Stew (musician) facts for kids

Mark Lamar Stewart (born August 16, 1961), known as Stew, is an American singer, songwriter, and playwright. He is from Los Angeles, California.

Stew's Career Journey

Early Music with The ... Problem

In the early 1990s, Stew started a four-person band called The ... Problem. In 1995, the band released a collection of songs. This included a cover of "MacArthur Park". They also created a longer musical story called "Miss Jones".

Stew's Solo Music

Stew later began releasing music on his own. His album Guest Host came out in 2000. It was named Album of the Year by Entertainment Weekly magazine. His 2002 album, The ... Dutch Painter and Other Songs, also won this award. He went on tour with musician Arthur Lee in 2002. In 2003, he was invited to perform in the Lincoln Center's American Songbook concert series.

Theater and TV Work

Starting in 2004, Stew began writing a rock musical called Passing Strange. He wrote the story, songs, and music with Heidi Rodewald. This musical was supported by the Sundance Institute and The Public Theater. It earned him a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics.

Also in 2004, Stew wrote and performed "Gary's Song". This song was for the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Have You Seen This Snail?(Where's Gary?)". The episode aired in 2005. This was his first time having his music on television.

In 2006, Stew and Rodewald continued to work on Passing Strange. They also worked on a film project with The Sundance Institute. Passing Strange was very successful. It played at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in California in 2006. Then it moved off-Broadway to The Public Theater in New York City in 2007. Critics from the New York Times and Variety praised it.

The musical opened on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre in February 2008. It received seven Tony nominations in 2008. Stew himself received four nominations and won the award for Best Book. The musical finished its run in July 2008. Director Spike Lee filmed the final performances. This film was shown at the Sundance Festival in January 2009.

As of 2016, Stew, Heidi Rodewald, and members of The ... Problem were performing a live show. They also released an album called Notes from a Native Song. This work was inspired by the writings of James Baldwin.

Teaching at Harvard

Stew is now a Professor at Harvard University. He teaches about writing for musical theater.

Stew's Music Albums

With The ... Problem

• Post ... Syndrome (1997)
• Joys & Concerns (1999)
• Welcome Black (2002)
• Blackboot (2003)
• Making It (2012)
• Total Bent (2018)
• Notes of a Native Song (2018)

As Stew

• Guest Host (2000)
• Sweetboot (2001)
• The ... Dutch Painter and Other Songs (2002)
• Something Deeper Than These Changes (2003)
• Gary's Song (Gary Come Home) (2005)

With The Lullabies

• Lullabies' Lullaby (2003)

With Double Naught Spy Car + Stew

• Panorama City (2014)

As a Producer

• At Apogee (2004) by Mr. Smolin
• ... of the Sea (2005) by Patria Jacobs

Awards and Recognitions

Stew has received many awards for his work:

• Guest Host, 2000 Best Album of The Year, Entertainment Weekly
• The ... Dutch Painter and Other Songs, 2002 Best Album of The Year, Entertainment Weekly
• Drama Desk Award for Best Musical – Passing Strange
• Drama Desk Award for Best Lyrics – Passing Strange
• Drama Desk Award for Best Music – Passing Strange
• Tony Award for Best Book – Passing Strange
• Tony Award Nomination for Best Musical – Passing Strange
• Tony Award Nomination for Best Actor in a Musical – Passing Strange
• Tony Award Nomination for Best Original Score (with Heidi Rodewald) – Passing Strange
• Tony Award Nomination for Best Orchestrations – Passing Strange
• Obie Award (with Heidi Rodewald) – Passing Strange

See also

In Spanish: Stew para niños