2025 Musical Award Recipient
Supported by DAN School of Drama & Music
Olivia O, The Musical by Diane Currie Sam & Jessica Carmona
Lyrics by: Jessica Carmona with additional lyrics by Diane Currie Sam, Music by: Gil Yaron
Olivia O, The Musical tells the story of Olivia Ortiz, a 14 year undocumented migrant who is separated from her mother at the US-Mexican border. Facing the loss of her mother, and the cruelty of the system she’s caught in, Olivia must maintain her hope, kindness and strength of will as she tries to find a home again, and unite with her American aunt she’s never met. As Olivia faces an immigration raid, and struggles to stay hopeful, her aunt Isabel, desperate to find her, has to learn to stand up for herself and her family as she fights against a system that is more powerful than she realized. Olivia O tells the epic story of a child lost in a system, a love story within a community at a crossroads, and the birth of a movement, as it weaves together themes of family, identity, and the power of hope.
The peer assessment panel said: “Olivia O, The Musical is a very moving and heartfelt piece with powerful music and compelling characters.”
Diane Currie Sam (Playwright/Co-Lyricist) is an award-winning essayist/writer, educator, and speechwriter from Coquitlam, BC. An emerging playwright and lyricist with a multi-decade career in communications, counseling and educating, she is known for her passion for understanding, deep listening skills, and creative writing work. As a freelance writer she has covered critically important social issues like mental health, sustainability, and the prevention of domestic violence. Her work as a counsellor and group facilitator has focused on the power of storytelling for healing and change, and she has led healing-focused storytelling retreats in Canada and Mexico. She is a graduate of the University of British Columbia (BSc) and Trinity Western University (MA, Counselling Psychology) and lives in Coquitlam, BC.
Jessica Carmona (Lyricist/Co-Playwright) is a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts (BFA in Acting) and is a current participant in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. She has worked with the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, Red Monkey Theatre, and Blackfriars Theatre in Rochester, NY. Jessica is an accomplished playwright and lyricist. She wrote Elvira -The Immigration Play, which was inspired by the life of Elvira Arellano and which has toured in several theatres and college campuses in the US. She has worked with Brooklyn Children’s Theatre to develop new children’s musicals. She has written 3 short plays and 2 full length plays. She starred in the feature film Millie and the Lords which was featured on HBO, and for which she won the Best actress award at The People’s Film Festival in NYC. She recently appeared as a costar on CBS FBI Most Wanted and NBC New Amsterdam.
Gil Yaron (Composer) is an award-winning performer/director/producer and the composer for Olivia O. Career highlights include the second national tour of Les Miserables (Mirvish Productions), Canadian Premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins and Jesse Richardson Awards (Best Director/ Best Production) for the premiere of Barbara Nickel’s SchumannBrahmSchumann. Gil recently collaborated on the score for a new musical Power. He lives in Vancouver, Canada with his two children.
Special thanks to Musical Award Peer Assessment Panelists: Kevin Wong (Chair), Jamie Bradley, and Krystle Pederson.