Erik Forrest Jackson

Raised in Texas and now living in Manhattan, Erik writes books, plays and musicals. He’s the grateful recipient of residency grants/fellowships at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation, Millay Arts, Center for the Arts of Homer, Monson Arts, the Chulitna Lodge Research Institute, and the Johnny Mercer Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals.

Whether adapting beloved properties, writing original horror, creating books for young readers, or developing new musicals, he is drawn to stories that blend emotional truth with commercial appeal, often finding unexpected intersections between pop culture and deeper human questions. His projects share a fascination with identity, reinvention, fandom, community, and the stories people tell themselves to survive.

Theater
Erik’s musicals include an adaptation of the Warner Bros. holiday classic Christmas in Connecticut (Broadway Licensing Worldwide), Breaking Up Is Hard to Do (Theatrical Rights Worldwide), Misty Makes It Better, and a musical adaptation of Noël Coward’s Private Lives.

His original plays are F*CKin’ Ruthie, DEFAMED!!!, Like a Billion Likes, Tell-Tale, Doll, and Charlie!, as well as adaptations including Cheers Live on Stage, the comic adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie, and the upcoming stage version of King’s Cujo.

His work has been produced and developed throughout the United States and internationally, including at P.S. 122, HERE Arts Center, Goodspeed Musicals, Pioneer Theatre Company, Actors' Playhouse, Stage West, and global productions from London to Seoul.

His work has earned the Robert Chesley/Victor Bumbalo Playwriting Award, the Southwest Playwriting Contest, a GLAAD Media Award nomination, and finalist recognition from both the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference and the Woodward/Newman Drama Award.

He’s a Tony voter, a member of the Dramatists Guild, and serves on the American Theatre Wing’s Advisory Board and the Clive Barnes Foundation awards selection committee. He’s developed work with the writers’ group at the Musical Theatre Factory and was the Playwright in Residence for the acclaimed troupe Theatre Couture.