MusicalWriters Academy Member Brian Christensen (he/him) is a Dallas-based composer, lyricist, bookwriter, and audio engineer.
His musicals Daughter of Re and Lend Me a Chainsaw have been presented by (and in partnership with) MusicalWriters.com. Lend Me a Chainsaw was also voted “Most Likely to Listen to the Cast Album on Repeat” and “Most Likely to Purchase a Ticket” at the 2023 Musical Writers Festival In-Person Pitch Night. A review of the Lend Me A Chainsaw premiere at The Colony’s Lakeside Community Theatre said that “Christensen checked off all the boxes but then flipped the script with uproarious results and exhilarating glee.” (DallasVoice.com)
Christensen is proud to work full-time with Dallas Children’s Theater, and spends all of his free time being a self-proclaimed “huge nerd about his many interests and hobbies, making cocktails, and watching horror movies.”
MusicalWriters sat down with Brian to talk about his musical roots, his proudest moments, and his lessons learned in the world of musical writing.
How did you get started writing musicals?
Brian Christensen: I’ve always been compelled to write, filling spiral notebooks with stories in elementary school, then scribbling down solos and wind band pieces when I was a young band geek. After I started doing UIL one-act play competitions and learned that there was more to musical theatre than the Golden Age, it seemed inevitable that I would try to combine all of those interests together. As I’m sure is the case for a number of us, the impetus to actually do that was coping with pain and emotional trauma, but that got too messy, so now I mostly write comedy.

Did someone say trauma? (Images from a reading of Lend Me a Chainsaw… Now with 100% more blood!)
What are you working on right now?
BC: Always several irons in the fire! I’m currently editing audio/video recordings from the world premiere of Lend Me a Chainsaw at Lakeside Community Theatre (October 2024), and trying to find the next home for the show. In addition to some other audio and formatting jobs for other people’s shows, my spouse and I are searching for the right story to adapt into a TYA show. Drastically different from Chainsaw.
Do you have any regular collaborators?
BC: I don’t have any regular writing collaborators, per se, but Rebecca Lowrey is my ride or die artistic collaborator. I’ve worked on many shows with her in many different capacities, and trust her implicitly. I also try to regularly work with some of the fantastic actors you’ve all seen in the Academy Reading Series and Festival performances. If I can find a way to put Jason Philip Solís or Brian Hathaway in a show, I will!
MusicalWriters.com Members have opportunities to submit their work to the Reading Series and New Works Cabaret performances throughout the year. Click HERE to learn more about Membership.
What’s a lesson you’ve learned from your writing journey that you’d like to share?
BC: It’s important to be passionate about what you’re doing, but if it’s too important to you or too personal, it can be extraordinarily difficult to take the notes and make the changes that are needed to be successful. Knowing what to be protective of and what to let go can be almost harder than writing the damn thing in the first place. But if you surround yourself with people who you trust and who understand what is truly important about the show, it’s a lot easier to accept the hard changes.
Writing a musical isn’t easy. What’s your “why” in being a musical writer?
BC: It’s a little different for every show, but at the root of it I write because I have a selfish compulsion to create, and musical theatre lets me scratch all of the creative itches I have at one time. I get bored with seeing the same types of shows, so I try to do something that I haven’t seen or heard before.
Why did you join MusicalWriters?
BC: I joined MusicalWriters because Rebecca Lowrey told me it would be a good opportunity, and saying she was right is an understatement. At the time, I was focused on finding all of the submission options available to me, and MusicalWriters was incredibly useful in that regard. From there, it’s been a great resource for master classes, networking, and exposure to other new works.
What have been your favorite moments from the Musical Writers Festival?
BC: Last year, my favorite moment, selfishly, was the announcement of winners from the first in-person pitch night. This year? I think it probably has to be hearing Ben Phillips and the entire backing choir sing “A World Awaiting” from Hijinx & Sue by MW members Daniel Wolfert & Jessi Pits. That was delightfully painful.
The 2025 Musical Writers Festival will take place July 11-13 in Frisco, Texas. Click HERE to register.
What’s your proudest accomplishment as a musical writer?
BC: This is very specific, but I was actually thinking about this not too long ago and I can’t pick anything else: during the first table read of Lend Me a Chainsaw there was a moment when the Black actors at the table looked up from the script, locked eyes, and excitedly realized they were the only characters still alive. It was everything I had hoped it would be, and their response told me it was something that was needed, something worth having written. That in itself is a pretty sad indictment of society and the arts when you think about it, but I felt incredibly accomplished.
Watch Lend Me a Chainsaw in its entirety below!
What do you love about MusicalWriters.com?
BC: I love the varied wealth of information accumulated in one place, whether in articles, master classes, or in post/comments from MW members; we have INCREDIBLY talented people here all sharing really useful information and experiences. I’m trying to be more present in that part of MusicalWriters so that I can reap some of those benefits.
Is there a specific MusicalWriters resource that has been particularly helpful for you?
BC: The submission calendar was my best friend when I started. There are opportunities there I had never heard of, and because of MusicalWriters one of my shows was featured in a festival in New York City.
Three upcoming submission opportunities are always available on the MusicalWriters homepage, but members have access to the full calendar. Click HERE to learn more about MusicalWriters Membership.
What is your favorite musical writing (tech) tool?
BC: I feel like it’s a cop-out and a standard answer, but RhymeZone. Sometimes finding the right unique rhyme unlocks everything. I also often need to rely on Scales-Chords reverse chord finder to either decipher what weirdly dense non-functional chord I’ve hammered out because it just sounded fun to me, or to quickly look at all harmonic possibilities under a vocal line, then try to simplify to the functional harmony.
What’s the best way to get better as a musical writer?
BC: There are a lot of steps that lead up to this point, but I think the best way to get better is to have your work performed and recorded in front of an audience. Then watch or listen to it over and over and over and try to pay attention to the audience’s reactions more than what you wrote. That’s the best feedback, better than any form in my opinion. It won’t tell you how to fix it, but it will tell you what to fix or change.
Do you have a website?
BC: I’m terrible at this part, but I’m taking steps to get better. I have a URL but no site yet, so everything is still just on Facebook (facebook.com/bachmusicproductions)
Do you use social media as a writer? Which platforms do you post on most?
BC: I know, I know, I know…! I’m working on it!
Just for fun: What’s your favorite “guilty pleasure” album to listen to on repeat?
BC: Hmmmm… this implies it should be something I’m embarrassed to admit or feel guilty about, so probably a non-English cast recording of Les Miserables or “From Under the Cork Tree” by Fall Out Boy because nostalgia.
Lightning Round with Brian Christensen
Coffee or tea? Black coffee on the reg, but I don’t discriminate. I LOVE a good herbal tea (looking at you rooibos)
Cats or dogs? Dogs
Digital or analog? As a music format? As a mixing console? As a writing medium? As a reading format. Ummm, I think I still have more records than CDs, but it’s really close. Definitely digital console. Definitely digital writing. Definitely analog books. Damn, this was supposed to be a lightning round…
Fly solo or team up? I like to fly solo.
Pizza or Hamburgers? Generally pizza, but a great burger is irresistible.
Road Trip or fly? Road trip, with the right person/people
City, Country, or Suburbs? As inconvenient as it is for working in theatre, I think I prefer country or suburbs
Flip Flops or Crocs? Neither, my feet suck so I like shoes.
Apple or Android? I like parts of both, but both also frustrate in ways. Right now I use Apple.
Most recently used emojis? Man, I picked the wrong day for this interview… 🚀🦖🍑👾
Last thing you texted? “Sure!”
Three things within arms reach right now? Without standing up: a pair of pliers, an empty stout glass, and about 400 or so CDs
What is one question you wish we would have asked?
Q: Do you have any favorite historical figures from antiquity?
A: How funny you should ask that! Yes, in fact I do! Have you ever heard of Hatshepsut? Long story short, she ruled Egypt as a female king for about 20 years during the 18th dynasty. You should look her up….
…or watch a video of a production of Daughter of Re below!
Thanks so much to Brian Christensen for sharing his time and his many talents with Musical Writers!
Learn more about Brian and future productions at https://facebook.com/bachmusicproductions/