Lisa Sniderman

Lisa Sniderman is an award-winning San Francisco-based artist known as Aoede, author, and playwright and has been honored with more than 50 awards for her songwriting, audiobooks and stage plays since 2012. Living with a rare progressive muscle weakness disease, dermatomyositis, Sniderman creates, records, and shares her original musicals, art, music, and stories to express and as a healing path. She “fosters healing by giving your creative spirit wings and inspiring you share your story.” She was inspired to write her memoir, “A Light in the Darkness: Transcending Chronic Illness through the Power of Art and Attitude,” which spans 10 years living with chronic illness, to speak to and inspire those living with chronic illness, disability, and unexpected life challenges, that will be published on September 21, 2018, Myositis Awareness Day. Sniderman also is collaborating with other artists who use creativity to heal, and will record video conversations with more than 40 artists and produce a special live/streaming “lights in the darkness” performance/event in December 2018 to share stories on the art of healing.

Education: 12 years as singer-songwriter, composer, recording artist and performer. Re: musical training, I took extensive voice, guitar, and songwriting classes (2002-2009), and studied song craft privately with a mentor, for more than a year. Uke/piano are self taught. I took various seminars and classes on storytelling, acting, and playwriting in 2014. I am self taught for writing book/libretto, music and lyrics for my musicals. In addition to the arts, I worked as Environmental Scientist for the State of California for years, and hold BA (1994) and MS (1999) in Environmental Studies. I also studied theater in high school. Also took voiceover character intensive classes.

Professional Experience

• Jul 2018: Awarded National Arts and Disability Center’s Arts and Accessibility Technical Assistance Grant to hire a video production company to edit and do post-production on 40 videos as part of: “Lights in the Darkness: Conversations on Creating to Heal”;
• Jan 2018: Voiced paranoid, unhinged woman for “Not Sure If It’s Me,” an endless loop of technical incidents in the style of Theatre of the Absurd that was included in Rib Exhibitions in Rotterdam (NL), March 2018;

Lisa’s verbal descriptions: “From Sep-Dec 2016, I worked with San Francisco Recreation and Parks to bring original musical theater to young adults, using my original musical. I served as Producer, Director, Playwright, Musical Director, and Instructor, and conducted “Bringing MAGIC to Musical Theater!” 10-week original theater workshops (for audio techs and actors) for young adults. I further directed the students in two multi-media staged reading performances in San Francisco, California, incorporating instrumental soundtracks made possible by a NADC Technical Assistance grant.
From Dec 2013-Aug 2015, I created, recorded, and released my third award-winning fully scored, orchestrated musical audiobook: Do You Believe In Magic? (MAGIC), featuring 1 hour and 47 minutes of dialogue, character voices, narration, full songs, sound effects, sound design and score. I also adapted the audiobook to a musical theater stage play and produced and directed a staged reading May 2015. MAGIC has received six Children’s awards, an endorsement from KIDS FIRST! and was considered for Best Musical Theater Album in the 58th Grammy Awards.”

Teaching Experience

• Aug 2017-Present: Co-lead in THE MIRACLE PROJECT “Improv for Interaction” ongoing eight- week workshops empowering young adults with autism, Redwood City, California;
• Sep-Dec 2016: Producer, Director, Playwright, Musical Director, Instructor; Conducted “Bringing MAGIC to Musical Theater!” 10-week original theater workshops (for audio techs and actors) for young adults, San Francisco Recreation and Parks; directed two staged reading performances in San Francisco, California.
• From March-June 2015, I had the honor of working as a Drama Teacher for an after school program at a high school in San Mateo, California, serving students with differing abilities.
• About to teach an musical theater workshop in the Fall, “What’s My Story?” exploring and sharing students’ life challenges and disabilities though their original stories and songs.”

Accommodation Needs
For me, it is really geography that is most limiting in terms of my needs. I am home most days, and I choose opportunities that I can easily get to with transportation since I am not driving. Further, I am mindful of my energy and also tend towards one-two days a week, for a few hours at a time.

Ethnicity: White/Caucasian