Melissa Li (she/her) and Kit Yan (they/she/he) are an award-winning Queer Asian-American writing team for theater, film, and television. They are best known for their full-length musicals Interstate and MISS STEP.

Interstate won “Best Lyrics” at the 2018 New York Musical Festival (NYMF), where they had a sold-out run. The musical, produced at Mixed Blood Theater (2020) and East West Players (2022), was developed and supported by National Alliance for Musical Theater (NAMT), Goodspeed Musicals, New York Stage and Film, and MCC Theater. MISS STEP, originally commissioned by The 5th Avenue Theater and Village Theater in 2023, has received support from Playwrights Horizons and MCC. 

Their works have been performed at Lincoln Center, The American Repertory Theater, Weston Playhouse, Boston Center for the Arts, and more. Other short works include May Day (NewYorkRep), Adventurephile (Keen Company), BachelorX (Playwrights Horizons), and Cancelled (currently available for licensing through Concord Theatricals). They have also contributed “Who Am I?”, performed by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and available on Broadway Records, as part of Songs of the Phoenix, a project curated by Andrew Lippa.

Individually, Kit has co-written several independent films including Afterearth, which was presented at the Smithsonian and screened at Outfest and CAAMfest, and Safe Among Stars, which was awarded the National Film Board of Canada Best Short Award and screened at BlackStar, Ann Arbor, and Newfest. His award-winning solo show Queer Heartache delighted audiences at the American Repertory Theater. Melissa’s debut musical Surviving the Nian was produced by The Theater Offensive in 2007, and most recently, her musical AGAIN premiered at Theater Mu to sold out audiences.

Combined, they have been the recipients of some of the top awards in the musical theater industry including the Helen Merrill Award (2023), ASCAP Harold Adamson Lyric Award (2022), Jonathan Larson Grant (2007 and 2022), Kleban Prize (2021), and the Vivace Award (2019) from the Bret Adams & Paul Reisch Foundation. Fellowships include the prestigious Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellows (2018-2019), MacDowell Fellowship (2019), Lincoln Center Writers in Residence (2018-2020), and Musical Theater Factory MAKERS program (2019-2020). In 2020, they were finalists for The David Prize.

In addition to theater, they have expanded into creating for film and television.

Projects

Interstate

A pop-rock musical about a Queer Asian-American band, and how they inspire a transgender boy to discover who he is.

MISS STEP

A group of ragtag trans friends try to win the 2022 Diamond Dee-Lite Midwestern Regional Aerobics Competition in this delightful 80s dance aerobics musical.

Cancelled

A scandal breaks out at a high school when progressive GSA students cancel each other over a problematic tweet.

Contact Us

Theater Representation
Emma Feiwel - efeiwel@wmeagency.com
Luke Virkstis - lvirkstis@wmeagency.com

Film/TV Representation
McCall Koenig (Film Agent) - mkoenig@wmeagency.com

Music Publishing/Licensing
Kobalt Music Publishing
Sue Drew - sue.drew@kobaltmusic.com