Meet Steve Delchamps

LYRICIST

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Black and white photo of a young boy in a jacket holding and playing with a musical instrument.
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I grew up in idyllic Mountain Lakes, NJ, 40 miles west of what northern New Jerseyans simply call ‘the city.'

My parents and grandparents all enjoyed theater, including musicals, and from a young age I was exposed to recordings of golden age musicals like Carousel, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music (with Mary Martin, of course), and Camelot.

Attending regional, off-Broadway, and Broadway shows in the 1970s with my parents and on school field trips, I discovered how much I enjoyed scores ranging in gravity from You're a Good Man Charlie Brown to Follies.

I was most captivated (and have remained most inspired by) lyrics written in the character-specific, pure rhyme mode inaugurated by Oscar Hammerstein II and carried forward so brilliantly by Stephen Sondheim, Adam Guettel, Michael Korie, Laurence O'Keefe, Nell Benjamin, and others.

Two men with arms around each other, smiling. The man on the left is holding a white cup, wearing glasses, a white shirt, and a tie. The man on the right is older, with white hair, wearing a white shirt and beige pants.

Steve with his Dad at the 2003 opening of Too Much Caffeine.

Despite strong verbal leanings and continuing interest in theater, my educational and professional path after high school led me far from my eventual work for musical theater.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in engineering at Cornell University, I went on to earn a doctorate in physics at Northwestern University. I then worked at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois before shifting to a career in technical communication.

While still working at Fermilab, I began studying English literature at the graduate level at Northern Illinois University, eventually earning a second PhD, published in book form as Civil Humor: The Poetry of Gavin Ewart. By this time, I had begun writing verse, mostly formalist in style.

A poster advertising a staged reading of the comedy "The Romantics" by Stephen Delchamps, held outside a stone house with a red-tiled roof, surrounded by colorful flowers and greenery, on June 18th, 2004, at 7:30 PM at the First Street Playhouse in Batavia.
Poster for 'Too Much Caffeine,' a world premiere musical presented by First Street Playhouse, featuring an illustration of a steaming coffee mug and a pink couch.

Looking for a project to inspire me (and hopefully others) in the general gloom that followed the 9/11 attacks, I began writing the book, lyrics, and music of my first musical, Too Much Caffeine, a light-hearted but heartfelt tribute to the teaching profession and the power of poetry. Following a staged reading at Steel Beam Theater in St. Charles, IL, the show was produced in 2003 at First Street Playhouse in nearby Batavia.

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I then wrote a non-musical comedy, The Romantics, which had a staged reading at First Street Playhouse in 2004. I next wrote the book and additional lyrics for Jamie Ellis's musical The Nat’ral Blend, produced at Steel Beam Theater in 2005.

A man dressed in historical clothing, wearing a colorful vest, loose white shirt, baggy pants, and black shoes, walking with a cane in a park while talking on a cellphone.
Poster for the world premiere of a musical play called 'The Nat'ral Blend' written by Jamie Ellis and Steve Delchamps, displayed at Steel Beam Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois.

In 2004, I joined the Musical Theater Writers’ Workshop mentored by John Sparks. There I met Doug Voegtle, who has remained my main collaborator ever since. Our first major project was Opening Day, a full-length musical adaptation of Stephen Metcalfe’s play Strange Snow.

In 2009, I wrote the book and lyrics of a one-act musical, Damage Control (music by Greg Silva), produced at Theater Building Chicago with a cast of students from Millikin College. More recently, in addition to working with Doug Voegtle on Opera Cat, I collaborated with Elizabeth Doyle, a Chicago-based composer, on several songs.

In 2013, I moved to Chicago to be able to attend more theater and hear more live music. Having retired from my technical writing job in 2022, I am now devoted entirely to musical theatrical writing.

Framed letter on a wall, dated May 27, 2003, signed by Stephen Sondheim, with a dark textured wall background and a wooden surface beneath.

A note from Stephen to Steve

Stephen Sondheim was known for answering every fan letter he received. While his show Bounce (later Road Show) was under development at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Sondheim answered a letter of mine in which I mentioned my show Too Much Caffeine, which was about to go up at First Street Playhouse in Batavia, IL. His generous response is the most treasured of my musical theater memorabilia.

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Doug has written poetry and children's plays, composed company songs for improv revues, and created original musicals. But his happy place is creating a musical world that fits a particular story moment. Doug supports his musical theatre addiction as a marketing strategist and ad copywriter. He’s even written a Pepsi TV spot. 

He admires shows like A Little Night Music, Porgy and Bess, Hamilton, and Starting Here, Starting Now.

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I found Doug and Steve to be exemplary collaborative artists. Their music is earnest and open-hearted, grounded in their characters and in faithful service to the scene. Doug’s melodies can seem like the inevitable outpourings of speech, and they can soar and swell like the great songs of musical theater’s golden age. His harmonies can delight and they can tug at the heartstrings, and I am always eager to digest a new score by this winning team.

A man wearing glasses and a brown blazer singing or speaking into a microphone at a festive event with colorful streamers and lights in the background.
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TIMOTHY SPLAIN, Music Director, Conductor, Arranger