The Luckiest Girl: A New Musical
Book, music and lyrics by Sonya Hayden
Sarah, a young, sheltered woman in 1920s New York City, gets secretly involved in a women-led experimental theater troupe in Greenwich Village. Through a process of self-discovery, she unexpectedly falls in love with Sam, another female troupe member.
"If I Didn't Know Better"
Sam is falling in love with Sarah but is unsure if Sarah feels the same.
Recorded by singer Katherine Riddle for the Lotte Lenya Competition Songbook; $1,500 award from the Kurt Weill Foundation: https://www.kwf.org/lotte-lenya-songbook-series/volumes/
Mythos
Book & lyrics by Sonya Hayden; Music by Kristoffer Bjarke
From our adventure musical for family audiences! In mythological Ancient Greece, Princess Andromeda is planning her sweet sixteen, obsessively tracking the personal lives of heroes splashed across trashy magazine scrolls, and itching to leave her boring island for exciting Athens. But when she learns a god is coming to claim her soul due to a bargain her parents made (seriously?!), she sets off on an adventure with a team of heroes to find a way to survive.
"I'm Here"
Andromeda is chained to a rock out at sea, about to be sacrificed to sea god Poseidon’s monster.
Wanda Does the Water Cycle
Book, music, & lyrics by Sonya Hayden
Precocious young water molecule Wanda 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.
"Up on the Surface"
Wanda longs to visit the surface of her lake, which is forbidden due to something mysterious called “evaporation”…
Performed at Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, 2021.
"The Water Cycle"
Kids dancing to the water cycle song! After Wanda learns about the water cycle, she returns home and teaches her family all about it.
Performed at Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, 2021.
Crazy But True
Book & lyrics by Sonya Hayden; Music by Jon Hugo Ungar
Stuck in unfulfilling jobs and feeling disillusioned with life, two quirky individuals in their 20s meet in a subway station and find an unexpected connection.
"Crazy But True (Part 1)"
Zoe and Kevin meet in a Brooklyn subway station.
BMI Workshop presentation, 2019
The Princess Diaries
Book & Lyrics by Sonya Hayden; Music by Jaime Jarrett
15-year-old Mia Thermopolis just wants to survive 10th grade. But upon learning she is the heir to a small European kingdom, she must find her self-confidence and decide whether to become the princess of Genovia. Based on the 2001 film. Written for the BMI Workshop.
"A Princess"
Mia's regal grandmother, the Queen, teaches her how to be a princess.
Quarantine songs
Love in the Time of Corona
Written, directed, and performed by Sonya Hayden
To keep my spirits up during quarantine, I wrote this song and made a very silly music video to go with it. Warning: includes gratuitous dancing with cleaning supplies. This video was also selected by the Women in the Arts & Media Coalition for their concert "Conversations in America: 2020 Vision."
V-card (A Vaccine PSA)
Written, directed, and performed by Sonya Hayden
A Britney Spears-inspired comedic music video that will give you a dose of both laughter and immunity! For more practical COVID-19 vaccine information, visit: https://www.vaccines.gov/
Next Year
Music & lyrics by Sonya Hayden
Sharing this song with my hopes that we'll all be making music together again soon!
An Inconvenient Sleuth
Princeton Triangle Club
"The Other Side"
Lyrics by Sonya Hayden & Sam Kaseta; Music by Sonya Hayden
In a town where citizens strictly follow the letter of the law, one woman waiting for a broken crosswalk signal wonders what would happen if she jaywalked. (Song starts at 0:30 in video.)
McCarter Theatre, 2015
"Money Isn't Everything"
Lyrics by Lauren Frost & Jake Robertson; Music by Sonya Hayden
While investigating the mysterious disappearance of their town's mayor, a group of plucky teenagers attempt to question a suspicious wealthy local businessman. (Song starts at 1:25 in video.)
McCarter Theatre, 2015
