Kiva Bank, Contributing Photographer

On Tuesday, students gathered in Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall to hear acclaimed songwriter Robert Lopez ‘97 speak in a Dramatalk hosted by the Yale Dramatic Association.

Lopez, best known for his work in “Frozen” and the “Book of Mormon,” has won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards — all at least twice. In a light-hearted, laughter-filled evening on campus, Lopez discussed his hit songs, including “Let It Go” from Frozen and Coco’s “Remember Me,” as well as his creative process.

“I try to confront ugly truths in all these shows, like difficult things, but I didn’t want to leave people with this impression of ugliness,” he told the audience. “I do believe that the world is essentially a place where you can be happy.”

Lopez aims to bring humor and sincerity to his songs. During the talk, he serenaded the audience with one of the first riffs he worked on in his childhood.

Lopez said he strives to strike a balance between comedy and storytelling in musical theater. In the “Book of Mormon,” he combines outrageous humor with deeper themes, like faith and doubt.

“I thought if I could write a show that makes people feel something and make them laugh, bringing elements of spoof and a serious, emotional story, then I could do something that hasn’t been done yet,” said Lopez.

Lopez emphasized the importance of being involved in the storytelling process to create songs that feel natural and fresh. He said that being part of the core production team has enabled him to make decisions about characters and the storyline to produce meaningful songs.

He shared the process of developing characters and stories and discussed the evolution of Elsa and Anna in “Frozen.”

“We made Anna the wild child. She’s the younger one anyway. It makes more sense,” he joked. “The younger siblings are always a little less looked after.”

Dramatalk coordinator Adam Buchsbaum ’27, who moderated the conversation, prepared questions that centered on Lopez’s distinct skill sets as a composer. Buchsbaum said he wanted to provide students with Lopez’s “unique perspective” and insight into the process of musical theater writing and composition.

Lopez recalled fond memories of his Yale days. His connection to his alma mater remains strong as he mentors undergraduate students for the Shen Curriculum for Musical Theater at Yale’s Department of Music. 

In an interview with the News, Lopez urged Yale students to learn to work collaboratively with others. Much of his projects are jointly produced: he has worked on projects like “South Park” and “Book of Mormon” with creators Matt Stone and Trey Partner, as well as “Frozen” with his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez.

“Yale students tend to be very high achievers and fiercely individual, and there might be some sense that you have to do everything yourself,” Lopez said. “But in terms of the arts, and especially in theater and film, it’s all about … having the kind of relationships where the whole is bigger than the sum of the parts.”

Lopez is also a proud alumni of the a cappella group, Spizzwinks. Following the talk, Lopez attended a Spizzwink rehearsal.

Clark Wu ‘27, a member of the Spizzwinks, said that he gained more appreciation for the art of musical composition after listening to Lopez’s talk.

“Hearing Robert Lopez actually speak and crack jokes and all that gave me a deeper appreciation for his own process and his views on the power of music and the power of his ideas about heart,” Wu said.

Lopez is the only double Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards winner in history.