taub, centering on the American women's suffrage movement from 1913 onward, particularly the efforts led by Alice Paul to secure ratification of the 19th Amendment.[4] Taub, who portrays Paul, drew inspiration for the work in 2014 from Doris Stevens' memoir Jailed for Freedom, which details the militant tactics including protests and hunger strikes employed by suffragists.[41] The narrative highlights internal divisions within the movement, including generational clashes between Paul's radical strategies and Carrie Chapman Catt's more moderate approach, as well as racial tensions exemplified by Ida B. Wells' challenges to white suffragists' exclusionary practices.[41][42] The musical accurately captures key historical tensions, such as the strategic rift between militant and establishment suffragists, the physical toll of imprisonment and force-feeding on activists, and Wells' insistence on integrated protests, thereby reflecting the multifaceted nature of the suffrage campaign beyond a unified narrative.[41] However, it simplifies certain figures, portraying Inez Milholland primarily as a glamorous icon whose death galvanizes the movement while underemphasizing her broader organizing role, and reduces Mary Church Terrell to a deferential counterpart to Catt, omitting nuances in Black women's advocacy like the slogan "Lifting as We Climb."[41] These artistic choices prioritize dramatic momentum over exhaustive historical detail, a common trade-off in theatrical adaptations.[41] Suffs received its world premiere off-Broadway at The Public Theater's Newman Theater, with previews beginning March 13, 2022, an official opening on April 6, 2022, and closing on May 29, 2022.[43] Directed by Leigh Silverman, the production transferred to Broadway at the Music Box Theatre, commencing previews on March 26, 2024, and opening on April 18, 2024.[44] The Broadway run concluded on January 5, 2025, after 24 previews and 301 performances, following which a national tour launched in fall 2025.[45][46] At the 77th Tony Awards on June 16, 2024, Taub won for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score Written for the Theatre, becoming the first woman to independently secure both in the same season; the production received additional nominations including Best Musical.[47][48] Producers included Hillary Clinton and Malala Yousafzai, underscoring the show's alignment with contemporary advocacy for women's rights.[49]Other collaborations
Taub contributed original songs to the 2016 revival of Old Hats, a clowning revue created by Bill Irwin and David Shiner, performing as the onstage musician and releasing a three-song EP titled Songs From Old Hats on April 29, 2016, featuring tracks such as "Lighten Up," "You Never Get Old to Me," and "Might as Well."[24][50] The production, directed by Tina Landau, ran at Signature Theatre in New York City, blending physical comedy with Taub's folk-inflected compositions that underscored the show's themes of aging and resilience.[50] In collaboration with Elton John, Taub co-wrote lyrics for the musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada, with music by John and additional lyrics by Mark Sonnenblick, book by Kate Wetherhead; the production premiered at London's Dominion Theatre on October 18, 2024, and its original West End cast recording was released on September 19, 2025.[51][52] The score incorporates pop-rock elements reflective of John's style, addressing the high-stakes fashion world from Lauren Weisberger's novel and the 2006 film.[53] Taub has composed songs for children's television, including contributions to Sesame Street specials such as The Magical Wand Chase (2017) with the song "Just Around the Corner" and episodes of The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo, as well as the theme song for Julie Andrews' Netflix series Julie's Greenroom (2017), performed by Sara Bareilles.[54][5] She also co-wrote the opening number for the 72nd Tony Awards broadcast on June 10, 2018, alongside Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban, which celebrated Broadway's history through a medley format.[55][56]Discography
Albums
Shaina Taub debuted as a singer-songwriter with her independent album Visitors, released in 2015, featuring original songs performed with piano and accordion accompaniment.[5][57] Her second solo album, Die Happy, followed on March 12, 2018, also independently released via Bandcamp, comprising 12 tracks including "If I Die Before You" and "She Persisted," which explore themes of mortality, persistence, and social huddled masses.[58][57][59] In 2022, Taub issued her third solo album, Songs of the Great Hill, marking her major-label debut on Atlantic Records with 10 tracks (expanded to 13 in the deluxe edition), drawing from her ongoing Joe's Pub residency and emphasizing folk-influenced songwriting.[60][57][59]| Album | Release Date | Label | Tracks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visitors | 2015 | Independent | Unspecified original songs |
| Die Happy | March 12, 2018 | Independent (Bandcamp) | 12 |
| Songs of the Great Hill | 2022 | Atlantic Records | 10 (13 deluxe) |
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