My Musicals

You Are Not Gay

You Are Not Gay (music by Alexander Ronneburg, book and lyrics by Timothy Thomas Leech) is a courtroom musical inspired by a landmark civil rights case (JONAH v. Ferguson, NJ 2015) which found that conversion therapy providers committed fraud by claiming that they can change people from gay to straight.

Our story follows Caleb, a lawyer and conversion therapy survivor who left his repressive small town behind and moved to New York City to live and love as he saw fit. Ten years in, results have been mixed. But when Caleb is convinced to attend a support group meeting for queer victims of religious repression, he learns of the explosion of paid conversion therapy programs in recent years, and is issued a challenge by his fellow conversion therapy survivors – “you’re a lawyer, why don’t you sue ‘em?”

Using a blend of pop-punk rebellion, gospel, and musicalized court proceedings, we follow Team Plaintiff as they develop their case and bring it to trial. Over the course of the show, our queer heroes (or “queeroes”) must overcome disingenuous defense attorneys, fundamentalist protestors, and even their own former conversion therapists as they fight for gay rights and reclaim their identities. In the end, Caleb is forced to confront his own lingering trauma and process the anger he has held onto for so many years – anger directed at no one more than himself.

You Are Not Gay was originally developed as part of the NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program in 2023-24, with guidance from Mel Marvin, Rachel Sheinkin, and Robert Lee. The script and score were developed in part through writing retreats at Goodspeed Musicals (February 2024) and Drama Club Camp (May 2024). Music from You Are Not Gay was showcased at Joe’s Pub in 2024. In 2025, You Are Not Gay will be workshopped at the Renaissance Theatre as the Grand Prize Winner of the 2024-2025 Emerging Artist New Play Festival.

Dive In

The problem with growing up is that you still remember what it was like to be young. To have your whole life ahead of you, a seemingly endless expanse of open doors waiting for you to walk through them. But as time forces you onward, you must choose which doors to walk through. The doors you didn’t choose begin to close behind you, leaving an impossible question in their wake. A question that you’ll grapple with for the rest of your life–

–did I choose the right door?

Dive In (book and lyrics by Timothy Thomas Leech, music by Benjamin Walton) is a twenty-minute musical following high school sweethearts Ashton and Emily. The show explores three pivotal moments in their relationship – how they started, how they ended, and how they ended up.

Dive In was developed during NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, with guidance from Michael John LaChiusa, Mel Marvin, and Donna Di Novelli (2023), and received a workshop/developmental production through Project Spotlight at the University of Central Florida (April 2024).

Image from Project Spotlight Production

I’m in Love with Bigfoot

I’m in Love with Bigfoot (book and lyrics by Timothy Thomas Leech, music by Benjamin Walton) is a folk musical that explores the big question. Can grassroots activism save the environment from the ravages of late-stage capitalism? Can traditionally monogamous couples introduce non-monogamy in an ethical way? And most importantly…is Bigfoot hot?

Beau and Cassidy are the perfect couple. They’ve spent their ten-year relationship pursuing their passions, protecting the environment through their non-profit, Chartreuse Truce, and falling more in love each day. But when protesting nefarious billionaire Paxton Pettibottom III’s illegal mining operation in the protected Great Smoky Mountains, Beau and Cassidy join forces with an unlikely ally – the infamous cryptid, Bigfoot. Together with this sex-positive, pansexual, nine-foot-tall smokeshow, Beau and Cassidy must save the forest – but can they save their strictly monogamous relationship from temptation?

I’m in Love with Bigfoot is currently in development – stay tuned!

Rip Van Twinkle

Rip Van Twinkle (book, music, and lyrics by Timothy Thomas Leech) is an original musical inspired by one of folklores greatest closet cases: Rip Van Winkle.

In 1990, closeted gay man Rip Van Winkle runs away from his Long Island life (and wife) because he’s tired of his provincial (read: heteronormative) life. He stumbles into a Fire Island party, accepts a drink from a stranger, and suddenly finds himself very sleepy. Rip awakens in 2015, with gay rights at their zenith (and a strong backlash brewing), and is forced to navigate a world made unrecognizable by advancements in popular, political, and homosexual culture.

Rip Van Twinkle is currently in development – stay tuned!