Composer, Music Director & Creative Collaborator | Performer-Ready Music, Scores & Demos Benjamin Walton is a Georgia-raised, NYC-based theatre maker, composer, and writer. His one-act play Playground was a Region 1 finalist and national semifinalist for the John Cauble Outstanding Short Play Award through the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in 2024, and was a part of Utah State University's reading series in 2024. He was a finalist for CRY HAVOC’s PlayList program in 2025. His fifteen-minute opera, the hands that planted (libretto: Zoe Ray Prawda), was presented in 2024 in collaboration with the American Opera Project, the Hudson Guild, and NYU’s Opera Lab. His mini-musical, Dive In (Book & Lyrics: Timothy Thomas Leech) had its premiere at the University of Central Florida in 2024 through Project Spotlight. Other projects include Monster (Book: Hannah Z. Morley, Pegasus Playlab Finalist 2025), tame the noise (New Musical Project Finalist 2026), I’m In Love With Bigfoot (Book & Lyrics: Timothy Thomas Leech, NWNV Semi-Finalist), and An Untitled Basement Piece (Book & Lyrics: Sravya Saraswatula). His songs have been performed at 54 Below, Joe’s Pub, SoHo Playhouse, and the Triad Theatre. Outside of writing, he is the founder and artistic director of SandboxMusicals, an organization dedicated to the development and growth of musical theatre through experimentation and play. He has his BFA in Musical Theatre Performance from the University of Central Florida and his MFA from NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. _Website not available. Sign in: https://www.twine.net/signup_

Benjamin Walton

Composer, Music Director & Creative Collaborator | Performer-Ready Music, Scores & Demos Benjamin Walton is a Georgia-raised, NYC-based theatre maker, composer, and writer. His one-act play Playground was a Region 1 finalist and national semifinalist for the John Cauble Outstanding Short Play Award through the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in 2024, and was a part of Utah State University's reading series in 2024. He was a finalist for CRY HAVOC’s PlayList program in 2025. His fifteen-minute opera, the hands that planted (libretto: Zoe Ray Prawda), was presented in 2024 in collaboration with the American Opera Project, the Hudson Guild, and NYU’s Opera Lab. His mini-musical, Dive In (Book & Lyrics: Timothy Thomas Leech) had its premiere at the University of Central Florida in 2024 through Project Spotlight. Other projects include Monster (Book: Hannah Z. Morley, Pegasus Playlab Finalist 2025), tame the noise (New Musical Project Finalist 2026), I’m In Love With Bigfoot (Book & Lyrics: Timothy Thomas Leech, NWNV Semi-Finalist), and An Untitled Basement Piece (Book & Lyrics: Sravya Saraswatula). His songs have been performed at 54 Below, Joe’s Pub, SoHo Playhouse, and the Triad Theatre. Outside of writing, he is the founder and artistic director of SandboxMusicals, an organization dedicated to the development and growth of musical theatre through experimentation and play. He has his BFA in Musical Theatre Performance from the University of Central Florida and his MFA from NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. _Website not available. Sign in: https://www.twine.net/signup_

Available to hire

Composer, Music Director & Creative Collaborator | Performer-Ready Music, Scores & Demos

Benjamin Walton is a Georgia-raised, NYC-based theatre maker, composer, and writer. His one-act play Playground was a Region 1 finalist and national semifinalist for the John Cauble Outstanding Short Play Award through the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in 2024, and was a part of Utah State University’s reading series in 2024. He was a finalist for CRY HAVOC’s PlayList program in 2025. His fifteen-minute opera, the hands that planted (libretto: Zoe Ray Prawda), was presented in 2024 in collaboration with the American Opera Project, the Hudson Guild, and NYU’s Opera Lab. His mini-musical, Dive In (Book & Lyrics: Timothy Thomas Leech) had its premiere at the University of Central Florida in 2024 through Project Spotlight. Other projects include Monster (Book: Hannah Z. Morley, Pegasus Playlab Finalist 2025), tame the noise (New Musical Project Finalist 2026), I’m In Love With Bigfoot (Book & Lyrics: Timothy Thomas Leech, NWNV Semi-Finalist), and An Untitled Basement Piece (Book & Lyrics: Sravya Saraswatula). His songs have been performed at 54 Below, Joe’s Pub, SoHo Playhouse, and the Triad Theatre. Outside of writing, he is the founder and artistic director of SandboxMusicals, an organization dedicated to the development and growth of musical theatre through experimentation and play. He has his BFA in Musical Theatre Performance from the University of Central Florida and his MFA from NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Website not available. Sign in: https://www.twine.net/signup

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Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Producer & Program Coordinator at SandboxMusicals
August 1, 2024 - Present
Produced and coordinated developmental workshops for new musical and music-driven projects, including booking rehearsal space, coordinating artists, and serving as a primary liaison between writers, performers, and venues. Supported collaborative development processes from early drafts through public-facing presentations.
Composer & Music Director at New York University
August 8, 2022 - May 16, 2024
Composed original music and supported score preparation, rehearsal tracks, and music direction for multiple new works developed through readings, workshops, and presentations. Collaborated closely with writers, performers, and faculty on fast-moving, deadline-driven projects.
Teaching Artist – Music & Songwriting at 92nd Street Y (92NY)
September 11, 2025 - November 21, 2025
Led musical theatre and songwriting instruction for high school–aged students as part of the Broadway Spotlight Program. Designed lesson plans focused on composition, collaboration, and storytelling, and worked closely with program staff to support student development.
Music Director at Helen Hayes Youth Theatre
September 10, 2025 - November 17, 2025
Music directed a full youth production, including preparing audition materials, teaching and rehearsing solo and ensemble music, editing performance tracks, and integrating music with live production elements. Collaborated with the production team throughout rehearsals and performances.
Composer & Music Director at Across a Crowded Room at NYPL
October 11, 2023 - November 16, 2023
Composed music and supported music direction for staged readings of new work presented to public audiences. Prepared clean scores and rehearsal tracks and worked directly with performers to shape musical storytelling.
Music Director at Chicago Musical Theatre Festival
January 9, 2019 - February 16, 2019
Music directed a new musical presented as part of a festival setting, including teaching music, preparing rehearsal materials, and coordinating with performers and production staff within a compressed rehearsal timeline.
Freelance Composer & Music Educator at Self-Employed
September 1, 2019 - Present
Provided freelance composition, music preparation, rehearsal support, and private instruction across piano, voice, guitar, and songwriting. Worked with individual clients and organizations to tailor materials to specific projects, skill levels, and timelines.

Education

Master of Fine Art at NYU - Tisch
August 22, 2022 - May 22, 2024
MFA in Musical Theatre Writing from NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program
Bachelor of Fine Arts at University of Central Florida
August 20, 2014 - December 18, 2018
BFA in Musical Theatre with Minors in Music and Creative Writing from the University of Central Florida

Qualifications

Shubert Foundation Scholarship
January 11, 2030 - January 31, 2026
Knight Achievement Award
January 11, 2030 - January 31, 2026

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Education, Non-Profit Organization, Professional Services
    paper I'm in Love with Bigfoot

    I’m in Love with Bigfoot is a folk musical comedy by Timothy Thomas Leech and Benjamin Walton that explores environmental activism, modern relationship structures, and desire through heightened humor and satire.

    Beau and Cassidy appear to be the perfect couple, having spent the past decade building a life together while running an environmental nonprofit. When they protest the illegal mining operation of billionaire Paxton Pettibottom III in the Great Smoky Mountains, they form an unlikely alliance with a cryptid: Bigfoot. As the fight to save the forest intensifies, Beau and Cassidy must confront not only corporate greed and ecological collapse, but the boundaries of their own strictly monogamous relationship.

    https://on.soundcloud.com/xnNHlNY1efn6QnEBaM

    paper Monster

    Monster is a full-length original musical by Hannah Z. Morley and Benjamin Walton, loosely inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Developed as a thesis project within NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, the piece explores authorship, legacy, and creation through a contemporary lens.

    The story follows Evie, who creates an artificial intelligence modeled after the consciousness of her ancestor Mary Shelley in an attempt to generate new stories, revive her family’s struggling publishing business, and earn the approval of her mother. As the project unfolds, questions of control, responsibility, and creative ownership come sharply into focus.

    https://on.soundcloud.com/LLRoub8Fzf4piTSvyu

    paper tame the noise

    tame the noise is an original musical currently in development by Benjamin Walton. The project uses a folk-inspired sound and heightened storytelling to explore themes of sensory overload, attention, and emotional regulation through metaphor.

    When a mysterious phenomenon known as “The Noise” overwhelms a seemingly ordinary town, a quiet boy is sent on a quest to stop it. Over the course of his journey, the story reframes The Noise not as something to be destroyed, but as something that must be understood, organized, and lived with.

    The project is currently in development, with music and story evolving through an exploratory, song-driven writing process.

    https://on.soundcloud.com/vLcbEyu5Kqx6lPs3zt