Morgan Vanderlaan
Playwright | Librettist | Poet | Lyricist | Director
I am a writer who spends most of my time in rooms where stories are being built.
Sometimes that room is a newsroom. I have published more than 75 articles as a reporter for The Independent Florida Alligator, covering politics, breaking news, and community events. Sometimes it is an office, where I work as a staff writer for the University of Florida College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, translating research and academic work into stories for a broader audience. And sometimes that room is a rehearsal hall. I am a playwright, librettist, and a member of the Dramatists Guild. Much of my creative work happens in collaboration with composer Nicolas Chalise as one half of Vanderlaan and Chalise, where we develop new musical theatre. Together we written multiple projects together spanning concert hall compositions to full-length musicals. I have also worked in media development as a screenwriting intern with Particle6 Productions in London, contributing to script development for commercial and digital projects.
Across these spaces— newsrooms, rehearsal rooms, and offices— I care deeply about the craft of writing and the discipline that supports it. I believe good ideas deserve careful attention, strong collaboration, and the kind of behind-the-scenes work that turns a draft into something lasting. Whether I am reporting a story, shaping a script, or supporting a creative team, I bring curiosity, persistence, and a deep respect for the process that makes meaningful work possible
Playwriting Works
The Edge
Ten Minute Show performed as a staged reading at the Hippodrome Theatre in October 2023.
Four college friends stand at the edge of a cliff overlooking a spring, ready to jump in. Yet, they are stopped by their fears of not only what lies below the surface of the water but what lies inside the ocean of their own emotions.
LOCUST
Full-length play, photographs from workshop production in February 2024.
Unlike your typical college freshman, Abigail Turner is not desperate to “fit in” or conform to her university environment— she knows who she is, what she believes in, and what her future holds. That is until she meets Eve, the girl across the hall who completely changes how she views herself, her faith, and the meaning of love. Through remembering the trauma of her past, Abigail must make the ultimate decision: can she love herself for who she is becoming? Or will she mask herself to be the religious daughter she’s “supposed” to be?
Checkmate
Full-length play, presented at a staged reading in March 2026 at the AcrossTown theatre.
December 1944, ten months before the end of World War II, the most wanted man in Holland, a Mr. Pierre van der Laan was captured for crimes against the Führer. Pierre van der Laan of Rotterdam never intended to be a war criminal but when Germany occupied Holland started the mass deportation and persecution of Jewish citizens his only option was to help his neighbors evade the Nazi party. While captured Pierre makes acquaintance with Freidrich, the officer charged with watching Pierre as he awaits the train to Herzogenbusch. Will Freidrich see the error in his party or will Pierre perish at the hands of Führer?
Samarra
One-Act play, presented as a staged reading in April 2025 at the AcrossTown theatre.
Adapted from the fable “Appointment in Samarra,” except this time no one dies.