I'm Aaron.

I'm a writer, actor, and singer originally from Coral Springs, Florida. I now call New York City home. I got my B.A. in Theatre, with a certificate in Musical Theatre, from Northwestern University, and I'm a lyricist in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. In 2014, The Travels, my epic play with songs by Kelly Hoppenjans (music) and me (lyrics), played a sold-out run at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. I'm currently an M.F.A. candidate in Playwriting at Indiana University, where I study under Peter Gil-Sheridan.

I'm represented by Ben Izzo in the Literary Division of Abrams Artists Agency.

Photo by Chia Messina

I have news.

Nice Nails premieres at Indiana University

3/23/18

My new play Nice Nails runs from March 30th-April 7th at Indiana University as part of their At First Sight New Play Festival, directed by Jonathan Michaelsen.

Check out press for the show:

Resting Bitch Face selected as runner-up in Tennessee Williams Festival One-Act contest

2/19/18

My play Resting Bitch Face was selected by judge Lisa D'Amour (Detroit, Airline Highway) as the runner-up in the 2017-2018 Tennessee Williams Festival One-Act Play Contest.

I'm in Brett Ryback's Joe Schmoe Saves the World

8/16/18

I'm playing Lyon in a developmental production of Brett Ryback's new musical Joe Schmoe Saves The World, directed by Christian Barillas.

My musical theatre songs performed in concert

2/19/17

Call Me Crazy: the lyrics of Aaron Ricciardi, a concert of musical theatre songs with lyrics by me and music by Kelly Hoppenjans, Ayumi Okada, and Daniel Rein, was presented at The Blockhouse in Bloomington, Indiana. Check out these videos!

HuffPost publishes my thoughts on the 2016 election

11/27/16

"Donald Trump Won Because He's a Rock Star" is my elegy for the Clinton campaign, covering topics ranging from star power to gender to Back to the Future.

My song "I Met a Guy" featured in BMI Workshop Smoker

3/9/16

"I Met a Guy," a song with lyrics by me and music by Daniel Rein, was featured in the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop Smoker, a showcase of new songs from workshop writers. Click here to read a press release about the event, and check out this video of the performance.

I'm a writer.

Résumé

NPX Profile

Plays

Nice Nails

full-length

As word spreads of labor department crackdowns, a Korean-American woman fights to modernize her parents' tired nail salon, all while growing captivated by a new customer.

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Can I See Your Face?

full-length

By day, Jeff and Kirk lead humdrum lives like the rest of us, but, at night, these two closeted men rendezvous in a gay sex chat room and project their fantasies onto each other.

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Resting Bitch Face

one-act

While studying for a history test on World War II, three 10th-grade girls warn their friend about the dangers her RBF poses to her social standing.

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Full of It, or Diana

ten-minute

Diana is the worst. Or is she actually a pretty decent person with a strong moral compass and the rest of us are assholes?

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Television

The Haven, a pilot

half-hour, single-camera

A dry ensemble comedy-drama that centers on a seedy family-owned rent-by-the-hour motel. Inspired by my family.

Essays

Published on the Huffington Post:

"Donald Trump Won Because He's a Rock Star"

"Homophobia: Live on Broadway"

"Let's Stop Pretending That Destructive Nonsense Deserves Airtime"

"Fighting Bigots with Bigotry: A Fool's Defense Mechanism"

"The Gravity of the Situation"

"Moving Too Fast for Our Hearts to Keep Up"

"The Gay Rosa Parks and Me"

Musical Theatre

The Travels

full-length

The U.S. of A. is the greatest country on Earth — at least, that’s what they preach every day on the nation’s only TV show. This dystopian tale has proven eerily prophetic in the age of Trump.

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The Cousin with the Eyebrows

ten-minute

12-year-old Sol's life turns from dismal to spectacular when Seth, his 25-year-old gay cousin who lives in New York City, comes to visit for Yom Kippur.

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Fabulous

full-length

1979, New York City. A privileged, well-bred young woman goes off in search of adventure in the world of disco, where she finds her new obsession: a fabulous trans woman.

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