The FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS, which was created to celebrate the new musicals that were being produced and presented around the country, has introduced musical theatre producers to 300 musicals and 575 writers from around the world. More than 85% have gone on to subsequent readings, workshops, productions and tours; been licensed; and/or recorded on cast albums as a direct result of the Festival. Past Festival shows include Come From Away, Lempicka, The Drowsy Chaperone, Lizard Boy, Teeth, Gun & Powder, King of Pangea, Benny & Joon, Darling Grenadine, Ordinary Days, It Shoulda Been You and Thoroughly Modern Millie, among many others.
News
Now in its 37th year, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS is an industry-only professional development event offering the chance to discover eight new musicals presented in 45-minute concert presentations over two days to hundreds of producers, presenters, artistic & executive directors, investors, donors, developers and creative administrators in Regional Theatre, Broadway, Music, Film & TV from all around the globe. As a non-profit organization, NAMT funds the Festival entirely through donations, sponsorships and contributions which underwrite all production costs.
The Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge for High School Students, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, returns to the stage with CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!, a concert celebrating the winning songs by high school songwriters from across the country. Musical theater fans will have the chance to see these fully orchestrated arrangements performed by Broadway artists such as Florencia Cuenca, Amina Faye, Claire Kwon, Carson Stewart and more on June 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET at New World Stages in New York City. The concert will also be available through a livestream at arts.gov/songwriting and namt.org/challenge.
Weeks away from their World Premiere at A.C.T. in San Francisco, and five years after the world shifted beneath their feet, the creative trio behind CO-FOUNDERS The Musical is still breaking rules, pushing boundaries and remixing the theatrical form. Beau Lewis, Adesha Adefela and Ryan Nicole Austin— the Bay Area-based team known as “BAR” — are living proof that misfits with a mission can change the game.
Pop in your headphones! Join us for a jam session and a journey through the heart of storytelling. Find out how CO-FOUNDERS became a love letter to the Bay, a triumph of collaboration during chaos and a new kind of musical built for the world we live in now.
We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2023-2024 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge, a joint initiative by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT). This prestigious program provides high school students with an unparalleled opportunity to develop and showcase their musical compositions, potentially becoming a part of a full-scale musical theater production.
We are excited to announce the mentors for the winning student songwriters of the 2024-2025 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge for High School Students, a joint initiative by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT). This prestigious program provides high school students with an unparalleled opportunity to develop and showcase their musical compositions, that could potentially become part of full-scale original musical theatre productions.
Winning Songs Performed in Concert on June 16 in NYC
Watch at arts.gov and namt.org
Washington, DC and New York, NY—The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) are excited to announce the winners of the 2024-2025 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge. This program provides high school students with an unparalleled opportunity to develop and showcase original musical compositions that could potentially become part of full-scale musical theater productions. The winning songwriters will come to New York City this June to work with mentors and refine their songs for a special concert on Monday, June 16, at 7:30pm ET, at New World Stages and available to watch at arts.gov/songwriting and namt.org/challenge.
By Kate McKeown
As the UK’s largest showcase of new musicals, BEAM is set to light up the Birmingham Hippodrome this May, Kate McKeown of Mercury Musical Developments sends us a guest piece to uncover how this groundbreaking biennial event is reshaping the musical theatre landscape. With live pitching days, dynamic networking and bold transatlantic collaborations on the agenda, Kate explains why BEAM isn’t just a showcase—it’s the future of new musical theatre.
As Kathleen Wrinn steps into her new role as Co-Chair of NAMT’s Festival Committee, she continues to shape the future of new musicals—both in the classroom and on the stage. From leading Syracuse University’s New Works/New Voices initiative to co-authoring a practical guide for developing musicals in academic settings, Kathleen is championing emerging voices, fostering collaboration and redefining how new work is nurtured in university theatre programs.
“Developing new musicals requires space, time and trust—three things our members provide with immense dedication,” says Betsy King Militello. “These Writers Residency Grants strengthen the foundation for musical theatre’s future by ensuring that writers and theatres can explore, experiment and build relationships. We are proud to continue investing in our members’ commitment to foster new work, and we can’t wait to see the incredible projects that will emerge from this year’s residencies.”
Social media is both the birthplace of modern fanclubs… and increasingly a necessary evil. And if you follow me, you know I’ve been pushing a new platform pretty hard lately for artists and arts organizations.
So, remember when you couldn’t access your account anymore during the “Big Blip” of TikTok? Or perhaps when you closed your Twitter account, you needed to request your archival account data? What if you could just move all of it? Your audience, data, profile and more—take them with you to a new platform instead and pick up where you left off.
NAMT News
How Writers Fight Forward
Theatre is not going to save the world. It's not gonna fix the rift that has divided America so significantly that many of our friends and loved ones don't feel safe in it. Theatre can't fix what we didn't break. But what theatre can do is be a vehicle for dialogue. It can offer different perspectives. At a time when we are a nation of people divided into echo chambers, theatre can platform tough conversations and give a voice to those who need to be heard. If we let it, theatre can be the driving force behind the millions of people who will save the world.
National Alliance for Musical Theatre (Betsy King Militello, Executive Director) is thrilled to share additional casting and final details about the lineup for the 36th Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS, which takes place on Thursday, October 24 and Friday, October 25, 2024, at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues).
Welcome to another episode of NEW@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre Writers, where we spotlight emerging talents in the world of musical theatre. This week, host Jean-Paul Yovanoff is joined by co-host Nikki Lynette as they interview Be Steadwell, the creator of the musical Dear Ex.
Time for another episode of NEW@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre Writers, where we spotlight the creative minds behind the next big musicals. This week, host Jean-Paul Yovanoff is joined by co-hosts Jord Liu and Deepak Kumar from Baked! The Musical as they interview the team behind The Brass Teapot: Tim Macy, Ramaa Mosley, Chaz Cardigan, and Erik Kaiko.
Broadway’s Kate Baldwin, Julie Benko, Bobby Conte, Ben Fankhauser, Diana Huey, Kiana Kabeary, Jose Llana, Jaygee Macapugay, Constantine Maroulis and Many More Included in Initial Casting for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre 36th Annual Festival of New Musicals.
It's the next episode of NEW@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre Writers, where we highlight emerging voices in musical theatre! This week, host Jean-Paul Yovanoff is joined by co-host Justin Huertas to interview the creators of Proud Marys—Jennifer Paz (Book & Lyrics) and Anthony Fedorov (Music & Lyrics).
Welcome to another episode of NEW@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre Writers, where we spotlight emerging talents reshaping the future of musical theatre. This week, host Jean-Paul Yovanoff is joined by co-host Shannon Burkett to interview Parisa Shahmir, the creator of the musical Medusa.
Time for the next episode of NEW@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre Writers, where we explore the creative journeys of emerging talents in musical theatre. This week, host Jean-Paul Yovanoff is joined by co-host Martin Storrow to interview Barrett Riggins (Music & Lyrics) and Graham Techler (Book & Lyrics), the minds behind the dark romantic comedy Helsinki.
Welcome to another exciting episode of NEW@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre Writers, where we highlight emerging talents transforming the world of musical theatre. In this episode, host Jean-Paul Yovanoff is joined by co-hosts Scott Gilmour and Claire McKenzie from Hi, My Name is Ben (Fest ’19) as they interview the creative team behind the one-woman musical In Clay—Rebecca Simmonds (Book & Lyrics) and Jack Miles (Music & Lyrics).
National Alliance for Musical Theatre (Betsy King Militello, Executive Director) is proud to announce the Conference Agenda for the Fall Conference titled “Reboot & Regroup,” which takes place on Tuesday, October 22 and Wednesday, October 23, 2024, at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College in NYC (524 West 59th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues).
Welcome to an exciting episode of NEW@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre Writers where we spotlight the emerging voices redefining the future of musical theatre. In this episode, host Jean-Paul Yovanoff from Musical Theatre Radio is joined by special guest co-host Lynne Shankel, alongside the dynamic duo behind the musical LIGHTHOUSE by abs wilson (Book, Lyrics & Story) and Veronica Mansour (Music & Story).
Welcome to a new episode of NEW@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre Writers, where we spotlight emerging voices in musical theatre. This week, host Jean-Paul Yovanoff from Musical Theatre Radio is joined by co-host Will Lacker (Fest '22) to introduce Mike Ross and Dylan MarcAurele, the creators of Lewis Loves Clark.
New York: National Alliance for Musical Theatre (Betsy King Militello, Executive Director) is proud to announce the directors & music directors for the 36th Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS, which is slated to take place on Thursday, October 24 and Friday, October 25, 2024, at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues).
“We are thrilled to witness the unwavering commitment and innovation demonstrated by this year’s grant recipients,” says Betsy King Militello. “These projects highlight the transformative power of musical theatre, pushing the boundaries of creativity and accessibility in ways that resonate deeply with producers, audiences and artists alike. The Frank Young Fund and the Impact & Exploration Fund are crucial for ensuring that new voices and groundbreaking ideas continue to thrive, gaining both momentum and traction in our field.”