Billy Aronson

Billy Aronson is an American playwright and writer best known for coming up with the original concept of the rock opera Rent, which was based on Puccini's opera La bohème).

He attended Lower Merion High School and Princeton University.

In 1988, as a playwright he wanted to create "a musical based on Puccini's La Bohème, in which the luscious splendor of Puccini's world would be replaced with the coarseness and noise of modern New York." Although in 1989 he began a collaboration with Jonathan Larson, he provided additional lyrics for Rent, and wrote almost all of the number, "Santa Fe".

In addition to Rent, he has written many one act plays such as Of Two Minds, Guilt, Night Rules, and In the Middle of the Night. The last mentioned was performed as part of the Ensemble Studio Theatre's 2011 Marathon.

Other plays by Aronson include Light Years and The News.

He also helped create musicals such as No Dogs Allowed, and Flurry Tale with Rusty Magee. He has written for many popular children shows, such as Postcards from Buster, Codename: Kids Next Door, The Upside Down Show, and Courage the Cowardly Dog.

Aronson currently lives in New York City with his wife Lisa (whom he married in 1990), and children Anna and Jake.

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