Justin Paul

Justin Paul (born January 3, 1985) is an American theater and television composer and lyricist best known for his works The Greatest Showman, La La Land and Dear Evan Hansen.

For the New Zealand cricketer, see Justin Paul (cricketer).
Justin Paul
Justin Paul (right) and Benj Pasek, 2009
Background information
Born (1985-01-03) January 3, 1985
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Occupation(s)Composer, lyricist, singer
Associated actsPasek and Paul

Early life and education

Paul was born in Missouri, but raised in Connecticut. He attended Music Theatre of Connecticut School of Performing Arts, Coleytown Middle School, and Staples High School, both in Westport, Connecticut. While at Staples High School, he was an active member of the school's theater group, Staples Players. He graduated from the University of Michigan in December 2006 with a BFA in Musical Theatre.[1]

Career

He is the co-creator, with Benj Pasek of the song cycle Edges. Also with Pasek, he is one of the songwriters for the Disney Channel show Johnny and the Sprites.[2] Pasek and Paul won the Jonathan Larson Award in 2007.[3][4] He also co-wrote and co-composed the musical Dogfight, which opened Off-Broadway at the Second Stage Theatre in July 2012.[5] He also composed the musical James and the Giant Peach with Benj Pasek.

Pasek and Paul wrote the lyrics for the film musical La La Land. The film was written and directed by Damien Chazelle, and stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling.[6] The film was the opening film at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival, on August 31, 2016.[7] The duo won the 2017 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for "City of Stars."[8] The pair received two Best Original Song nominations at the 89th Academy Awards, for "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" and "City of Stars," alongside composer Justin Hurwitz.[9] "City of Stars" won the award.[10]

Pasek and Paul also wrote the original song "Runnin' Home to You" performed by Grant Gustin for the musical crossover episode of The Flash "Duet" between The Flash and Supergirl.[11]

Most recently, they have created and written the score for the stage musical Dear Evan Hansen which premiered at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. in July 2015.[12] The musical, which has been called "striking for its moral complexity as well as its musical ambition",[13] which opened on Broadway in December 2016. At the 71st Tony Awards, it is nominated for nine awards including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Actor in a Musical for Platt.

Personal life

Paul is married. He and his wife have a daughter, born in 2016, and a son, born in 2018.[14]

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Work Result
2007 Jonathan Larson Grant† N/A Honorees
Dramatist Guild Fellowship (2007–08) N/A Honorees
2011 Sundance Institute Fellowship N/A Honorees
American Academy of Arts and Letters, Richard Rodgers Awards for Musical Theater N/A Honorees
ASCAP Foundation Award Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award N/A Honorees
Songwriter's Fellowship Award N/A Honorees
2013 Tony Award Best Original Score A Christmas Story: The Musical Nominated
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Music Nominated
Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Musical Dogfight Won
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding New Score Nominated
2016 The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding Original New Play or Musical Dear Evan Hansen Nominated
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Lyrics Won
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding New Score Nominated
Obie Award Musical Theater, Music and Lyrics Won
Hollywood Music in Media Award Best Song in a Feature Film ("City of Stars") La La Land Won
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award Best Music Won
Critics' Choice Movie Award Best Song ("City of Stars") Won
Best Song ("Audition (The Fools Who Dream)") Nominated
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award Best Song ("City of Stars") Won
Best Song ("Audition (The Fools Who Dream)") Nominated
Satellite Award Best Original Song ("City of Stars") Won
Best Original Song ("Audition (The Fools Who Dream)") Nominated
Houston Film Critics Society Award Best Original Song ("City of Stars") Won
Best Original Song ("Audition (The Fools Who Dream)") Nominated
Golden Globe Award Best Original Song ("City of Stars") Won
2017 Academy Award Best Original Song ("City of Stars") Won
Best Original Song ("Audition (The Fools Who Dream)") Nominated
Tony Award Best Original Score Dear Evan Hansen Won
2018 Grammy Award Best Musical Theater Album Won
Best Song Written for Visual Media ("City of Stars") La La Land Nominated
Hollywood Music in Media Award Best Song in a Feature Film ("This Is Me") The Greatest Showman Nominated
Critics' Choice Movie Award Best Song ("This Is Me") Nominated
Golden Globe Award Best Original Song ("This Is Me") Won
Academy Awards Best Original Song ("This Is Me") Nominated
Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics ("In The Market For A Miracle") A Christmas Story Live! Nominated

†: Pasek and Paul became the youngest winners of the Jonathan Larson Grant in history.

Notes
  1. "Broadway World Bio" Broadwayworld.com
  2. "Pasek and Paul - Bio". pasekandpaul.com
  3. Jonathan Larson Foundation Archived 2008-08-27 at the Wayback Machine jlpaf.org
  4. "Jonathan Larson Awards". Broadwayworld.com, February 16, 2007
  5. Jones, Kenneth. "Dogfight, New Musical About Cruelty and Hope, Opens in NYC; Lindsay Mendez and Derek Klena Star" Archived 2012-07-17 at the Wayback Machine Playbill, July 16, 2012
  6. Gans, Andrew and Viagas, Robert. "La La Land Film, With Ryan Gosling, to Feature Songs by Pasek and Paul and Justin Hurwitz" Playbill, March 8, 2016
  7. Gans, Andrew. "Watch New Trailer for Forthcoming La La Land' Movie Musical" Playbill, August 23, 2016
  8. Barone, Joshua, Golden Globe Winners 2017, The New York Times, January 8, 2017.
  9. Winfrey, Graham. "Oscar Nominations List: All the 2017 Academy Award Nominees | IndieWire". www.indiewire.com. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
  10. Oscar Winners 2017
  11. Agard, Chancellor (January 31, 2017). "The Flash-Supergirl musical crossover to feature songs by Rachel Bloom, Dear Evan Hansen duo". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  12. "Benj Pasek and Justin Paul Swing for the Fences with Dear Evan Hansen" The Washington Post, July 9, 2015
  13. Paulson, Michael, "'Dear Evan Hansen' to Move to Broadway". New York Times, May 25, 2016.
  14. Paulson, Michael What It's Like to Make It in Showbiz With Your Best Friend, The New York Times, November 10, 2016.
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