Discipline: Theatre – musical theatre

Zack Zadek

Discipline: Theatre – musical theatre
Region: Brooklyn, NY
MacDowell Fellowships: 2017, 2019

An award-winning composer/lyricist, songwriter, performer, and playwright, Zack Zadek has been named by Playbill as "A Contemporary Musical Theatre Songwriter You Should Know," is a 2017 Jonathan Larson Grant Finalist, and a 2017 MacDowell Fellow. Zadek won the 2017 Weston New Musical Award for his book, music, and lyrics to Deathless (dir. Tina Landau), which will have its world premiere at Goodspeed Musicals this spring. Other pieces in development include, The Crazy Ones (dir. Sam Buntrock, The 5th Ave Theatre), The Role of a Lifetime (dir. Jerry Mitchell), and 6 (dir. Sheryl Kaller, NYMF), which have been seen and workshopped around the world, from New York City to Seattle, Washington.

Zadek’s work has been developed at major American theatres including The 5th Avenue Theatre, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Goodspeed Musicals, Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, Legacy Theatre, NYMF and in the UK at The London Theatre Workshop and Edinburgh Fringe. His songs have been performed by some of Broadway and West End’s biggest names in performances at The Kennedy Center and across NYC including Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub, (le) Poisson Rogue, and 54 Below. He is the winner of the inaugural "Got Musical!" award by Disney Imagineering and a SigWorks finalist at Signature Theatre,

Zadek is a founding member of Musical Theatre Factory, frequently collaborates with The Civilians and was in residence at The Johnny Mercer Writer’s Colony. Upcoming projects include a play about a suburban supermarket, a commission from CREO, and various film/TV projects. At MacDowell, he began work on his next full length musical, with a working title of Store Brand. He also completed a draft of a TV pilot called End Times, wrote assorted songs for upcoming projects, and completed revision on his show Deathless, which opened at Goodspeed Musicals in June 2017 and won the 2017 Weston New Musical Award.

Studios

Van Zorn (formerly Kirby)

Zack Zadek worked in the Van Zorn (formerly Kirby) studio.

Constructed thanks to a bequest from Sarah L. Kirby, Kirby Studio was the last new building to be erected during Mrs. MacDowell’s leadership (1907-1951). The load-bearing masonry walls were laid by local mason Augustus Beaulieu atop a fieldstone foundation. A 1995 renovation preserved the brick fireplace with wooden mantel and…

Learn more