Claire-Frances Sullivan (she/her) is a New York City-based multi-hyphenate theatermaker.
Originally from the cornfields of rural Michigan, she graduated from Central Michigan University with a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance.
You may know her as Claire-Frances, CF, or Frankie, depending on the setting.
As a performer, Claire-Frances specializes in actor-musician shows and new work. Whether it's performing brand new musical theatre written by her peers in the BMI workshop or cycling through all six instruments she plays in a regional folk-rock show, she loves artistic freedom and form-pushing theater. But don't get her wrong: CF shines in a tap number in a classic golden age show too. She’s known around NYC for being the best last-minute call when you need an excellent sight singer and your first call when you need someone to record your new musical theatre song in one take. Claire-Frances is a queer artist and a member of the Ring of Keys and Actors’ Equity Association.
As a playwright, lyricist, and composer, Claire-Frances is award-winning and internationally produced. She has had work produced by and/or developed at The York Theatre Company, The Workshop Theater Company, The Powerhouse Theater, Midland Center for the Arts, The Pulp Stage Theatre Company, Festival 56, The Rorschach Theatre, and The Bread and Roses Theater. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild, Maestra, and is a lyricist with the Advanced BMI Musical Theatre Workshop. Claire-Frances is the first and thus far only solo female recipient of the Kennedy Center's National Musical Theatre award for her original musical, Fostered Love, through the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards (2018).
Claire-Frances is the founder of "CF's Writer's Roundtable", a writing group that meets once a week. Check out some of their work here!
As a person, when she’s not making things, Claire-Frances loves hiking, reading about outer space, going to the beach, and watching Studio Ghibli movies. She's a proud mom to two cats named Nimbus and Milky Way and a large collection of plants. She’s passionate about abolition, loves really great french fries, and doesn’t really believe in ghosts (but has an open mind to the possibility).
Photos by the inimitable Charlyn Daiger Photography