Jahnna Beecham

Jahnna Beecham (Playwright/Lyricist) met Malcolm Hillgartner (Composer/Lyricist) while acting at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. They were married onstage at the Empty Space Theatre in Seattle and have built a life together in the arts.

Beecham has written and directed for the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Cleveland Playhouse, Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland, Oregon Cabaret Theatre, Hope Summer Repertory Theatre and International Theatre of Vienna. Her collaborations with Hillgartner include the musicals Chaps!, Holmes and Watson Save the Empire, Dogpark the Musical, Chaps: A Jingle Jangle Christmas, Fire N Ice, They Came From Way Out There and a musical adaptation of The Doll People by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin.

Under the pen name Jahnna N. Malcolm, the duo has written 130 novels for kids and young adults including Love Letters (Simon Pulse), Hart and Soul (Bantam), Zodiac (HarperCollins) and Scared Stiff, Scared to Death and the best-selling series Bad News Ballet and The Jewel Kingdom (Scholastic.) Beecham co-wrote and directed Scholastic Productions’ audio and video elements of The Baby-sitters Club 4^th and 5^th Grade Adventures CD Rom. Beecham and Hillgartner produced, scripted-–and Beecham directed – the movie The Ruby Princess Runs Away, which won “Best Picture” at the 2001 Burbank International Children’s Film Festival. Beecham’s most recent projects include editing The National Geographic Science Encyclopedia for young adults, and co-writing Living With Dying: A Complete Guide for Caregivers. (Livingwithdying.com.) She is a member of AEA and Dramatists Guild. Check out Beecham and Hillgartner’s Websites: Jahnnanmalcolm.com and Bestchristmaspageantevermusical.com