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.
News
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.”
October 24-25, 2024
Nearly 800 Producers & Presenters Anticipated to Attend Festival at New World Stages following NAMT Fall Conference
New York: National Alliance for Musical Theatre (Betsy King Militello, Executive Director) is excited to reveal the roster of new musicals for their 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).
A Concert Presenting the Winners of the Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge
A special concert next week will feature live performances by Broadway artists of the seven winning songs from the 2023-2024 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the the National Alliance for Musical Theatre for high school students to develop and showcase musical compositions that could be a part of a musical theater production.
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.
As school bells rang through the halls, we caught up with high school teacher and NAMT Observership alum for Early Career Directors, Irvin Mason Jr., during his free period to ask… what does it mean to be “emerging” anyway?
Irvin was participant in the 2022 Festival of New Musical Observership for Early Career Directors for PUP: A CHEW STORY by Marcus Terrell Smith & Robin Schäfer.
The National Alliance for Musical Theatre (Betsy King Militello, Executive Director) has announced the NAMT Member Theatre and Writer Recipients for the 2023/2024 Writers Residency Grants, part of the Frank Young Fund for New Musicals. The Frank Young Fund is a major funding program to support the development and production of new musicals. Writers Residency Grants encourage collaborations between NAMT Member theatres and writers at the earliest stages of a project.
Only weeks after the debut of his first musical’s concept EP, and fresh from the first read-through of his even newer show, two-time Frank Young Fund for New Musicals Grantee Jesse J. Sanchez not only tunes in with us, but also turns up the volume on his creative spirit.
Pop in your headphones! Join us for a jam session and a journey through the heart of storytelling. Find out why when Jesse plays, the world listens.
October 23rd through October 28th, 2023 declared “NAMT WEEK” in New York City. Presented in conjunction with NAMT’s 2023 Fall Conference and 35th Annual Festival of New Musicals, the Proclamation was presented by Laurie Cumbo, Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs.