Draft:Matt Dahan

Matthew Dahan is an American composer, lyricist, musician and music director. He is best known for his work on the pop-rock musical Starry as well as his work with StarKid Productions, including The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals and Nerdy Prudes Must Die.

Early Life and Education
Dahan grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 2007, receiving a Bachelor of Music.

Career
Dahan began his career as a composer in 2012, working on films such as Area 407 and How Sweet It Is. He then went on to serve as composer and music director for the musical The Babies which premiered Off-Broadway at the St. Luke's Theatre in 2016. Alongside this, Dahan served as composer and producer for the web series Break: The Musical which premiered on YouTube in September 2016.

In 2017, Dahan and his writing partner Kelly D'Angelo began developing a pop-rock musical: Starry. The musical premiered at Rockwell Table & Stage in Los Angeles, California in the summer of 2018. In August 2019, the musical was then performed at the Voodoo Rooms and the Liquid Room at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. A concept album for the show was released on January 31, 2020 and was later re-released in November 2020 with four additional demos that were not included on the original album. Starry has since received two workshops in the United Kingdom. The show was scheduled to have its London premiere on the West End in 2023, but has not done so as of March 2024.

In 2018, Dahan joined StarKid Productions to serve as music director for their musical The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals. He has since continued to work on a number of StarKid musicals, with his most recent appearance being in the company's 2023 musical Nerdy Prudes Must Die.

In 2021, Dahan served as co-writer of the song "Beyond the Shore" for the Academy Award-winning film CODA. The song was shortlisted for an Academy Award alongside being nominated for a Hollywood Critics Association Film Award for Best Original Song and a Satellite Award for Best Original Song. The song won a Hollywood Music in Media Award for Original Song- Independent.

Dahan also serves as composer, writer, director and narrator for the radio-style musical series Pulp Musicals. The first episode, The Great Moon Hoax, premiered in 2021.