Joanne Sydney Lessner

Joanne Sydney Lessner is an American musical theatre librettist and playwright. She won the 2010 Heiress Productions' Playwriting Competition ^[1] and was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics in 2020. ^[2]

In collaboration with composer Joshua Rosenblum, she has written six musicals ^[3] : Garbo & Me(2021), Love is not a Science (2016), Stage Door (2017), Fermat’s Last Tango (2000), The Haunted Hotel, and Einstein’s Dreams which was nominated for four Drama Desk Awards after an Off-Broadway 2019 run at 59E59 Theater, New York. ^[4]

Her play Critical Mass won the 2010 Heiress Productions' Playwriting Competition and was produced at the Lion Theater, New York. ^[5]

Lessner graduated summa cum laude from Yale University in 1987. ^{[6] [7]}

References

1. "Critics Ponder Their Actions in Critical Mass, Opening Oct. 22 | Playbill". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2021-01-17. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
2. Millward, Tom (2020-04-22). "Drama Desk Awards 2020 - And the Nominees are..." New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
3. "Interview with Joanne Sydney Lessner and Joshua Rosenblum, the writers of 'Garbo & Me'". The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
4. "Einstein's Dreams". 59e59.org. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
5. Pierre, Cindy (2010-10-26). "Off-Broadway Theater Review: CRITICAL MASS (The Lion Theatre at Theatre Row)". Stage and Cinema. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
6. "Joanne S. Lessner To Marry in Fall". Archived from the original on 2015-05-25. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
7. "Spotify – Web Player". Spotify. Retrieved 2026-01-12.