36th Annual Festival of New Musicals
2024
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Welcome
October 24 - 25, 2024
New World Stages 340 W 50th Street, New York, NY
The 36th Annual Festival of New Musicals will be presented at New World Stages in New York City on October 24 and 25, 2024.
This year’s Festival will take place at New World Stages in New York City on October 24th and 25th, and feature eight exciting new musicals in 45-minute staged reading presentations in front of a industry-only audience. This must-attend event brings together theatre producers, presenters and developers from around the world to celebrate the future of these promising new musicals! Selected from a submission pool of hundreds of submissions by our Festival Committee, these eight musicals celebrate what’s next in musical theatre and the incredible stories and artists that are leading the way.
The 36th Annual Festival of New Musicals is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
Musicals
![](https://namt.org/app/uploads/Brass_Teapot-360x356.png)
The Brass Teapot: A New Musical
Genre & Style:
Dark Comedy, Alt-Rock-Pop Musical, Musical Thriller
Synopsis
Based on the 2012 indie cult film, The Brass Teapot is a magical, mischievous dark musical comedy with a driving alt-pop-rock score that asks: how far would you go to hurt the ones you love, if it meant you and they would want for nothing?
![](https://namt.org/app/uploads/Dear_Ex-360x356.png)
Dear Ex
Genre & Style:
Pop, Soul, R&B
Synopsis
Dear Ex is all about the big break up. In Dear Ex, the protagonist Be writes letters to her ex as she stumbles through the stages of breakup grief. This Black, queer falling-out-of-love story comes to life through the pop and soul music of musician Be Steadwell. Featuring an all BIPOC, queer and trans cast, Be Steadwell’s musical tells the story of heartbreak in a series of letters, scenes and songs. Dear Ex explores self-love, addiction, twerking, sex, life and death through the lens of a heartbroken, queer Black woman.
![](https://namt.org/app/uploads/Helsinki-360x356.png)
Helsinki
Genre & Style:
Dark Romantic Comedy
Synopsis
A down-on-her-luck waitress and down-on-his-luck factory worker spark a shy love affair that’s put to the ultimate test by the economically (and emotionally!) depressed landscape of 1990s Finland. Helsinki is an absurdly deadpan, achingly romantic dark comedy that asks if life’s losers can find (and keep!) the love they deserve.
![](https://namt.org/app/uploads/In_Clay-360x356.png)
In Clay
Genre & Style:
Gypsy-jazz one-woman musical
Synopsis
Based on a true story, In Clay is a one-woman musical told from a Parisian apartment in 1938. Ceramist Marie Cazin awaits her estranged childhood friend, and now celebrated artist, Henrietta Tirman. Her imminent arrival pushes Marie to reflect on the joys and sorrows of a life devoted to making art.
![](https://namt.org/app/uploads/Lewis_Loves_Clark-360x356.png)
Lewis Loves Clark
Genre & Style:
Comedy, Historical, Drama
Synopsis
Lewis Loves Clark is a funny, fast-paced epic about the famous Corps of Discovery expedition. Combining bluegrass, folk and pop, this tragicomedy follows Meriwether Lewis (a depressed closeted alcoholic), William Clark (just breathtakingly oblivious), Sacagawea (permanently exasperated), and York (would rather be birdwatching) as they grapple with the not-so-great unknown.
![](https://namt.org/app/uploads/Lighthouse-360x356.png)
LIGHTHOUSE
Genre & Style:
Magical Realism, Pop-Country
Synopsis
![](https://namt.org/app/uploads/Medusa-360x356.png)
Medusa
Genre & Style:
Folk
Synopsis
This folk-inspired, musical retelling of the Greek myth reclaims the narrative and gives Medusa the space to be the heroine of her own story. Medusa is a reclamation of our voices, our stories, our sisterhood. So, step out of the shadows, scream it at the top of your
lungs, and let your story be heard.
![](https://namt.org/app/uploads/Proud_Marys-360x356.png)
Proud Marys
Genre & Style:
Pop/Acoustic/Latin Pop, with traditional Kundiman/Filipino Rondalla in the orchestrations
Synopsis
Three daughters shake up the strict traditions of their religious Filipino-American family when they all get knocked up out of wedlock at the same time. Proud Marys is a seriocomedy that busts wide open the myth of the model minority Asian-American family, one pop song at a time. It’s SIX meets a Fil-Am Fiddler on the Roof.
Festival Schedule
Thursday, October 24, 2024 (All times ET)
Check-in will be open all day. Check your email for exact location and be sure to allow time to get your badge before your first presentation!
Stage 5
Festival Roadtrip
Friday, October 25, 2024 (All times ET)
Check-in will be open all day. Check your email for exact location and be sure to allow time to get your badge before your first presentation!
Stage 5
Festival Roadtrip
Stage 4
Songwriters Showcase
Stage 2
–
Stage 5
–
(For registered Premiere Pass holders only.)
Open bar and the ultimate networking opportunity with this year’s writers and VIPs!
Saturday, October 26, 2024 (All times ET)
NAMT Members Only. Exact time and location TBA.
Schedule as of 7/9/24. Subject to change.
Festival Roadtrip
Details coming soon!
Writers & Artists
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Chaz Cardigan
Lyrics & Music, The Brass Teapot: A New Musical
Chaz Cardigan (Music & Lyrics) is a versatile creator who has thrived in the age of algorithms. He’s created music for the YouTube Audio Library, had a top 15 Alternative radio hit with “Not OK!” in 2020, contributed “As I’ll Ever Be” to the NETFLIX film To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, and has amassed 24+ million streams across all platforms. Cardigan composed the upcoming musical The Brass Teapot — a timely and magical dark comedy. Cardigan’s original score takes influence from show tunes and alternative rock, opening a new chapter of his career.
![](https://namt.org/app/uploads/Anthony-Fedorov-360x360.png)
Anthony Fedorov
Lyrics & Music, Proud Marys
Anthony Fedorov (Music & Lyrics) is a singer-songwriter-producer-actor-activist, born in Yalta, Crimea. Song placements: SoCal Gas, Hulu’s “Future Man,” “Tet’Emcombo” (award-winning short “The German King”) co-written with producing partner Latin Grammy® Award Winner Jeeve Ducornet, “PINK AND BLUE: Colors of Hereditary Cancer,” “Enough is Enough” (Moms Demand Action), “Our Story is One” (Baha’i International Community), “The Power of a Girl” (Mona Foundation). Fedorov has independently released pop/rock and children’s music (“Auraganix”), earning TuneCore’s collective Billions Club status with over 23-million streams. Stage: Love Actually, LIVE (The Wallis), The 12 (Denver Center), RENT revival (New World Stages). American Idol season 4, 4th place finalist. IG: @anthonyfedorovmusic
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Erik Kaiko
Conceived, The Brass Teapot: A New Musical
Erik Kaiko (Co-conceiver, Producer) is a creative producer with over a decade of professional experience in theatre management and arts marketing. With a background as a dramaturg, company manager, general manager, marketing director and producer, he is proud to be leading The Brass Teapot’s musical development team. Chicago: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Filament Theatre, Writers Theatre, Token Theatre. New York: Joey Parnes Productions, Invisible Wall Productions, Snug Harbor Productions, New York Theatre Workshop. B.S. Northwestern University, MFA Columbia University.
![](https://namt.org/app/uploads/Tim-Macy-360x360.png)
Tim Macy
Book, The Brass Teapot: A New Musical
Tim Macy (Book) is an author, screenwriter and playwright. His work has been performed at The Kennedy Center, and two of his stories have been adapted into films. Currently, he has two feature films in pre-production. Tim lives in Kansas with his wife and two children. MFA University of Kansas.
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Veronica Mansour
Music, LIGHTHOUSE
Veronica Mansour (Music & Story) is a 2024 Richard Rodgers Award Winner and Jonathan Larson Grant winner, recently nominated for a Marvin Hamlisch International Music Award, selected for DreamWorks Theatricals, MTI & NBCUniversal Emerging Writers Program (How To Train Your Dragon Jr.), and a 2023 Write Out Loud Contest Winner. Current works: LIGHTHOUSE (O’Neill NMTC Winner 2024, Rhinebeck 2024, Syracuse NWNV 2024, Olney Theatre Vanguard Arts Fund Finalist 2023, NYTB New Works Series 2023) and The Dark Lady (O’Neill NMTC Winner 2023, Syracuse NWNV Finalist, MTW New Works Festival, 2024 Johnny Mercer Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals, 2024 South Carolina New Play Festival).
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Dylan MarcAurele
Music, Lewis Loves Clark
Dylan MarcAurele (Music) is a New York-based musical theatre writer and composer. His newest musical, Pop Off, Michelangelo!, was developed at the JMF Writers Grove at Goodspeed and will have its world premiere at the upcoming 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Other recent musicals include MEG4N, The Real Housewives Of NYC, and Lewis Loves Clark (2023 Richard Rodgers Award; book and lyrics by Mike Ross). Last year, he wrote the song “Say Bravo!” for NBCUniversal’s inaugural Bravo Awards, sung by Andy Cohen and the cast of Vanderpump Rules. He also runs the 28K-follower musical Instagram account @rhonymusical. Harvard University, ’16. dylanmarcaurele.com.
![](https://namt.org/app/uploads/Jack-Miles-360x360.png)
Jack Miles
Lyrics & Music, In Clay
Jack Miles (Music & Lyrics) is an Offie-nominated composer/lyricist from Suffolk with a Master’s degree with Distinction in Musical Theatre Writing from Goldsmiths University, London, where he is based. In Clay is his first show with writing partner Rebecca Simmonds. His other work includes St. Anne Comes Home (The Actors’ Church), and The Problem with Fletcher Mott (Drayton Arms/Tristan Bates Theatre). He is currently developing new musicals Chocolate, Lust & Lies, and Why Do We Return Here? with Millie Gaston. Jack is also an associate artist of Profugo Arts, as well as an Iris Theatre Platform Artist.
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Ramaa Mosley
Book, The Brass Teapot: A New Musical
Ramaa Mosley (Book) is a filmmaker and activist who directed her first documentary at the age of 16. Since then, she has directed feature films and hundreds of award-winning commercials and is a director and showrunner on premium television series. Ramaa has been named one of Shoot Magazine’s top 10 Female Directors and is the founder of the youth-focused advertising agency Adolescent Content. A vocal advocate for girls’ and women’s rights around the world, she is also known for launching the U.S. social media campaign behind Bring Back Our Girls.
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Jennifer Paz
Book & Lyrics, Proud Marys
Jennifer Paz (Book & Lyrics) is an award-winning performer, writer-producer whose original screenplays have collectively earned a dozen accolades, and placements on the Coverfly all-time red list. Her original pilot Proud Marys won the Outstanding Screenplays TV Pilot Competition 2021, and received development at JMF Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals, 2024. Paz is a 2024/25 Dramatists Guild Foundation National Fellowship Finalist. Credits: Miss Saigon (1st Nat’l, various regional), Les Miserables(Broadway), Flower Drum Song (Mark Taper Forum), Voiceover: “Steven Universe” (Lapis Lazuli). Manila-born, Seattle-raised, Paz is a recovering dead ingénue who enjoys writing subversive and quirky women-led stories trying to find their way. IG: @jenniferpazofficial
![](https://namt.org/app/uploads/Barrett-Riggins-360x360.png)
Barrett Riggins
Lyrics & Music, Helsinki
Barrett Riggins (Music & Lyrics) is a Brooklyn-based actor and songwriter. The New York Times once called him “very funny.” He composed and orchestrated original music for The Panic of ’29 (59E59). His studio albums Smoke Machine and Good Ol’ are available on all streaming platforms. His song “More Than an Apology” was released by Audible as part of You Are Here: An Evening with Solea Pfeiffer, recorded live at the Minetta Lane Theatre. Barrett is a proud member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. BFA: University of Michigan. www.barrettriggins.com.
![](https://namt.org/app/uploads/Mike-Ross-360x360.png)
Mike Ross
Book & Lyrics, Lewis Loves Clark
Mike Ross (Book & Lyrics) is an award-winning New York-based lyricist/librettist, dramaturg and author for young readers. His musical work includes original tragicomedy Lewis Loves Clark (Book & Lyrics; 2023 Richard Rodgers Award; 2020-21 Dramatists Guild Fellowship), Kerrigan-Lowdermilk’s The Bad Years (Additional Lyrics; dir. Stephen Brackett); and family musicals The Land of Forgotten Toys and The Mystery of Custodia (Book and Additional Lyrics; Broadway Licensing). Plays include Sorry (Harvard Playwrights Festival) and Space: Four Stories in Boston. He has five books out for young readers through Scholastic; they have sold almost a million copies to date. BMI Advanced Workshop. Hello! www.mikerosswrites.com.
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Parisa Shahmir
Book & Lyrics & Music, Medusa
Parisa Shahmir (Book, Music & Lyrics) is an actress, singer and songwriter based in London. She began songwriting in 2014 while on tour with Mamma Mia and has since been writing, recording and releasing her own music for the past 10 years. In 2021, during the development run of Fisherman’s Friends the Musical, a show where Parisa also played the leading role, she wrote a song called “The Tidal Pool” which, after being heard by the creative team, was subsequently added into the show for the UK Tour (2022-2023). This experience sparked her desire to begin writing her first original musical project, Medusa.
![](https://namt.org/app/uploads/Rebecca-Simmonds-360x360.png)
Rebecca Simmonds
Book & Lyrics, In Clay
Rebecca Simmonds (Book & Lyrics) is an Offie-nominated book writer/lyricist with a master’s degree in Musical Theatre Writing from Goldsmiths University, London, where she is based. She is a Selladoor New Writers Programme alum; a Book, Music & Lyrics Advanced Group member; and has previously directed and produced Edinburgh Fringe productions with Bedlam Theatre, EUSOG & For the Fans Productions. In Clay is her first show with writing partner Jack Miles. She is also currently developing a new musical, entitled The Sesh with composer Rob Gathercole, which received a first reading at The Other Palace Theatre in May 2024.
![](https://namt.org/app/uploads/Be-Steadwell-360x360.png)
Be Steadwell
Book & Lyrics & Music, Dear Ex
Be Steadwell (They, She, He, Be) (Book, Music, Lyrics) is a queer pop composer and storyteller from Washington DC. Be’s original music features earnest lyricism, unabashed corniness and affirming queer content. Be’s goal as a musician is to make other black girlies, introverts and weirdos feel seen and loved. Be earned a BA in Black Studies from Oberlin College and an MFA in film from Howard University. In 2019, Be wrote and directed A Letter to My Ex, the musical. A Letter to My Ex imagined a queer black woman’s experience of healing after a breakup. In 2021 Be released their latest album, Succulent. In 2023, Be joined the cast of Parable of the Sower the Opera by Toshi Reagon and Dr Bernice Johnson Reagon. Be currently works as a full-time musician and part-time lecturer at Howard University’s School of Communications.
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Graham Techler
Book & Lyrics, Helsinki
Graham Techler’s (Book & Lyrics) plays include The Panic of ’29 (59E59), The Tycoons! (Less Than Rent), and Trust Fund (Finalist; O’Neill). He’s developed work with Fresh Ground Pepper, The Brick, Adult Film, New Jersey Rep, Playwrights Downtown, Urban Stages, and the Ensemble Studio Theatre, where he’s a member of the Obie-winning playwrights collective Youngblood. He contributes humor writing to The New Yorker and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, performs monthly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, and writes songs for Stage Time with PJ Adzima (The Slipper Room) with Barrett Riggins. He lives in Brooklyn. BFA: University of Michigan. www.grahamtechler.com.
![](https://namt.org/app/uploads/abs-wilson-360x360.png)
abs wilson
Book & Lyrics, LIGHTHOUSE
abs wilson (Book, Lyrics & Story) is an NYC-based playwright/lyricist. She’s a Richard Rodgers Award winner (2024), Eugene O’Neill NMTC winner (2024), NAMT winner (2024), selected writer for Syracuse’s New Works New Voices program (2024), Write Out Loud winner for song “Runaway Girl” (2023), NMTC & NAMT finalist (2023), Vanguard Commission recipient (2023), THE SEVEN winner (2023), and David Einhorn Prize finalist (2022). She’s had work done at Playwrights Horizons, Paper Kraine, the Tank, the Brick, Fusion Theatre, St. Olaf College and Syracuse University, with songs performed at 54 Below and Joe’s Pub. She holds an MFA from NYU Tisch’s Musical Theatre Writing Program.
Registration
Please read below for details about who may attend the Festival of New Musicals and how to register. Then click the button at the bottom the page when you’re ready to proceed! The registration form will also walk you through the process by asking you questions.
Registration Details
- Advance registration for the Festival will be open through October 18, 2024.
- An administrative processing fee of $25 is added to all registrations starting on October 7.
- After October 18, you can still attend the Festival! Walk-up registration will be available starting at 10 am on October 24 at New World Stages.
- Advance registration is highly recommended
- Please allow extra time for walk-up registration
- Additional administrative fees will apply for walk-ups
We require a registration for each individual person attending the Festival of New Musicals. Registrations are not transferrable. Click the button below to get started. You may register up to 10 people** from your organization on a single form for either the Festival of New Musicals or Fall Conference (for those eligible to attend) or both! Every attendee will receive a badge, which acts as your ticket, as well as a login to our events app. Important pre-event information will be sent via email, so please be sure to enter each attendees’ correct email address.
Upon completion of the form, you will see a confirmation screen and receive an email. Please do not close your browser tab until the form is fully submitted.
Non-Member Attendance Eligibility
The Festival of New Musicals is open to musical theatre industry members, which we define as anyone currently working professionally in the theatre who can aid in the development of the shows or careers of the writers we present. All industry members must select a professional affiliation (i.e. NAMT, the Broadway League, TCG, many more) to register. Industry members may upgrade their Festival passes for priority admission and access to supplemental events, including the Festival Closing Night Party, through a donation to NAMT. Free General Standby passes are available to industry members only and may provide seating at Festival presentations on a first come, first served basis as available after all other passholders have entered. The general public may also receive passes to the Festival through a donation to NAMT.
Support new musicals and become a Festival VIP!
Your donation allows NAMT to create a nurturing environment for the discovery, development and advancement of new works, at no cost to the writers participating AND as our thanks you’ll receive a VIP Pass providing special benefits at the Festival.
- As our thanks for a donation of $45 or more ($30 for NAMT Festival Alumni Writers), you will receive an Access Pass providing you with:
- Seating at the Festival presentations before General Standby pass holders.
- Standby access to the Songwriters Showcase and Festival Roadtrip
- As our thanks for a donation of $250 or more, you will receive a Select Pass providing you with all of the above plus:
- Priority seating at the Festival presentations
- VIP networking in the Festival lobby
- Priority access to the Songwriters Showcase and Festival Roadtrip
- As our thanks for a donation of $350 or more, you will receive a Premiere Pass providing you with all of the above plus:
- Guaranteed access to all Festival presentations, including the Songwriters Showcase and Festival Roadtrip
- Access to the Festival closing party, one of the most important (and fun!) musical theatre networking events of the year!
All other passes are General Standby and admission to specific presentations is not guaranteed (seating on a first come, first served basis as available).
NAMT Member Passes
NAMT members in good standing receive complimentary Premiere Passes and Select Passes as part of their member benefits:
- Producing/Presenting/Touring organizations receive 4 Premiere Passes and 2 Select Passes
- Independent Commercial Producers receive 2 Premiere Passes and 2 Select Passes
- International and Academic members receive 2 Premiere Passes and 1 Select Pass
- Associate members receive 1 Select Pass
- Student members receive 1 Access Pass
(Not sure what kind of member you are? Check the directory!)
Public Standby
Public standby lines for those ineligible to register start forming 20 minutes prior to each reading. Standby seating is limited and is not guaranteed.
Fall Conference
The Fall Conference is a separate event open to NAMT members and invited guests only. Those attendees may register for both events at once using this registration form. Or visit the Fall Conference section of the website for more details.
Please note that this year’s Festival of New Musicals is taking place in-person only.
Guidelines
Participation Guidelines
NAMT is committed to recognizing and celebrating the diversity of experiences, talents, skills, cultures and opinions that our members bring to our community, and specifically to our events. We invite you to participate in all of our Conferences, Roundtables, Festivals and other events, both online and in-person, in a spirit of open-mindedness, curiosity and respect.
We want every NAMT event to be a safe, inclusive and productive environment for all participants. In that spirit, we ask you to…
- Be inclusive, actively seeking and inviting diverse perspectives
- Recognize that some people are comfortable responding quickly and verbally and others are not, and create space for those who may need more time to be heard
- Listen to understand
- Participate in an active and direct way, with professionalism and respect for others
- Be considerate, kind, constructive and helpful in your language and actions
- Use “I” statements and avoid generalizations
- Assume good intentions but acknowledge impact
- Ask questions if something isn’t clear, and receive both questions and answers with openness and generosity
- Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory or harassing behavior and language
- Respect confidentiality requests by speakers and other participants
We may take action (up to and including expulsion with no refund and exclusion from future events) to redress disruptive, disrespectful or offensive behavior or any other actions perceived by NAMT staff and/or Board to be in conflict with the above guidelines.
We know that learning and working together can produce both joy and conflict. We recognize that to learn is to stumble, and we are striving to provide a space for risk, creativity, respect, appreciation, growth and collaboration. When addressing conflicts of any type, we commit to these Participation Guidelines.
Thank you to every NAMT community member for helping to make all of our events informative, inclusive and respectful.
Attendees
Jeffrey Lodin
Composer
Larry Little
Producer
Nicholas Reinhart
Assistant Producer
Jay Stutler
SVP, Music
Nicole Samsel
Managing Director
Michael Lluberes
Producing Artistic Director
Fred Gilbert
retired
Judith Manocherian
Caitlin McNeilage
Associate Producer
Cheeyang Ng
Writer/Producer
Richard Biever
Program Director of Musical Theatre
Don Mike Mendoza
Board Member
Dylan Pager
DIRECTOR OF PRODUCING & CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT
Michael Walkup
Artistic Director
Zak Berkman
Producing Artistic Director
Nathan Winkelstein
Associate Artistic Director
lynne halliday
producer
joanna lodin
producer
Chris Scholey
Theatre Sheridan Faculty / Producer
Ned Loach
Academic Portfolio Administrator
Tania Senewiratne
Associate Dean, Visual and Performing Arts
Wendy Gillespie
President & CEO
Jacob Harvey
Managing Artistic Director
Kathleen Wrinn
Artistic Director, New Works/New Voices
Kim Heil
Artistic Producer & Head of Casting
Christopher Leavy
Music Director
Mary Francis Moore
Artistic Director
Kelly Straughan
Executive Director
Hillary Hart
Executive Director
Miriam Weiner
Literary Manager
Adam Turkel
Adam Turkel, Coordinator, WME
Matthew Kunkel
Vice President of Creative Development
Anièle Fortin
Chief Operating Officer and Executive Producer
CEO, UIA Talent Agency
Producer
Managing Member, Keaka Productions, LLC
This page was last updated on 07/25/2024. Some musical and writer information may be more recent.