Steve Schalchlin

Steve Schalchlin, born October 4, 1953, is an American actor, songwriter, and musician whose Broadway credits include Brigadoon, in which he appeared in 2010.

Schalchlin began keeping an online diary in 1996 to update family and friends on his deteriorating health as a result of HIV/AIDS, making him among the first individuals to document the experience of living with the disease in that format. When an experimental treatment from his doctor produced an unexpected recovery, he discovered that the diary had attracted a substantial readership beyond his immediate circle. He channeled that experience into songwriting, and his partner, playwright Jim Brochu, shaped the resulting material into the musical The Last Session, which received critical acclaim. The New York Times profiled Schalchlin's pioneering diary in 2001 and also wrote favorably about both The Last Session and the subsequent musical The Big Voice: God or Merman?, which he created with Brochu. Author Shawn Decker cited Schalchlin in his 2006 book My Pet Virus as a significant figure in the history of AIDS blogging and a direct inspiration for Decker's own efforts.

Schalchlin's work on The Last Session earned him the Best Musical Score award from the L.A. Drama Critics Circle in both 1997 and 2003, as well as the PFLAG-LA Oscar Wilde Award in those same years. The production also received a Best L.A. Theatre Production honor from the GLAAD Media Awards in 1997, along with Best Musical nominations from both the New York Drama League and the New York Outer Critics Circle that year. His musical The Big Voice: God or Merman? brought additional recognition, including Best Musical from the L.A. Ovation Awards in 2005, Best Musical from the ADA Awards in 2005, Best Musical Director from the ADA Awards in 2005, a Best Lead Actor in a Musical nomination from the L.A. Ovation Awards in 2005, Best Concert of a Musical from the Desert Theatre League Awards in 2005, and Best Original Writing from the Desert Theatre League Awards in 2005. Both musicals received Best Theatrical Production nominations from the Off-Broadway and L.A. GLAAD Media Awards in 2004.

Beyond his theatrical work, Schalchlin has been active in LGBTQ advocacy and community organizations. He serves as a board member of Families United Against Hate and Youth Guardian Services, both GLBT support organizations. He participated in the Soulforce march to Jerry Falwell's church, described as the first such march to that location, and was a featured performer at the PFLAG national conference as well as a speaker at the March on Washington. George Michael permitted Schalchlin to play John Lennon's piano, known as the Imagine piano, in the front yard of Gabi and Alec Clayton as a memorial to their son Bill, who died by suicide following a gay bashing. Schalchlin's song "My Thanksgiving Prayer" was selected to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing, honoring the 241 Marines, Sailors, and Soldiers killed on October 23, 1983, while serving as peacekeepers in Beirut, Lebanon.