Although the authors, Neil Bartram and Brian Hill, have said that the show is not remotely autobiographical, they say they have both experienced having people in their lives who profoundly affected them, which is the show's theme. Bartram has also said that there are specific situations in the musical that are inspired by events and people in their lives.
Following developmental readings at Manhattan Theatre Club, The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, and CanStage, The Story of My Life was produced in Toronto at the Canadian Stage Company in 2006. It was next produced at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's Festival of New Musicals in the fall of 2007.
The Story of My Life then ran at Goodspeed Musicals in East Haddam, Connecticut, from October 10, through November 2, 2008.
The Story of My Life then moved to Broadway's Booth Theatre on February 3, 2009, and opened officially on February 19, 2009. It closed on February 22, after only five performances and 18 previews.
The show was then produced regionally, opening in April of 2010 at Act 2 Playhouse in Ambler, Pennsylvania. Act 2's Producing Artistic Director, Bud Martin (an original producer of the Broadway production), directed, and the production starred Barrymore Award Winner Tony Braithwaite and Jim Stanek.
The Story of My Life then opened at the Dongsoong Art Center in central Seoul, South Korea, on July 13, 2010, produced by the OD Musical Company. That production returned on October 28, 2011.
The Story of My Life has enjoyed many regional productions since its Broadway stint, opening in cities from San Francisco to Chicago.