Fred Alley (1962–2001) was an American musical theatre lyricist and librettist who died unexpectedly just as his work gained national recognition.
His collaboration on the musical The Spitfire Grill with composer James Valcq won the American Academy of Arts and Letters' prestigious Richard Rodgers Production Award for 2001.
The Spitfire Grill has become one of the most frequently performed recent musicals with more than 600 productions to date, not only in every major American city but in Canada, Germany, South Korea, and Japan as well.
Alley was the co-founder and artist-in-Residence at American Folklore Theatre (AFT) in Door County, Wisconsin,[1] a populist theatre with a seasonal audience of 50,000 performing original musicals that further the knowledge and appreciation of the heritage of the United States with local and regional settings and themes.
Alley was the librettist and lyricist of Guys on Ice,[2] Lumberjacks in Love,[3] and The Bachelors, all of which began at AFT and set box office records in frequent productions at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater.