Jane Best

Biography

Jane Best is a music director, composer/lyricist, and educator originally from the Philadelphia area. Recent music direction credits include SIX and Burn the Floor on the Norwegian Breakaway; Cinderella, Pippin, and Bonnie and Clyde at Summer Repertory Theatre in Santa Rosa, CA; and The Theory of Relativity, Spring Awakening, and Assassins at the University of Montana.

She received an MFA in Music Direction at the University of Montana and a BS in Music Education at Gettysburg College. She worked as a middle school teacher before moving more intentionally into the world of musical theatre, and she loves working with professionals as well as students of all ages.

Jane has written or co-written three musicals. Her most recent show, Welcome to the Void, was co-written with Elli Caterisano and produced as a part of the University of Montana Spring 2021 season. Her other full-length musical projects are Take a Chance (book/music/lyrics) and Spin Rate (music by Jane Best, book/lyrics by Jadd Davis, additional lyrics by Arwen Baxter). She additionally has written various musical theatre, choral, and rock/pop style songs for cabaret and choral ensembles.

When not occupied with music or theatre, Jane can usually be found at a coffee shop or bookstore, or hanging out with her bearded dragon, Ronnie.