Chad Henry (born October 9, 1946) is an American composer, actor, lyricist, playwright, and author. He has written over twenty musical theatre titles that premiere in his home state,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

. He has long been associated with director/producer Linda Hartzell, artistic director of

Seattle Children's Theatre The Seattle Children's Theatre (SCT) is a resident theatre for young audiences in Seattle, Washington, founded in 1975. Its main performances are at the Seattle Center in a 482-seat and a 275-seat theatre, from September through June. SCT also has ...

, and with the late John Kauffman, director of many early Empty Space Theatre and

Seattle Repertory Theatre Seattle Repertory Theatre (familiarly known as "The Rep") is a major regional theatre located in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle Center. It is a member of Theatre Puget Sound Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

to Robert, a drama teacher, and June (

nee Nee or NEE may refer to: Names * Née (lit. "born"), a woman's family name at birth before the adoption of another surname usually after marriage **The male equivalent "né" is used to indicate what a man was originally known as before the adopt ...

Condit), a human services coordinator. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

from 1965 to 1968. He attended

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

, where he studied drama and dance, graduating with a B.A. in 1972. He graduated from the Cornish School of Allied Arts with a B.F.A in 1983. He began writing theatre songs in his early twenties for Empty Space Theatre, for a series of outdoor park shows produced throughout the 1970s and '80s, including titles such as

Carlo Goldoni Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: *Carlo (name) *Monte Carlo *Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince Char ...

's ''The Venetian Twins'', ''Voice of the Mountain'', ''

Deadwood Dick Deadwood Dick is a fictional character who appears in a series of stories, or dime novels, published between 1877 and 1897 by Edward Lytton Wheeler (1854/5–1885). The name became so widely known in its time that it was used to advantage by s ...

'', ''Gammer Gurton's Needle'', ''

The Sidewalks of New York "The Sidewalks of New York" is a popular song about life in New York City during the 1890s. It was composed in 1894 by vaudeville actor and singer Charles B. Lawlor (June 2, 1852 – May 31, 1925) with lyrics by James W. Blake (September 23, 1 ...

'', and many others. He provided songs and theatre material for productions at most of Seattle's then-extant theatres, including

Seattle Repertory Theatre Seattle Repertory Theatre (familiarly known as "The Rep") is a major regional theatre located in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle Center. It is a member of Theatre Puget Sound ACT Theatre ACT Theatre (originally A Contemporary Theatre) is a regional, non-profit theatre organization in Seattle, in the US state of Washington. Gregory A. Falls (1922–1997) founded ACT in 1965 and served as its first Artistic director; at the time ACT ...

, Skid Road Theatre, The Group Theatre, and others. He co-authored, with A. M. Collins, the long-running rock musical '' Angry Housewives'', which played for seven years in Seattle, breaking all long-run records in that city. Although primarily credited with music and lyrics for that production, Henry contributed in part to the script as well. The show also played for a number of years in several other west coast cities—Portland, Vancouver, B.C., Victoria, B.C., Santa Rosa, California, and elsewhere—each of the above for at least five years each. ''Angry Housewives'' played as well in London, Tokyo, Berlin, Sydney, Melbourne, in every major U.S. and Canadian city, had an

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 ...

run at the Minetta Lane Theatre in New York, was published by

Samuel French Samuel French (1821–1898) was an American entrepreneur who, together with British actor, playwright and theatrical manager Thomas Hailes Lacy, pioneered in the field of theatrical publishing and the licensing of plays. Biography French founde ...

, and optioned several times for film. Henry also has written some dozen original musical productions for

, including ''

Little Lulu ''Little Lulu'' is a comic strip created in 1935 by American author Marge (cartoonist), Marjorie Henderson Buell. The character, Lulu Moppet, debuted in ''The Saturday Evening Post'' on February 23, 1935, in a single panel, appearing as a flower ...

'', '' The Magic Mrs. Piggle Wiggle'', ''Nancy and Plum'', ''

Doctor Dolittle in the Moon ''Doctor Dolittle in the Moon'' is a 1928 children's book by Hugh Lofting. The book tells the story of Doctor Dolittle who studies mystical animals and plants on the Moon. While on his adventure, his friends on Earth long for his return home. P ...

'', and ''

The Hoboken Chicken Emergency ''The Hoboken Chicken Emergency'' is a 1977 children's book by Daniel and Jill Pinkwater. The book may have been inspired by the Jersey Giant The Jersey Giant is an American breed of domestic chicken. It was created in Burlington County, New J ...

''; and adaptations of ''

Jack and the Beanstalk "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale. It appeared as "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" in 1734 4th edition On Commons and as Benjamin Tabart's moralized "The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk" in 1807. Henry Cole ...

'', ''

Snow White "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as Ta ...

'', ''

Pinocchio Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a Tuscan vil ...

'', ''

Goodnight Moon ''Goodnight Moon'' is an American children's book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. It was published on September 3, 1947, and is a highly acclaimed bedtime story. This book is the second in Brown and Hurd's "cla ...

'', ''Harriet's Halloween Candy'', and ''

Sleeping Beauty ''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...

''. His musicals for young audiences have been produced nationally at the leading U.S. children's theatres, including the Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis, Dallas Children's Theatre, San Diego Junior Theatre, Theatre IV Virginia, the

Alabama Shakespeare Festival The Alabama Shakespeare Festival (ASF) is among the ten largest Shakespeare festivals in the world. The festival is permanently housed in the Carolyn Blount Theatre in Montgomery, Alabama. ASF puts on 6-9 productions annually, typically includi ...

, and Northwest Children's Theatre in Portland, Oregon. He adapted

Johann Nestroy Johann Nepomuk Eduard Ambrosius Nestroy (; 7 December 1801 – 25 May 1862) was a singer, actor and playwright in the popular Austrian tradition of the Biedermeier period and its immediate aftermath. He participated in the 1848 revolutions an ...

's ''Love Affairs and Wedding Bells'' for the musical theatre with director/librettist Ed Payson Call. With Katsuhiko Ishizuka of Tokyo's Furusato Caravan, Linda Hartzell of Seattle Children's Theatre, and Norman Langill, U.S. producer of One Reel, Henry created script, music, and lyrics for ''Labor of Love: A Rice Farmer's Musical'', a cooperative musical play, with Japanese and Cajun American actors and musicians. ''Labor of Love'' toured throughout Japan, the United States, and played in Barcelona at the Olympics Arts Festival in 1992. Labor was reviewed by ''Time'', ''Newsweek'', the ''Christian Science Monitor'', and

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

, and many arms of the Japanese media. Henry received a Washington State Arts Commission award for his work on ''Labor of Love''. His novel for young adults, ''Dogbreath Victorious'', was published by Holiday House. As an actor, Henry has appeared on regional professional stages for the past forty years, playing a variety of roles in theatres such as

Denver Center Theatre Company The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) is an organization in Denver, Colorado which provides a showcase for live theatre, a nurturing ground for new plays, a preferred stop on the Broadway touring circuit, acting classes for the communi ...

Seattle Repertory Theatre Seattle Repertory Theatre (familiarly known as "The Rep") is a major regional theatre located in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle Center. It is a member of Theatre Puget Sound Deadwood Dick Deadwood Dick is a fictional character who appears in a series of stories, or dime novels, published between 1877 and 1897 by Edward Lytton Wheeler (1854/5–1885). The name became so widely known in its time that it was used to advantage by s ...

'' (1979, Seattle), with John Kauffman * ''

'' *'' Angry Housewives'' (1983 Washington, 1986 New York), Composer and Librettist, with A. M. Collins * ''

'' (1985, Seattle), adapted from the comic strip by

Marjorie Henderson Buell Marjorie Henderson Buell (née Marjorie Lyman Henderson, December 11, 1904 – May 30, 1993) was an American cartoonist who worked under the pen name Marge. She was best known as the creator of ''Little Lulu''. Early life Marjorie Lyman Henderso ...

and John Stanley * ''

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as Ta ...

'' (1986, Seattle), with

Greg Palmer Greg Palmer (May 1947 – May 8, 2009) was an American writer and Emmy Award-winning television producer and reporter. Greg Palmer was born in Seattle and raised on Mercer Island near Seattle, WA in May 1947 to attorney Harvard Palmer and his w ...

*''The Hoboken Chicken Emergency'' (1988, Seattle), adapted from the novel of the same name by

Daniel Pinkwater Daniel Manus Pinkwater (born November 15, 1941) is an American author of children's books and young adult fiction. His books include ''Lizard Music'', ''The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death'', ''Fat Men from Space'', ''Borgel'', and the pi ...

* ''Nancy and Plum'' (1991, Seattle), with Linda Hartzell, based on the books by

Betty MacDonald Betty MacDonald (born Anne Elizabeth Campbell Bard; March 26, 1907 – February 7, 1958) was an American author who specialized in humorous autobiographical tales, and is best known for her book ''The Egg and I''. She also wrote the ''Mrs. Piggle- ...

Johnson, Wayne
"Few Theatrical Sparks In `Nancy And Plum',"
''Seattle Times'' (Nov. 18, 1991). * ''Labor of Love: A Rice Farmers Musical'' (1991, Seattle), with Katsuhiko Ishizuka, Linda Hartzell, and Norman Langill * ''

'' (1992, Seattle) * ''

'' (1993, Seattle) * ''Pinocchio'' (1996, Seattle), composer and librettist, with Stevie Kallos *'' The Magic Mrs. Piggle Wiggle'' (2001, San Diego), with Linda Hartzell; based on the books by

* ''

'' (2005, London), with Linda Hartzell and Charles Way * ''Harriet's Halloween Candy'' (2006, Seattle) * ''

'' (2007, Washington), with Linda Hartzell; based on the book by

Margaret Wise Brown Margaret Wise Brown (May 23, 1910 – November 13, 1952) was an American writer of children's books, including ''Goodnight Moon'' and ''The Runaway Bunny'', both illustrated by Clement Hurd. She has been called "the laureate of the nursery" for ...

and

Clement Hurd Clement Gazzam Hurd (January 12, 1908 – February 5, 1988) was an American artist. He is known for illustrations of children's picture books, especially collaborations with writer Margaret Wise Brown including ''Goodnight Moon'' (1947) and ''The ...

Adcock, Joe
"Turning a tiny book into a musical? No problem,"
''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (Jan. 11, 2007).

Books

*''DogBreath Victorious'' (

Holiday House A holiday cottage, holiday home, vacation home, or vacation property is accommodation used for holiday vacations, corporate travel, and temporary housing often for less than 30 days. Such properties are typically small homes, such as cottage ...

, 1999)

References

;Notes ;Bibliography *

External links

Chad Henry at BroadwayWorld.comChad Henry at Lortel Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry, Chad 1946 births 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American musical theatre composers Living people Musicians from Seattle United States Army soldiers University of Washington School of Drama alumni Cornish College of the Arts alumni