We recently connected with Jill Ohayon and have shared our conversation below.

Jill, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

In December of 2018, had just wrapped up a semester abroad the University of Birmingham Law School in England, effectively completing my legal studies. I treated myself to a business class ticket on the train from London to Edinburgh, where three friends had spent that semester studying abroad as well. One morning, we ate smoked salmon and fresh scones in the kitchen of their terribly insulated high-ceilinged Scottish apartment and talked about gearing up to study for the bar. One by one, each of them casually mentioned their intentions to eventually leave the law and pivot to different fields. They did not specify which fields or when they planned to leave, but I remember it coming as a surprise to me because I had never considered that option. One of them looked at me and said, “Well, unlike us, Jill actually has a viable alternative career path.” I was confused. “I do?” I asked her. She said, “Of course! You can be a musical theatre writer.”

The year before that, I had written, cast, directed, and performed in a 20-minute satirical musical revealing the absurdity around the formal job recruitment process that students undergo in their third year in law school. It had gone over exceptionally well, but until she said that, it had never occurred to me that this was an actual viable career for me. But after that comment, it became etched in my mind in a way that would change everything.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a musical theatre writer, actor, and singer originally from Montreal, Canada. I earned my law degree in 2019 from McGill University. After three years as a litigator and union-side labor lawyer, I made the decision to attend NYU Tisch’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. I have never looked back.

In the year since I graduated, I have been so lucky to have had my work put up in different capacities and with an array of incredible collaborators. My full-length musical “The Garden Bridge”, written with composer Andy Li, was workshopped with Jennifer Jancuska, the Resident Choreographer of Broadway’s “Hamilton”. Andy and I were selected for Prospect’s Musical Theatre Lab, where we wrote a piece that went up at Symphony Space. My 20-minute musical “Turbulence” written with Ryan O’Dea was produced at the International Human Rights Arts Festival. Most recently, “The Garden Bridge” had a NYFA-funded reading followed by a fully staged Off-Broadway production at Classic Stage Company through SheNYC Arts, where it took home the awards for Best Music & Lyrics and Best Production.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I have and continue to unlearn the belief that my creativity is an act of selfishness. Leaving a legal career to transition to a different field that lights me up was riddled with all kinds of guilt. What makes me think I should be able to pursue a creative life while everyone else works 9:00 to 5:00 with only weekends and the occasional vacation to look forward to? Do I think I’m better than them? Do I think I’m more deserving than they are?

It has taken me time to understand and to convince myself that not only does my creative work benefit others, but my courage in stepping into the unknown and the unstable is a gift to everyone around me. Learning how to be who I really am and making that my practice opens up the possibility for other people to do the same. This continues to be a challenge riddled with doubts, setbacks, and grey days. But the good days are worth every ounce of struggle. There is nothing on this earth that I would trade for the incomparably rich experiences with which I have been blessed since I began my studies in musical theatre writing at NYU.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part of my journey so far has been collaboration. I am a deeply community-oriented person. The opportunities to work with others — from composers to writers to actors to directors to choreographers — has been exciting and enriching in ways I have never felt before. There is a unique alchemy that is revealed when creative and open-minded people with different life experiences and sets of skills work together toward a shared goal. When this happens on a piece that I created in the privacy of my own mind and I get to witness it being not only respected but elevated, it is truly the most fulfilling and exciting feeling in the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gardenbridgemusical.com
• Instagram: @jillohayon

Image Credits

The photos from The Garden Bridge at Classic Stage Company were taken by Danielle DeMatteo
The photo from The Tank was taken by the team of the International Human Rights Arts Festival