Julie Henion Richardson

Biography

Julie Richardson is a musical theater composer and orchestrator with a passion for telling stories that center queer, trans and women's perspectives. She is currently working on an adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s TO THE LIGHTHOUSE with collaborator Amy Andrews. TO THE LIGHTHOUSE is a story about an artist’s epic journey to realize her vision, the power of human connection in a changing world, and the decisions that shape our legacy. The show has had songs performed in cabarets at 54 Below and Green Room 42, and will be developed during AMDA SummerFest in July 2025.

Her musical HACK, PUNT, TOOL written with collaborators Daniel Levine, Rachel Bowens-Rubin, Zara Barryte, and Danbee Kim was produced in 2012 by the MIT Musical Theater Guild, and had a revival with the same group with a revised book and score in 2017. Hack, Punt, Tool is about a fictional group of MIT students who are working together to build an anonymous technological prank, or a “hack.” As the campus police, romantic entanglements, and old misunderstandings challenge the success of the hack, the hackers learn to trust in their friends and discover how to deal with exclusion, self-respect and forgiveness.

Julie orchestrated the original production of JACK & AIDEN, written by Lane Michael Stanley (book) and Tova Katz (music & lyrics). The show was produced by Ground Floor Theatre in Austin, TX in November 2023. When Aiden first meets Jack, it’s through the sex-saturated world of gay male hookup apps– Aiden’s first exploration since transitioning. But as the two spend more time together, things get complicated - they must navigate their grief, recovery and trauma and find out if they can hold one another’s human messiness. Jack & Aiden asks what it takes to open ourselves up to the profound joy and pain that come with truly being known.

Julie is also a YouTube creator with a channel called Finishing the Score, in which she invites viewers to follow along with her songwriting journey and learn new skills along the way. Her video topics range from composition and lyric techniques to music software and audio gear. More information about Julie's work can be found at www.jhrichardson.com. She lives in Boston with her wife, daughter and two cats.