Ep. 18 - [Composer & Novelist] Julia Riew

Julia Riew is a musical theater composer-lyricist and New York Times Bestselling novelist. Her musical theater work includes viral hit Dive (dir. Diane Paulus, upcoming at American Repertory Theater)—dubbed online as “The Korean Disney Princess musical”—as well as musicals ENDLESS (dir. Zi Alikhan) and Protégé (in development with Library Company), and several musicals for young audiences that have been performed across the Western hemisphere: ALICE’S WONDERLAND (cowritten with J. Quinton Johnson, premiered Coterie Theater, 2021), Jack and the Beanstalk (A.R.T., 2020), and Thumbelina: A Little Musical (A.R.T., 2019). Her books include New York Times Bestselling novel The Last Tiger (co-written with Brad Riew), Shim Jung Takes The Dive (HarperCollins, April 2026), and upcoming Free Wilma (Penguin Random House, 2027). Accolades include: 18th Annual Fred Ebb Award, Theaterly31’s class of 2025, Playbill’s Featured Songwriter of the Month, 4th Annual Woman to Watch on Broadway List, Princess Grace Award Honoraria, and the Inaugural Harvardwood Artist Launch Fellowship. juliariew.com IG: @juliariew   Seoulful Productions [서울풀 프로덕션스] is a Korean-American women-led, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in NY. Our mission is to create artistic experiences that celebrate the culture, artistry, and voices of the Korean Diaspora through our own eyes and lived experiences. If you would like to know more about what we do as an organization, please visit us at seoulfulproductions.org and consider making a tax-deductible donation, which helps us create programming like these that uplifts Korean artists. IG: @seoulfulproductions