Rinne Groff (aka Rinne Becker Groff) is an American

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

and

performer The performing arts are The arts, arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art ob ...

Biography

Groff was trained at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and

New York University Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...

, where she currently teaches. A founding member of Elevator Repair Service Theater Company, she has been a part of the writing, staging, and performing of their shows since the company's inception in 1991. She is at work on a commission from The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. With playwright/lyricist John Dempsey and composer Michael Friedman, Groff co-wrote the book and lyrics for the stage musical adaptation of the movie ''

Saved! ''Saved!'' is a 2004 American independent satirical black comedy film directed by Brian Dannelly, and starring Jena Malone, Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin, Patrick Fugit, Eva Amurri, Martin Donovan, and Mary-Louise Parker. Its plot follows a ...

''. Her play ''Compulsion'' opened

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

The Public Theater The Public Theater is an arts organization in New York City. Founded by Joseph Papp, The Public Theater was originally the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954; its mission was to support emerging playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: ...

on February 1, 2011, starring

Mandy Patinkin Mandel "Mandy" Bruce Patinkin (; born November 30, 1952) is an American actor and singer, known for his work in musical theatre, television, and film. As a critically acclaimed Broadway (theatre), Broadway performer he has collaborated with Step ...

and directed by Oskar Eustis. The play had previously played at

Yale Repertory Theatre Yale Repertory Theatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of Yale School of Drama, in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented stud ...

and

Berkeley Repertory Theatre Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a Regional theater in the United States, regional theater company located in Berkeley, California. It runs seven productions each season from its two stages in Downtown Berkeley, California, Downtown Berkeley. Histor ...

, both in 2010. Alongside composer

Frank Wildhorn Frank Wildhorn (born November 29, 1958) is an American composer of both musicals and popular songs. His musical ''Jekyll & Hyde (musical), Jekyll & Hyde'' ran for four years on Broadway. He also wrote the hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" for ...

and lyricists Tracy Miller and Carly Robyn Green, Groff wrote an English language book for the stage musical '' Your Lie in April'', based on its original Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

book by Riko Sakaguchi. The musical is an adaptation of Naoshi Arakawa's Kodansha manga Your Lie in April. In November 2023, an English language concert staging of ''Your Lie in April (musical)'' was announced to debut at

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...

on the West End in April 2024, directed by Nick Winston. It opened at the Harold Pinter Theatre in July 2024.

Awards

*Recipient of a 2006 Guggenheim Award *Recipient of a 2005 Whiting Award for drama *Finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 2002-03 for her play ''Orange Lemon Egg Canary'' *Fellowship from the MacDowell Colony in 2005.

Works

* ''Inky'' ( Clubbed Thumb and Salt Theater, 2000) *''The Five Hysterical Girls Theorem'' ( Target Margin Theater, 2000) * ''Jimmy Carter was a Democrat'' (produced at Clubbed Thumb and P.S. 122, 2002) * ''Orange Lemon Egg Canary'' ( Actors Theater of Louisville, 2003) * ''You Never Know'' (co-writer with

Charles Strouse Charles Louis Strouse (June 7, 1928 – May 15, 2025) was an American composer and lyricist best known for writing the music to the Broadway musicals ''Bye Bye Birdie'', ''Applause (musical), Applause'', and ''Annie (musical), Annie''. Backgrou ...

) ( Trinity Rep, 2005) * ''Molière Impromptu'' (Trinity Rep, 2005) * ''The Ruby Sunrise'' ( Public Theater, November 2005, directed by Oskar Eustis) * ''What Then'' ( Clubbed Thumb, 2006) * ''Compulsion'' (2010,

, 2010) * ''Sleep Rock Thy Brain'' along with Lucas Hnath and Anne Washburn ( Actors Theater of Louisville, 2013) * ''77%'' ( San Francisco Playhouse, 2014) * ''Fire in Dreamland'' (Public Theater, 2018) * ''

Your Lie in April (musical) ''Your Lie in April'' is a musical based on the manga series '' Your Lie in April'' written and illustrated by Naoshi Arakawa. The show features a score with music by Broadway composer Frank Wildhorn and lyrics by Tracy Miller and Carly Roby ...

'' - The Concert ( Theatre Royal Drury Lane, 2024)

References

External links

Profile and Production History at The Whiting Foundation

Rinne Groff bio and play listing
on Playscripts, Inc. {{DEFAULTSORT:Groff, Rinne American dramatists and playwrights Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Yale University alumni Tisch School of the Arts alumni