Benj Pasek (born June 6, 1985) is an American

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and lyricist best known for his works ''

The Greatest Showman ''The Greatest Showman'' is a 2017 American biographical musical drama film directed by Michael Gracey in his directorial debut, written by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon and starring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, ...

'', ''

La La Land ''La La Land'' is a 2016 American romantic musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle. It stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a struggling jazz pianist and an aspiring actress, respectively, who meet and fall in love ...

'' and ''

Dear Evan Hansen ''Dear Evan Hansen'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Steven Levenson. The musical follows Evan Hansen, a high school senior with social anxiety, "who invents an important role for himself in a t ...

'', all of which he co-wrote with his songwriting partner, Justin Paul.

Early life and education

Pasek was born into a Jewish family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His mother was a teacher who wrote children's songs, which got him interested in music. As a child, he sang with the

Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale is a boys' choir and men's chorale based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, currently under the direction of Jeffrey R. Smith. They are known as "America's Ambassadors of Song" and are considered to be one of the best ...

. He went on to earn a B.F.A. in musical theater from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. It was there that he met

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'', all of which he co-wrote with his songwriting partner, Ben ...

. When Pasek and Paul were unsatisfied with the roles they were getting in the shows at the university, the two decided to begin writing their own shows. One of the first projects they worked on together, ''Edges'' was developed at the school.

Career

Pasek and Paul Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, known together as Pasek and Paul, are an American songwriting duo and composing team for musical theater, films and television. Their works include ''A Christmas Story'', ''Dogfight'', '' Edges'', ''Dear Evan Hanse ...

won the Jonathan Larson Grant in 2007. The two co-wrote and co-composed the musical ''

Dogfight A dogfight, or dog fight, is an aerial battle between fighter aircraft conducted at close range. Dogfighting first occurred in Mexico in 1913, shortly after the invention of the airplane. Until at least 1992, it was a component in every majo ...

'', which 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 ...

at the

Second Stage Theatre Second Stage Theater is a theater company founded in 1979 by Robyn Goodman and Carole Rothman and located in Manhattan, New York City. It produces both new plays and revivals of contemporary American plays by new playwrights and established wri ...

in July 2012. The pair went on to write music and lyrics for ''James and the Giant Peach'', '' A Christmas Story: The Musical'', ''

'', and ''

''. Pasek also collaborated with Paul on lyrics for the film ''

'' (Music by

Justin Hurwitz Justin Gabriel Hurwitz (born January 22, 1985) is an American film composer and a television writer. He is best known for his longtime collaboration with director Damien Chazelle, scoring each of his films: '' Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench'' ...

). They have also written songs for the television shows ''Smash'' and ''The Flash''.{{Cite web , title=Meet Smash's New Composers: Pasek & Paul, Joe Iconis and More Rising Talents to Watch , url=https://www.broadway.com/buzz/166836/meet-smashs-new-composers-pasek-paul-joe-iconis-and-more-rising-talents-to-watch/ , access-date=2022-09-15 , website=Broadway.com , language=en Most recently the duo wrote the original songs for the

Apple Original Films Apple TV+ is a global on-demand Internet streaming media provider, owned and operated by Apple Inc., that features a number of original programs that includes original series, specials, miniseries, documentaries, and films distributed under A ...

Spirited (film) ''Spirited'' is a 2022 American Christmas musical comedy film directed by Sean Anders, and written and produced by Anders and John Morris. It is a modern retelling of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'' and a satire of the va ...

starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds.

References

1985 births American composers University of Michigan alumni Living people American lyricists American theatre people People from Philadelphia Musicians from Philadelphia Musicians from Pennsylvania