Billy Aronson is an Americanplaywright and writer, who originated the concept of the rock operaRent, which was based onPuccini'soperaLa bohème.[1]
He attendedLower Merion High School,Princeton University and Yale Drama School.[2]
In 1988, as a playwright he wanted to create "a musical based onPuccini'sLa Bohème, in which the luscious splendor of Puccini's world would be replaced with the coarseness and noise of modernNew York."[3] In 1989 he began a collaboration withJonathan Larson, and provided lyrics forRent, "I Should Tell You", and "Santa Fe".
In addition toRent, he has written manyone act plays including "Light Years (one-act)", "Reunions", "The News", "Little Duck",Of Two Minds,Night Rules, andIn the Middle of the Night, which were performed inEnsemble Studio Theatre Marathons.[4] His short plays have been published in six volumes of "Best American Short Plays" and collected in "Funny Shorts".
Full-length plays by Aronson include "Light Years" which premiered at Playwrights Horizons, "The Art Room" which premiered at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre and Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, and "First Day of School" which premiered at 1812 Productions and SF Playhouse, and was named Best New Play for a medium-sized theater by the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle in 2009.[5][6]
He also wrote the book for themusicalClick Clack Moo, which was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for Best New Musical, and wrote the libretto forFlurry Tale with composerRusty Magee which premiered at Malmo Opera in Sweden under the name "Vinteryra". He has written for many popular children shows, such asPostcards from Buster,Codename: Kids Next Door,Wonder Pets!,The Upside Down Show,The Backyardigans,Courage the Cowardly Dog, and co-createdPeg + Cat along withJennifer Oxley. He was also a writer onBeavis and Butthead. His writing for television has won him 5 Daytime Emmy Awards.
Aronson isJewish.[7] He currently lives inNew York City with his wife Lisa Vogel (whom he married in 1990),[7] and children Anna and Jake.