STEPHEN SCHWARTZ
Stephen Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over four decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell (1971), Pippin (1972) and Wicked (2003). He has contributed lyrics for a number of successful films, including Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), The Prince of Egypt (1998; music and lyrics), and Enchanted (2007). Schwartz has won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics, three Grammy Awards, and three Academy Awards; and has been nominated for six Tony Awards. He received the 2015 Isabelle Stevenson Award, and a special Tony Award, for his commitment to serving artists and fostering new talent. (More from Wikipedia)
Though it was written at a later time, Godspell actually beat Jesus Christ Superstar to the stage, opening in May 1971 at a tiny off-off-Broadway theatre and gradually building up a following until ultimately reaching Broadway in 1976. John-Michael Tebelak, a student at Carnegie-Mellon University wrote the conceptual outline of the play as a college assignment. He later brought in a fellow graduate from the college, Stephen Schwartz to write the music and polish the lyrics, which were taken almost verbatim from the Gospel of Matthew and other Biblical passages.
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