Steve Cuden (born September 25, 1955, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American screenwriter, director, lyricist, playwright, author, theater lighting designer, artist, and teacher. He is best known for his work on the Broadway musical, ''Jekyll & Hyde'', as well as his writing for numerous television series.

Biography

The eldest son of Dr. Charles L. Cuden and Helen M. Cuden, he graduated from

Taylor Allderdice High School Taylor Allderdice High School is a public high school in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school was established in 1927 and is part of the Pittsburgh Public Schools district. It was named for industrialist and S ...

in 1973. Cuden attended the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

from 1973–1976 and the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

from 1976–1978, from where he graduated with a B.A. in Theater. Upon graduation from USC, he became the USC School of Theater's Master Electrician. Cuden was married to Lisa Ann Kranz from 1993–1996, but the marriage ended in divorce. Cuden received an MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA's School of Theater, Film, and Television in 2010. He began teaching Screenwriting at

Point Park University Point Park University is a private university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Formerly known as Point Park College, the school name was revised in 2004 to reflect the number of graduate programs being offered. In 2021, it had a total undergraduate ...

in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 2011.

Career

It was while Cuden was working as the Master Electrician at USC's School of Theatre on a musical called ''Christopher'', written by 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 ...

, that the two met, struck up a friendship, and began to collaborate on writing musicals. Their first effort was a song cycle based on the life of

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

called ''The High and Mighty Caesar.'' They also collaborated on a musical based on the lives of

Nicholas Nicholas is a male name, the Anglophone version of an ancient Greek name in use since antiquity, and cognate with the modern Greek , . It originally derived from a combination of two Ancient Greek, Greek words meaning 'victory' and 'people'. In ...

and

Alexandra Alexandra () is a female given name of Greek origin. It is the first attested form of its variants, including Alexander (, ). Etymology, Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; genitive, GEN , ; ...

called ''The Last Tsar''. In 1980, Cuden and Wildhorn wrote the first two versions that they would create of a musical based on

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

's classic story, ''The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.'' The second version that they wrote, which Cuden then titled, ''Jekyll & Hyde'', was completed in 1986. The musical was nearly produced on Broadway in 1988, with

Terrence Mann Terrence Vaughan Mann (born July 1, 1951) is an American actor and baritone singer. He is best known for his appearances on the Broadway stage, which include Lyman in '' Barnum'', The Rum Tum Tugger in ''Cats'', Inspector Javert in ''Les Mi ...

set to star, but the production never came to fruition due to the financial backers withdrawing funding prior to rehearsals.

Leslie Bricusse Leslie Bricusse OBE (; 29 January 1931 – 19 October 2021) was a British composer, lyricist, and playwright who worked on theatre musicals and wrote theme music for films. He was best known for writing the music and lyrics for the films '' D ...

replaced Cuden in 1988 as the musical's librettist. Cuden still retains both co-conceptual and co-lyrics credits on the show. ''Jekyll & Hyde'' ran on Broadway at the Plymouth Theatre from April 1997 through January 2001 for a total of 1543 performances. Its first revival on Broadway opened in April 2013, and closed after thirty performances. Cuden and Wildhorn also co-conceived a musical based on the story of Rudolf, the last Crown Prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his death at his hunting lodge,

Mayerling Mayerling is a small village (pop. 200) in Lower Austria belonging to the municipality of Alland in the district of Baden (district of Austria), Baden. It is situated on the Schwechat river, in the Vienna Woods, Wienerwald (''Vienna woods''), so ...

. Originally called ''Vienna'', the musical was not completed prior to Cuden and Wildhorn parting ways. Wildhorn later revived the idea, first with

Nan Knighton Nan Knighton is an American poet, playwright, and lyricist. Early life Knighton was born in Baltimore in 1947 to physician Donald Proctor and artist Janice Proctor. She is a 1965 graduate of Bryn Mawr School, with an undergraduate degree from S ...

, and later with Jack Murphy. They retitled it, ''Rudolf: Affaire Mayerling.'' The musical has been produced in

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, and

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

. Cuden still retains co-conceptual credits and co-lyrics credits. Cuden is well known for writing episodes of television animation for popular shows as: '' The Batman'', ''X-Men'', ''Iron Man'', ''

Loonatics Unleashed ''Loonatics Unleashed'' is an American superhero animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation that ran on Kids' WB for two seasons from 2005 to 2007. It also aired on Cartoon Network internationally (excluding US and Japan). Th ...

'', ''

Xiaolin Showdown ''Xiaolin Showdown'' is an American animated television series that aired on Kids' WB and was created by Christy Hui. Set in a world where martial arts battles and Eastern magic are commonplace, the series follows Omi, Raimundo, Kimiko, and Clay ...

'', ''

Goof Troop ''Goof Troop'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Disney Television Animation, Walt Disney Television Animation. The series focuses on the relationship between single father Goofy and his son, Max Goof, Max, as well as their neighbor Pet ...

'', ''The Mask'', '' Bonkers'', ''

Quack Pack ''Quack Pack'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, featuring Donald Duck and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. The show debuted on September 3, 1996, as a part of the " Disney Afternoon" programmin ...

'', ''Gargoyles'', ''Beetlejuice'', ''The Pink Panther'', ''

Savage Dragon The Savage Dragon is the name of two superheroes created by Erik Larsen, published by Image Comics and taking place in the Image Universe. The comic initially follows the adventures of a superheroic police officer named the Dragon. The character ...

'', ''RoboCop'', ''

Stargate Infinity ''Stargate Infinity'', often abbreviated as ''SGI'' or just ''Infinity'' (), is an American-French animated science fiction television series co-produced by Les Studios Tex S.A.R.L. and DIC Entertainment Corporation, in association with MGM Te ...

'', ''

Exosquad ''Exosquad'' is an American science fiction animated television series created by Universal Cartoon Studios for MCA TV's Universal Family Network syndicated programming block. The series ran for two complete seasons in syndication from 1993 to ...

'', ''

Skeleton Warriors ''Skeleton Warriors'' is an American animated series created by Landmark Entertainment Group, which originally aired in 1994 on CBS and consists of 13 episodes. The show was created by producer Gary Goddard. Summary The story takes place on th ...

'', and '' Mummies Alive''. Cuden is also known for directing ''Lucky'', an independently produced, multiple award-winning horror-comedy feature that was released by MTI Home Video in 2004. In the 1980s, Cuden won numerous awards for designing lighting of stage productions in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, including ''3 Plays of Love and Hate'', for director

John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self- ...

, ''Playing for Time'', for director

Mimi Leder Miriam Leder (; born January 26, 1952) is an American film and television director and producer; she is noted for her action films and use of special effects.Hurd, Mary G. Women Directors and Their Films. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007. She has dire ...

, ''Piece de Resistance'', for director

Abraham Polonsky Abraham Lincoln Polonsky (December 5, 1910 – October 26, 1999) was an American film director, screenwriter, essayist and novelist. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for '' Body and Soul'' (1947). The following ...

, and ''Dinner and Drinks'', for director

Monte Markham Monte Markham (born June 21, 1935) is an American actor. He has appeared in films, television series, and on Broadway. Early life Markham was born in Manatee County, Florida, one of four sons of Millie Content (née Willbur) and Jesse Edwar ...

. Cuden was Supervisor of Ride and Show Lighting at

Universal Studios Florida Universal Studios Florida is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida, that opened on June 7, 1990. Owned and operated by NBCUniversal, it features numerous rides, attractions, and live shows that are primarily themed to movies, television, and ...

from 1989-1990. In 2013, Cuden published a book titled, ''Beating Broadway: How to Create Stories for Musicals That Get Standing Ovations''. In 2015, as a companion book to ''Beating Broadway,'' Cuden published, ''Beating Hollywood: Tips for Creating Unforgettable Screenplays''. In 2017, Cuden launched a new podcast, ''StoryBeat: Storytellers on Storytelling'', which he produces and hosts. Shows focus on in-depth interviews with artists from all disciplines regarding their creative process.

Works

Podcasts

*''StoryBeat with Steve Cuden''

Books

*''Beating Hollywood: Tips for Creating Unforgettable Screenplays'', 2015, Cudwerks Productions *''Beating Broadway: How to Create Stories for Musicals That Get Standing Ovations'', 2013, Cudwerks Productions

Musicals

* ''Jekyll & Hyde, The Musical'', Co-Conceived for the Stage, and Co-Lyrics **Tours: U.S., 1995-1996, 1999-2000, 2001–2002, 2012-2013 **Broadway: The Plymouth Theatre, 1997-2001, The Marquis Theatre, 2013 **Translated into more than twenty languages and produced in multiple venues around the world * ''Rudolf: Affaire Mayerling'', Co-Conceived for the Stage, and Co-Lyrics **Productions in Hungary, Vienna, Japan, and Korea

Feature films

*''Lucky'', Muddfilms/ MTI Home Video, released 2004, director/co-producer

Television - Staff Writer - Animation

*'' Bonkers'' (1993-1994): Synd/Disney TV Animation *''

'' (1992): Synd/Disney TV Animation *''

'' (1996): Synd/Disney TV Animation

Television - Writer - Animation

* '' Little Shop'' (1991): Fox/Saban Entertainment * ''

Beetlejuice ''Beetlejuice'' is a 1988 American Gothic film, gothic dark fantasy comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay by Michael McDowell (author), Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren based on a story by McDowell and Larry Wilson (sc ...

'' (1991): Fox/Nelvana * ''

'' (1992): ABC/Walt Disney Television Animation * '' Bonkers'' (1993-1994): Syndicated/Walt Disney Television Animation * ''

'' (1994): Syndicated/Universal Cartoon Studios * ''

'' (1994): CBS/Graz Entertainment * '' Creepy Crawlers'' (1994-1995): Syndicated/Saban Entertainment * ''

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...

'' (1995): Fox/Graz Entertainment * ''

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...

'' (1995): Syndicated/Rainbow Animation Korea * ''

The Pink Panther ''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Clouseau, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the fil ...

'' (1995): Syndicated/Wang Film Productions * ''

G.I. Joe Extreme ''G.I. Joe Extreme'' is a line of military-themed toys that was sold in retail from 1995 to 1997. The toys were produced by Kenner following their acquisition by former competitor Hasbro and was intended to succeed the '' G.I. Joe: A Real Ameri ...

'' (1995): USA/Gunther-Wahl Animation * ''

The Savage Dragon The Savage Dragon is the name of two superheroes created by Erik Larsen, published by Image Comics and taking place in the Image Universe. The comic initially follows the adventures of a superheroic police officer named the Dragon. The character ...

'' (1995-1996): USA/Universal Cartoon Studios * ''

Street Fighter is a Media mix, Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Capcom. Street Fighter 1, The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by List of Street Fighter video games, six other ma ...

'' (1996): USA/USA Studios * ''

'' (1996): Syndicated/Walt Disney Television Animation * ''

Wing Commander Academy ''Wing Commander Academy'' is a 1996 United States, American animated television series produced by Universal Cartoon Studios, along with a team led by Larry Latham. The show was based on the Wing Commander (franchise), Wing Commander franchise and ...

'' (1996): USA/Universal Cartoon Studios * '' Gargoyles'' (1996): ABC/Walt Disney Television Animation * '' The Mask: Animated Series'' (1996-1997): Syndicated/Sunbow Entertainment * ''

Extreme Ghostbusters ''Extreme Ghostbusters'' is an American animated television series, based on the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise, which initially aired from September 1 to December 8, 1997. A sequel to '' The Real Ghostbusters'', which aired from 1986 to 1991 on AB ...

'' (1997): Syndicated/Columbia-TriStar * ''

Mummies Alive! ''Mummies Alive!'' is an animated series from DIC Productions L.P. and Northern Lights Entertainment. It originally aired for one season in 1997. The show was part of a general trend of "mummymania" in 1990s pop culture. The series opens in a ...

'' (1997): Syndicated/DIC Entertainment * ''

Pocket Dragon Adventures ''Pocket Dragon Adventures'' (Spanish: ''Pocket Dragons'') is an animated series produced by the Spanish animation studio D'Ocon Films Productions, in co-production with Televisión Española, Bohbot Entertainment, and DIC Productions. The seri ...

'' (1998), Syndicated/BKN Entertainment * '' RoboCop: Alpha Commando'' (1998-1999): Syndicated/MGM Animation * ''

Sonic Underground ''Sonic Underground'' ( French: ''Sonic le Rebelle'') is an animated musical television series co-produced by DIC Productions, L.P., Les Studios Tex S.A.R.L. and TF1. It is the third ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' animated series, and the last to be pro ...

'' (1999): Syndicated/DIC Productions * ''

Shadow Raiders ''Shadow Raiders'' is a Canadian animated television series produced by Mainframe Entertainment and syndicated by The Summit Media Group, that aired from September 16, 1998, to June 23, 1999. The show was loosely based on the Trendmasters toy l ...

'' (1999): Syndicated/Mainframe Entertainment * '' Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chronicles '' (1999-2000): Syndicated/Columbia-TriStar * '' Godzilla: The Series'' (2000): Fox/Columbia-TriStar * ''

NASCAR Racers ''NASCAR Racers'' is an animated television series by Saban Entertainment which features two rival NASCAR racing teams, Team Fastex and Team Rexcor, competing against each other in the futuristic NASCAR Unlimited Division. The series ran from 19 ...

'' (2000-2001): Fox/Saerom Animation * ''

'' (2002-2003): Fox/DIC Entertainment * ''

'' (2004-2006): WB/Warner Bros. Animation * ''

Biker Mice from Mars ''Biker Mice from Mars'' is an American animated series created by Rick Ungar. The series premiered in syndication the week of September 19, 1993. It consists of three seasons of 65 episodes, with the final episode airing in syndication the we ...

'' (2006-2007): Syndicated/Brentwood TV Funnies * ''

'' (2006-2007): WB/Warner Bros. Animation *'' The Batman'' (2007), WB/Warner Bros. Animation * ''

World of Quest ''World of Quest'' is a science fiction comedy animated television series based on the graphic novel series of the same name by Jason T. Kruse. The series was produced by Cookie Jar Entertainment, in association with Teletoon and Kids' WB!. It ...

'' (2008): WB/Cookie Jar Entertainment * ''

Xiaolin Chronicles ''Xiaolin Chronicles'' (笑林傳記) is an animated/CG television series presented as a continuation of ''Xiaolin Showdown''. The series premiered on August 26, 2013, with three back-to-back episodes serving as a preview. The full series premier ...

'' (2014): Disney XD/Genao Productions

Teaching

, Assistant Professor, Screenwriting, 2011–2020

Awards

Feature films

''Lucky'' (Director/Co-Producer) *Winner - Best Director - Nodance Film Festival, 2002 *Winner - Best Feature -

New York City Horror Film Festival The New York City Horror Film Festival is an international film festival based in New York City that screens films from the horror genre. It was founded by Michael J. Hein in 2001. It takes place each year in New York City for a week in November ...

, 2002 *Winner - Best Feature - MicroCineFest, Baltimore, 2002 *Winner - Best Feature - Shriekfest Film Festival, Los Angeles, 2003 *Winner - Fan Favorite - Shriekfest Film Festival, Los Angeles, 2003 *Winner - Best Feature - Weekend of Fear, Nuremberg, Germany, 2003

Lighting design

Dramalogue Drama Critics Awards *''

In Trousers ''In Trousers'' is a one-act musical that premiered off-Broadway in 1979 with book, music and lyrics by William Finn. It is the first in a trilogy of musicals, followed by ''March of the Falsettos'' and then ''Falsettoland''. Plot The one-act m ...

'', 1984 *''Strider'', 1983 *''Love Streams'', 1981 L.A. Weekly LAWEE Awards *''

'', 1984 *''Livin' Dolls'', 1984 *''3 Plays of Love and Hate: Knives, Love Streams, The Third Day Comes'', 1981 L.A. Drama Critics Circle Awards *''

'' - Nomination, 1984Los Angeles Times - Critics Pick Best Drama Candidates
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Memberships

Writers Guild of America, West The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. It was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, including the Screen Writers Guild. It has around 20,000 m ...

Writers Guild of Canada The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) is a trade union representing professional writers working in film, television, radio, and digital media production in Canada. Members of the WGC write dramatic TV series, feature films, Movies of the Week, do ...

Dramatists Guild The Dramatists Guild of America is a professional organization for playwrights, composers, and lyricists working in the U.S. theatre market. It was born in 1921 out of the Authors Guild, known then as Authors League of America, formed in 1912. ...

* Animation Guild *

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

Boards of directors

* Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre (PICT), 2012–2017 *The Denis Theatre Foundation, 2011–2017 *

Academy for New Musical Theatre The Academy for New Musical Theatre (ANMT) is a non-profit 501 c(3) organization dedicated to the creation and development of new musical theatre. The organization is composed of writers, composers, producers and actors who work together to create ...

, Los Angeles, 2008-2011 *Front Porch Theatricals, Pittsburgh, PA, 2019–Present

References

External links

Steve Cuden - Official WebsiteStoryBeat - Official WebsiteBeating Broadway - Official WebsiteBeating Hollywood - Official Website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cuden, Steve 1955 births Living people American male screenwriters American television writers American television producers American male television writers University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni USC School of Dramatic Arts alumni UCLA Film School alumni Screenwriting instructors