Sonya Hayden

Sonya Hayden

Sonya Hayden (she/her) is a playwright, lyricist, composer, and librettist based in New York. Her work includes plays CASSIE GOES TO CONGRESS (New Perspectives Theatre), THERE’S ALWAYS TOMORROW (Finalist, Tennessee Williams Festival Play Contest), JUST LIKE MAGIC (Little Fish Theatre), and THE CLUMPS (Pittsburgh New Works Festival); musicals WANDA DOES THE WATER CYCLE (book/music/lyrics, Lincoln Center Out of...
Sonya Hayden (she/her) is a playwright, lyricist, composer, and librettist based in New York. Her work includes plays CASSIE GOES TO CONGRESS (New Perspectives Theatre), THERE’S ALWAYS TOMORROW (Finalist, Tennessee Williams Festival Play Contest), JUST LIKE MAGIC (Little Fish Theatre), and THE CLUMPS (Pittsburgh New Works Festival); musicals WANDA DOES THE WATER CYCLE (book/music/lyrics, Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival), CRAZY BUT TRUE (book/lyrics, CAIM Creative Co.), IT AIN’T OVER ‘TIL THE BAT LADY SINGS and SING A SONG OF SIX PANTS (co-book/music, NYPL for the Performing Arts ), and THE LUCKIEST GIRL (book/music/lyrics, Princeton University); and songs “If I Didn’t Know Better” (music/lyrics, Lotte Lenya Competition Songbook, $1,500 award), “Our Little Life” (lyrics, Urban Stages, performed by Tony nominee Karen Akers), “Away From It All” (music, Maestra-Circle in the Square Theatre School Collab, performed on their Broadway stage), “Love in the Time of Corona” (music/lyrics, Women in the Arts & Media Coalition concert), and “Snow One Else for Me” (music, Urban Stages, Playdate Theatre Holiday EP). She is a member of the BMI Advanced Musical Theatre & Librettists Workshops, New Perspectives Theatre’s Full-Length Play LAB, the NY Songwriters Alliance, the Dramatists Guild, and ASCAP. She was previously a member of Maestra’s Mentorship Program (mentor: Broadway Music Director Mary-Mitchell Campbell), the Recording Academy’s Musical Theater Mentorship Program (mentor: Grammy Award-winning Producer Kurt Deutsch), and the Princeton Triangle Club Writers Workshop (Milton Lyon Award for Outstanding Writing). She was a 2023 artist-in-residence at Marble House Project and is the Co-Director of Maestra Music’s Mentorship Program. Master’s in Playwriting, University of Edinburgh; A.B. Music, Princeton University. www.sonyahayden.com

Plays

  • Cassie Goes to Congress
    A one-act play about climate change and a penguin determined to do something about it. When her baby penguin brother Herbert dies due to the sea ice breaking up early, determined emperor penguin Cassie decides to travel to Congress to convince them to do something about climate change before it's too late. Along the way, she meets a dolphin, humpback whales, and a very busssy bumblebee who are all feeling...
    A one-act play about climate change and a penguin determined to do something about it. When her baby penguin brother Herbert dies due to the sea ice breaking up early, determined emperor penguin Cassie decides to travel to Congress to convince them to do something about climate change before it's too late. Along the way, she meets a dolphin, humpback whales, and a very busssy bumblebee who are all feeling the effects of climate change. When she arrives in Washington, D.C., she is roped into campaigning for a senator who sees this talking penguin as the golden ticket to her reelection campaign. But the senator delays taking any meaningful action on climate change, and ultimately, Cassie must decide whether to give up and go home or find a way to fight back. For licensing inquiries or to request a full perusal script: https://www.sonyahayden.com/contact
  • Baubles, Bangles, and Bankruptcy
    In this 10-minute comedic play, bauble makers Betsy and Billy clash over their commitment to their relationship and bedazzled handicrafts when their beloved baubles and bangles boutique goes bankrupt. Simultaneously, their younger selves open the boutique for the first time, brimming with hope for their future. Will their glittering dreams of youth stand the test of time or are they as breakable as a bauble?...
    In this 10-minute comedic play, bauble makers Betsy and Billy clash over their commitment to their relationship and bedazzled handicrafts when their beloved baubles and bangles boutique goes bankrupt. Simultaneously, their younger selves open the boutique for the first time, brimming with hope for their future. Will their glittering dreams of youth stand the test of time or are they as breakable as a bauble? For licensing inquiries or to request a full perusal script: https://www.sonyahayden.com/contact
  • Crazy But True
    In this 10-minute musical, two awkward, lonely individuals meet in a deserted subway station and must decide whether to pursue their surprising connection before the next train arrives. For licensing inquiries or to request a full perusal script: https://www.sonyahayden.com/contact
  • Wanda Does the Water Cycle
    In this short musical for young audiences, a precocious young water molecule secretly visits the forbidden surface of her lake, where she promptly evaporates and, through learning about the water cycle, must figure out how to return home before the wind blows her off course. For licensing inquiries or to request a full perusal script: https://www.sonyahayden.com/contact
  • The Clumps
    In this one-act mystery/thriller play, a plucky American student meets a spry elderly Englishman on a hike in the British countryside, but neither is who they claim to be, and the surrounding hills hold a dark secret which threatens one or both of their lives. For licensing inquiries or to request a full perusal script: https://www.sonyahayden.com/contact
  • There's Always Tomorrow
    In this 60-minute drama, determined Harper longs to explore the world beyond her conservative Southwest Virginia town but obstacles of marriage and motherhood constrain her as the years of her life slip away. There’s Always Tomorrow is a poignant exploration of how our identities, relationships, and worldviews are shaped by our upbringing and the places we call home. For licensing inquiries or to request a...
    In this 60-minute drama, determined Harper longs to explore the world beyond her conservative Southwest Virginia town but obstacles of marriage and motherhood constrain her as the years of her life slip away. There’s Always Tomorrow is a poignant exploration of how our identities, relationships, and worldviews are shaped by our upbringing and the places we call home. For licensing inquiries or to request a full perusal script: https://www.sonyahayden.com/contact
  • A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
    A one-act comedic play. In an animal-populated film noir-esque world, foxy fox heiress Isabella hires hardboiled Private Eye Zorro Valiente, who must confront a suspicious racoon, armadillo, and his archnemesis El Aterrador to find the thief threatening to steal Isabella’s priceless diamond anklet. For licensing inquiries or to request a full perusal script: https://www.sonyahayden.com/contact
  • Just Like Magic
    A 10-minute dramedy. Locked together in a closet by their children, unhappily married couple Marisa and Chris must deal with anger over Chris’ abrupt career shift to magician for children’s parties, forcing a decision about their commitment to their relationship. For licensing inquiries or to request a full perusal script: https://www.sonyahayden.com/contact
  • What in Creation Was That All About?
    This one-act zany retelling of the biblical Creation story re-imagines God and his angels as a bunch of bros who decide to create Earth in seven days on a whim – much to the dismay of overworked angel Gabriel, who struggles to implement all of the wacky ideas in the limited time frame. For licensing inquiries or to request a full perusal script: https://www.sonyahayden.com/contact
  • Circus Act
    In this short drama, two people conjoined at the hip struggle to forge their own identities in their relationship; one wants to stick it out and the other feels stuck, leading to a painful choice. For licensing inquiries or to request a full perusal script: https://www.sonyahayden.com/contact