I'm Aaron.
I'm a writer, performer, and educator, originally from Coral Springs, Florida. I live in New York City with my husband Drew and our dog Romy Michele.
I received my M.F.A. in Playwriting from Indiana University, where I studied under Peter Gil-Sheridan, and I received my B.A. in Theatre, with a certificate in Musical Theatre, from Northwestern University, where I studied under David Catlin, Amanda Dehnert, Laura Schellhardt, and Jessica Thebus, among other inspiring artists. As a writer, I’m a lyricist in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and have been a Core Apprentice at the Playwrights’ Center and a member of the Clubbed Thumb Early-Career Writers’ Group. As an actor, I’m a member of Actors’ Equity Association. Head to Writer and Performer to find out more about my creative work.
As an educator, I teach musical theater writing and direct the Musical Theatre Lab Series at Manhattan School of Music. Additionally, I teach playwriting at the Playwrights’ Center, at the 92nd Street Y, and independently. Head to Educator to find out more about my teaching and upcoming classes.
I’m represented by Farrah Cukor (they/them) in the Theatre Department at United Talent Agency. Head to Contact to get in touch with them or me.
Photo by Elena Anderla
I have news.
2 Classes at the Playwrights’ Center
9/9/25
This fall, I’m teaching two classes at the Playwrights’ Center, where I’m an Affiliated Writer:
Musical Theatre Show Structure, a one-night seminar on Tuesday, September 9th from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Eastern on Zoom. Using decades of musical theater theory and a range of song and scene examples, we’ll explore why musicals work, what makes them fail, and how you can use this knowledge to strengthen your own show—whether you’re crafting a classic or reinventing the genre entirely. Register for class at this link.
Starting a New Play (for Beginners), a six-week class on Wednesdays, 6-8 p.m. Eastern (11/5, 11/12, 11/19, 12/3, 12/10, 12/17) on Zoom. With a mix of analytical and intuitive approaches, this class is designed to help shake loose habits, silence inner critics, and unlock your creative instincts. By the end, you’ll have the beginnings of a new play—scenes, characters, and a world in motion—and a clear path forward to keep writing. Open to all writers, but aimed at beginners Register for class at this link.
More Manhattan School of Music
9/3/25
Today is my first day back at Manhattan School of Music (MSM), where I’m teaching four classes this year and continuing as director of the Musical Theatre Lab Series, a new musical development program which offers musical theatre majors the opportunity to work with professional musical theatre creators on their musicals-in-development. Using an open-submission process, the Lab Series selects cutting-edge musical theatre projects with potential for professional life. Click here for more information on this program.
54 Below debut!
6/24/25
Tonight, I made my debut at 54 Below as both a writer and performer. My collaborator the brilliant composer/lyricist Alex Bechtel had a concert of his work, in which he featured 5 songs from our new musical The Daytrippers, based on Greg Mottola’s beloved film. This was the first time anyone has heard these songs, and it was a thrill. Check out above two of those songs, “The Worst Best Place in the World,” sung by Alex, and “Perfection, sung by me.
I’m in a new book!
5/7/24
Today, Applause published a new book, The Playwright's Toolbox: Exercises from 56 Contemporary Dramatists on Designing, Building, and Refurbishing Your Plays by Justin Maxwell, in which I contributed the chapter “Mini Scenes.” In this chapter, I lay out an exercise I developed in my playwriting classes where writers generate new pages for their play by making the overwhelming process a bit more bite-sized. Thanks to Justin for including me and my agent Farrah for getting me this fun opportunity.
I'm a writer.
I aim to give my audience a great time—with strings attached. I aim to create witty, intellectual entertainment, social commentary that is sophisticated and political but accessible and fun, that playfully experiments with expected dramatic forms. I use comedy and levity as tools to distract from the heart of the matter, only to shock my audience with reality near the end, in an effort to challenge their habitual gazes. I want my plays to make an audience laugh and then cut them, to cast them as protagonist but also villain. I do this to dissect the structures and systems that dictate our lives, like oppression, class, sexuality, and gender, and I explore how we build and exist within them.
Click below for synopses, character breakdowns, development histories, and some videos of my full-length, one-act, and ten-minute plays.
Click below for audio, video, synopses, character breakdowns, and development histories for my musical theatre work, both completed and in-development.
Visit the New Play Exchange for more detailed information about my body of work, including script samples.
I'm a performer.
Photos
Videos
“Perfection,” from my new musical The Daytrippers (music by Alex Bechtel, lyrics by Alex and me) at 54 Below
“Stupid Things I Won’t Do” by William Finn at the Duplex
Selections from my solo show, A Bushel and a Peck, about my grandfather, in which I play almost every member of my family
“I Met a Guy” by Daniel Rein (music) and me (lyrics) at the BMI Workshop
Audio
A playlist of me singing some of my original songs, written with various composers.
I’m an educator.
It is my priority to create spaces where students feel safe, brave, and themselves, especially if there might not be many students like them. With my knowledge and appreciation of many forms, styles, genres, and texts, I can work within a writer’s own dramaturgy. I urge students to explore whatever they want in their own work, which requires a classroom culture of care and also fun. I am committed to training students in the development of new work through a careful, healthy replication of the professional experience in the classroom. I focus much of my teaching time on how one should (or should not!) talk during workshop, encouraging tact, self-reflection, and community care. As a working theater artist—especially in the musical theater—I prioritize a contemplative, frank investigation of how exactly one works alongside other artists.
I teach musical theater writing and direct the Musical Theatre Lab Series at Manhattan School of Music. Additionally, I teach playwriting at the Playwrights’ Center, at the 92nd Street Y, and independently. Previously, I spent five years as a Visiting Assistant Professor of dramatic writing in the Creative Writing program at SUNY New Paltz.
Upcoming Classes
Starting a New Play (for Beginners) at the Playwrights’ Center
Wednesdays, 6-8 p.m. Eastern
6 sessions: 11/5, 11/12, 11/19, 12/3, 12/10, 12/17
$210 (Tier 1 Members), $270 (Tier 2 and 3, Non-members)
Virtual
Register for class at this link.
Have an idea for a play—or wish you did—but don’t know how to begin? You’re not alone. In this course, new and emerging playwrights will explore multiple entry points into writing a new play. Through guided exercises and creative prompts, we’ll dive into character, setting, conflict, and dramatic action, building the foundation for a compelling story. With a mix of analytical and intuitive approaches, this class is designed to help shake loose habits, silence inner critics, and unlock your creative instincts. By the end, you’ll have the beginnings of a new play—scenes, characters, and a world in motion—and a clear path forward to keep writing.
Open to all writers, but aimed at beginners.
I'm a talker.
Talk to me through my representation:
UNITED TALENT AGENCY
Farrah Cukor (they/them)
T: (908)-307-3515
E: farrah.cukor@unitedtalent.com