Elizabeth Swados

Composer, writer, and director -- via the New York Times. I absolutely loved this lady. Brilliant at whatever she put her hand to, she wrote plays, oratorios, novels, memoirs, and more. Her "Runaways" in 1978 was and still is full of energy and inventiveness -- something that really taught me to push past the borders of what I thought was possible in the theater. (That production was also notable for the debut of a young performer named Diane Lane, seen at far left in first video clip.) Swados worked extensively with and for children, and also was very open and up-front about the depression that plagued her and her family members, also a huge help for me personally. "The Girl with the Incredible Feeling" is a marvelous children's book every artist should own.

You may have to dig to find her work, but it's worth it! Here's a lovely summation of her work by Jeremy Gerard at Deadline: