news archive

(Los Angeles, November 15, 2020)  

Winners of the prestigious international Search for New Musicals were announced today at New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles.

First Prize goes to The Foursight Saga with book by Wayne Self, lyrics by Wayne Self and Scott Wilkinson, and music by Scott Wilkinson.
Second Prize goes to Pickpocket with book and lyrics by Sandy Kasten, and music by Billy Wolfe.
Third Prize goes to Out from Undor with book, music, and lyrics by Davern Wright

The Search for New Musicals accepts entrants from around the globe; winners receive awards worth up to $25,000 in workshop productions, concert readings, feedback, and developmental support.

“We are thrilled to sponsor the Search,” says Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of NMI. “We love seeing what writers are creating; and of course our mission is to nurture the folks who are writing musicals, so announcing the winners of the Search is one of my favorite things to do all year!”

The Foursight Saga is a time-travelling musical for two performers and nine characters, telling the story of a scientist who invents a way to go back in time to stop herself from entering into a failed marriage - but then sets off a series of time-lines that fold in on themselves until the ill-fated couple can find their way out.

Pickpocket. Pickpocket tells the story of teenage pickpocket Nance Olden who dreams of escaping the squalor of the streets and living a glamorous life. She lands a job in the chorus at a Vaudeville theatre, planning to steal the star’s diamond necklace, but instead falls under the spell of performing. But what will happen when Nance’s former boyfriend Tom breaks out of prison and threatens to expose her criminal past?

Out from Undor tells the story of a girl who lives in a kingdom where each citizen is ranked on a ten-point scale of attractiveness — and those ranked below a “seven” are imprisoned in a hellish underground colony called “Undor.” When she is imprisoned herself, she must overcome her own low self-esteem to escape and unseat the forces behind her oppression.

The Foursight Saga will receive a virtual workshop at NMI in the winter and spring, hopefully followed by a concert reading at the 2021 Hollywood Fringe (COVID permitting).  Pickpocket will receive a virtual reading (with staff feedback) in December..  Out From Undor will receive a Detailed Analysis from an NMI dramaturge.

NMI is committed to an ongoing search to find and nurture promising new musical theatre. If you’ve written a musical, and you would like some honest, constructive, detailed feedback on how to make your musical better, you can submit your musical to NMI for dramaturgical feedback at levels from evaluation to analysis to table reading to workshop to concert reading.

Past winners of the Search have included: The Water by Jeff Hylton, Tim Werenko, and Georgia Stitt (2008); Greenbrier Ghost by Susan Murray and Clay Zambo (2009); Gilbert & Sullivan on Wall Street by Charles Veley and Arthur Sullivan (2010); Emerald by Chris Burgess and Denise Wright (2011); Mad Bomber by Charles Monagan and Richard deRosa (2012); It Happened in Roswell by Terrence Atkins and Jeffery Lyle Segal (2013); Off the Wall by Sarah Rebell and Danny Abosch (2014), Invisible by David Hollingsworth and David Orris (2015), Spellbound: A F@#$*d-Up Fairy Tale by Ben Boecker (2016), Bravo by Cristian Guerrero, Steven Schmidt, and Andrew Moorhead (2017), The Bully Problem by Michael Gordon Shapiro (2018), and Entertaining Murder by Chris Burgess (2019).

All musicals submitted (at any level) to NMI by July 15, 2021 will be automatically entered in the Search for New Musicals for this season. Winners of the 2020 Search will be announced by November 15, 2021. The winner of the Search receives a workshop with the Academy Repertory Company, detailed feedback from the NMI staff, and a concert reading in Los Angeles.

Information on submitting to the Search is available by visiting www.nmi.org.

(Los Angeles, August 4, 2020)  

What has NMI been up to during lockdown? Well, six 15-minute musicals, two 40-minute musicals, and a couple dozen 5-minute musical shorts. We’re releasing one video a week, beginning today!

We were all set to present the 15-minute musicals at the Broadwater Theatre this summer, but then, y’know, covid.

So we pivoted, and shot some of them online using Zoom, and some in our studio in North Hollywood, with social distancing protocols in place for the ensemble cast of four.

Ironically, this year’s theme was “Keep Your Distance.”

The first 15-minute musical for you to see, beginning today, is A View From the Moon. Set in a tropical paradise, in which a Covid-stranded couple has run out of money, and an entitled rich woman thinks she can buy their gratitude and the affection of the hotel proprietor. This is a bittersweet, aching romance.

A VIEW FROM THE MOON

Book by Richard Holland, music by Ben Ginsberg, and lyrics by Stacey Weingarten

Directed by Scott Guy, music direction by Ron Barnett.

Starring Ashley Felkner, Casey Hunter, Jordan Mitchell-Love, and Lindsay Zana.

There will be five other 15-minute musicals to see in the upcoming weeks. So, pull up a front row seat, and know you’re saving $25 to see it online for free. (We are delighted to announce that support for this program was provided through the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Arts Development Fee Program. They really helped us transfer these musicals from the stage to the screen.)

But, wait, that’s not all.

NMI really has pivoted. In the coming weeks, we’re also going to be presenting to you two 40-minute musicals written specifically for the internet: United We Tweet by B.K. Wells and Jane Wong (about a clown who is the President of the United States), and Fly Fly Fly by Katie Brady (about a couple facing an empty-nest for the first time):

We also want to tease you with other upcoming musical webseries, including Tales from a Darkening Wood, set in a spooky forest, with musical stories told by mythical storytelling creatures; as well as The Devil’s Dictionary, Slow Time with the Potato Face Blind Man, and The Last of Its Kind, a series of original musical theatre shorts.

It’s a strange but exciting time at New Musicals Inc, as we explore the short-form online musical. Please visit us online for a new musical experiment every week. Free.

Link: https://nmi.org/online

(Los Angeles, July 16, 2020)  

New Musicals Inc. is now accepting applicants to its 2020-21 Musical Theatre Writers’ Workshop. Musical theatre writers, lyricists, and composers are invited to audition for the famed workshop, hosted Academy for New Musical Theatre at NMI.

This workshop is in its fourth decade of helping musical theatre writers hone their craft. Throughout the decades, the writers’ workshop has trained over 400 writers, who have gone on to created hundreds of successful musicals all across the country and the world.

Bookwriters, lyricists, and composers interested in joining the Core Curriculum for the 2020/21 season are invited to audition by taking part in the September and October sessions. (September 26 & 27; October 17 & 18; from 2:30pm to 6:30pm PST on each day). Participants can attend in person in North Hollywood, or via video conferencing.

“Fortuitously, we’re ready to host this workshop 100% online,” says Executive Director Scott Guy, “because we have been offering our curriculum via online video conferencing for a while now. Over the last few years we have had participants from San Diego, Seattle, St. Louis, Detroit, Pittsburg, New York, and even as far away as Switzerland, Singapore, Bangkok, and New Zealand.”

The audition period in September and October is an opportunity for potential participants to assess whether or not the intensive and professional program is a good fit for them. “We’ll put all applicants on collaborative teams in September, and give them assignments that are due in October,” says Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of New Musicals Inc., “After the October session, we will evaluate whether or not the Core Curriculum is the right place for everyone.”

The heart of the writers’ workshop at ANMT is the Core Curriculum, in which composers, bookwriters and lyricists are matched together in different teams each month, and each month write a song or a scene based on an assigned text. The curriculum studies both contemporary and historical musicals, giving writers and composers the chance to create traditional and cutting-edge musicals, while studying contemporary variations of timeless ballads, charm songs, comedy songs and musical scenes.

In the late spring, writers are teamed for a 15 minute musical, produced by NMI in July of 2021. “In the past twenty-five years, the 15-minute musicals have been produced in a live professional theatre,” explains Guy, “But this year we’ve migrated the musicals to soundstages, greenscreen, and individual remote locations. We try to retain the live element in each of our shoots. Who knows what will be happening in summer of 2021? All we know is that the show must go on!”

Bookwriters, lyricists and composers must apply online to reserve a space for the September auditions at www.nmi.org/curriculum, which will take place on Saturday, September 26th at 2:30pm. We anticipate being able to host the auditions simultaneously both online and in-person at NMI, 5628 Vineland Avenue, North Hollywood, California, 91601, pending health and safety issues.

Current college students and recent grads can inquire about the possibility of student discounts (pending funding).

For more information, visit www.nmi.org and click on CURRICULUM. The direct link is: http://www.nmi.org/curriculum/

(Los Angeles, April 17, 2020)  

For the last 14 years, NMI has hosted the Biz of the Musical Theatre Biz Conference in Los Angeles, giving writers a rare opportunity to network directly with producers, agents, union reps, attorneys, and fellow writers.  But social distancing is going to change that this year.

This summer’s conference will come to you in your own home.  This will be our first ever ALL VIRTUAL conference designed to give participants the chance to prepare, practice, and present pitches of their new musicals to producers and other industry professionals.   We’ll provide video conferencing, and breakout Zoom rooms, so you can still have intimate one-on-one interactions.

The Conference traditionally costs $595 to attend.  But thanks to some much-needed government underwriting, you can attend the conference for only $175 ($125 if you register by June 1).  California residents might have an option for even more underwriting (ask us about the California Creative Initiative fund).

Here’s how the Conference will work:

The weekend will launch with a Friday evening session on the art of pitching from NMI Executive Director Scott Guy, who will share many years of experience in the world of writing and producing television for Disney, Warner Bros., PBS, NBC, etc.

Saturday’s sessions will give all teams the chance to try out their 3-minute pitches on NMI staff for feedback and help in making their pitches stronger and more compelling.

Sunday’s sessions will give all teams the chance to practice their refined pitches on chosen industry professionals who will give constructive and specific feedback on improving the pitches.

The week following the conference weekend, each participating team will be given two separate opportunities to pitch live to a group of industry professionals. Pitch sessions will be two hours long; there will be a morning and an afternoon pitch session from Monday to Friday during the week. Participating teams will be pre-assigned to two specific sessions.

In addition to all of that, we’ll set up a web page just for your show, so you can upload demos, script excerpts, and recorded version of your pitch.  These pages will be made available to all of the industry professionals who have taken part in the conference; as well as a much longer list of industry professionals across the country.

NOTE: A maximum of 60 participating writing teams will be accepted.  Additional auditors who don’t want to pitch during the conference will still get the opportunity to have a webpage that will be circulated to the same list of industry professionals after the conference.

FOR MORE INFO, AND TO REGISTER, VISIT: https://nmi.org/conference-agenda/

Want to make sure you are extra prepared for your chance to pitch? You can also sign up for Scott Guy’s PITCH BOOTCAMP prior to the conference and polish your materials in advance. (Bonus! Conference registrants receive a $100 discount off the regular Pitch Boot Camp price. For more info about the Pitch Boot Camp - visit https://nmi.org/conference-agenda/.)

(Los Angeles, March 1, 2020)  

New Musicals Inc. is proud to announce that four writing teams have been selected to participate in the 2020 New Voices Project, a musical theatre development program hosted by New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles (with support from the Helen and Jose Colton Foundation and Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment), now in its eighth year.

The New Voices Project is offered to a select group of young musical theatre playwrights, composers and lyricists under the age of 26, who receive workshops, readings, and concerts of their work.

“We are always so thrilled to have this opportunity to get to know these up-and-coming writers,” says Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of New Musicals Inc., “and we only wish we could support more of these deserving young and talented artists.”

The four teams will receive workshops and feedback with NMI’s resident theatre ensemble, the Academy Repertory Company, and will then have excerpts of their work presented as part of the HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL in June, 2020.

“Being a part of [the New Voices Project] was an incredibly informative experience.” says Chris Bryon Pratt, former NVP winner. “Having my material performed then dissected gave me a very clear picture of what I can improve on as a writer. I think workshops such as the New Voices Project are so monumental to young aspiring writers because the panel gives fabulous critical feedback.”

The teams chosen to participate this year are:

• Charli Eglinton
• Clayton Daniel Briggs and Molly Reisman
• Emma Lockwood and Noah Sunday-Lefkowitz
• Martin Gold

“New Musicals Inc. offers a great opportunity to get the exposure that all young writers so desperately need.” says Santino DeAngelo, former NVP winner. “The New Voices Project was my first chance to have my writing scrutinized by industry professionals and, throughout the course of the project, they really helped to shape the professional standards that I hold myself to today.”

Additional information about this year’s New Voices writers:

Charli Eglinton is a 20 year old one woman creative team from London whose original Steampunk opera, ‘8’ (a sung through show of 41 pieces of music, stylistically blurring the line between opera and musical theatre), has had a concept album recording at Fiction Studios; an animated 5 minute film which won BEST SHORT FILM and OVERALL WINNER of the 2019 Moving Image Awards; and a sold-out run at the Other Palace Theatre. Charli has now also written her next, original, Celtic inspired musical, Colours and begun work on her next musical Fallen. www.charlieglinton.com

Clayton Daniel Briggs (an alum of NMI’s Core Curriculum) is a musical theater writer based in Brooklyn, New York. His full length musicals include Electric Circus with Molly Reisman, The Three Dolls with Reisman and Jane Catherine Shaw, and Stop Clock with Brooke Magalis. Clayton received his MFA from NYU Tisch’s Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program and his BA in Music Theory and Composition from Pepperdine University, where he also studied vocal performance. www.claytonbriggs.com

Molly Reisman is a Canadian lyricist and librettist who holds a B.F.A. from Ryerson University and an M.F.A from NYU Tisch’s Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program. Credits include: Electric Circus (Pepperdine University 2019), Keaton and The Whale (Amas Musical Theatre 2019; WINNER: Inaugural Eric H. Weinberger award for emerging librettist), Three Dolls (LaMaMa Kids 2019), Heartbeat (NYU Tisch 2019), TedQuest (LaMaMa Puppet Slam 2017), and We Wrote This (Ryerson New Voices Festival & WINNER: Best of Atlantic Fringe Festival 2014). www.mollyreisman.com

Emma Lockwood is a writer, director, and performer from New York. At age 12 she wrote a terrible Christmas song and has since gone onto write some pretty cool musical theatre. In college she wrote/staged readings of over six original plays, and one full-length musical (WOO!) that she wrote with her partner Noah Sunday-Lefkowitz. She has recently presented work at the New York Musical Festival. By day, she is a contributing journalist for American Theatre magazine and is on a bad-ass all female producing team of a national tour.

Noah Sunday-Lefkowitz is a composer, performer, and Disney enthusiast. At age ten he picked up the piano (not literally) and has since composed music for many original theatrical works. He has co-written the score to four “PATAsphere” productions, composed several student-written musicals at Muhlenberg College, and created his first full-length original musical with Emma Lockwood in 2015. He is currently a Walt Disney Imagineer, working as a Project Coordinator for Voice Casting and Disney Parks Live Entertainment.

Martin Gold is a 2019 graduate of Northwestern University, where he spent his time writing a handful of original musicals as well as writing for Northwestern’s Waa-Mu Show for four years. He currently resides in Chicago, working as a music director at Storycatchers Theatre, a nonprofit developing new musical theatre with incarcerated and court-involved youth across northern Illinois.

For additional information on the New Voices Project, visit NMI’s website (www.nmi.org) or contact Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry at admin@nmi.org; 818.506.8500.

(Los Angeles, January 15, 2020)  

New Musicals Inc. - working with WritingMusicalTheatre.com - has just released some exciting new online courses for musical theatre bookwriters and lyricists.

The Lyric Lab has been helping hundreds of lyricists for a decade. And now it’s been completely updated, drawing from examples from contemporary Broadway musicals like Hamilton, Evan Hansen, Hadestown, as well as classic musicals from Golden Age.

In the new Lyric Lab I – Fundamentals, you’ll focus on key areas of craft, including musical theatre song structure, telling your story through lyrics, perfect rhyme and near rhyme, matching the accents of lyric to the music, how to decide which songs to write, and how to format your musical to get it ready to submit to theatres and producers.

The course was designed by multi-Emmy-nominated writer and producer Scott Guy (Disney, NBC, PBS, Warner Brothers), who delivers the lectures. Feedback is from award-winning lyricist Larry Todd Johnson (All That He Was, Flies! the Musical, 40 is the New 15).

For the Book Lab, which has been a popular course available for the last ten years, all of the online videos have been revised and reshot by New Musicals Inc. Artistic Director and Dramaturg Elise Dewsberry, author of the popular vlog series “How to Get No Feedback from Elise” that is posted monthly on Facebook and YouTube.

As a special inaugural offer, both the new Lyric Lab 1 - Fundamentals and the updated Book Lab are being offered for a $100 discount until June 1. Register now and enter the discount coupon code LABS-2020-PR to get your $100 discount at checkout.

All of the online labs include are videos, exercises, tests, handouts, and assignments. Your assignments are evaluated by an instructor who gives you personal, individualized feedback on your assignment via mp3.

Both the Book Lab and the new Lyric Lab 1 Fundamentals qualify as the required Lab element for NMI’s Core Curriculum program.

For more info, and to register for the Labs, visit https://nmi.org/curriculum/online-craft-labs/

(Los Angeles, January 1, 2020)  

If you’re under the age of 26, and you’re writing for musical theatre, New Musicals Inc. would love to hear from you.

New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles is sponsoring its eighth annual New Voices Project, in which young playwrights, composers and lyricists receive workshops and concerts of their work, with support from the Helen & Jose Colton Foundation, and feedback sessions from executives from Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment and New Musicals Inc.

Selected finalists will have their work presented at an in-house concert at NMI in April and will receive critical feedback from industry professionals. After an opportunity to revise their work, selections by finalists will be presented in concert in Los Angeles in the summer of 2020.

Writers are encouraged to submit up to three selections, either from a single work, or separate works, for a total of 20 minutes of material. The staff of New Musicals Inc. will select up to six teams of writers for presentation and critique.

“We’re looking for writers in whom we see potential,” says NMI’s Executive Director Scott Guy. “We’re not pigeon-holing that potential: that is, we’re not looking for ‘Broadway musical’ writers per se, or ‘ground-breaking’ or ‘commercial’ or ‘avant-garde’. We’re looking for writers who are exploring their voices through the blend of music and voice. The stronger your voice and vision are, the more likely we’re going to respond to your work.”

Previous New Voices Project winners were: Evan Johnson, Socks Whitmore, Ryan Martin, Shayna Toh, Charlie Oh, Ross Baum, Monica Hannush, Julian Drucker, Natalie Stewart Elder, John Ervin Brooks, Anderson Cook, Amanda D’Archangelis, Luke Davidson, David Gomez, Cristian Guerrero, Edison Hong, Jonathan Horn, Oliver Houser, Oscar Jacques, David Lancelle, Ariel Mitchell, Andrew Moorhead, Jude Obermüller, Eliot Rhys, Steven Schmidt, Jackson Teeley, Rebekah Allen, Ben Boecker, Benedict Braxton-Smith, Claire McKenzie and Scott Gilmour, Blake Dylan Pilger, Alex Ratner and Laurel Durning-Hammond, Marina Toft and Benji Goldsmith, Zach Spound, Jacob Combs & Madeline Myers, Bill Nelson and Joseph Trefler, Michael Finke, Mark Sonnenblick, Andre Catrini, Sam Chanse and Bob Kelly, Ben Boecker, Danny K. Bernstein, Santino De Angelo, Zach Zadek, Amar Benkhoukha, Ion Constantine, Nick Jester, Christopher Byron Pratt, and Noah Reece.

Writers may apply online at https://nmi.org/new-voices-project-submission-form/

Timeline:
Open for Submissions: January 1, 2020
Deadline for Submissions: February 15, 2020
Winners Announced: March 1, 2020

There is no application fee. For finalists who are not Los Angeles locals, participation will be available via video conferencing.

(Los Angeles, November 24, 2019)  

New Musicals Inc. announces the first Online Musical Theatre Creative Summit - set for Saturday, February 15 and Saturday, February 22 from 10am to 4pm.

In February, New Musicals Inc. is hosting an Online Musical Theatre Creative Summit. Bookwriters, Composers, and Lyricists all get together online to create ideas for new musicals, and for new collaborations. Here’s just some of what we’ll be doing together:

• bookwriters, composers, lyricists come together to brainstorm new ideas for musicals
• Speed-dating with new collaborators (during the summit itself)
• Slow-dating with new collaborators (between Saturdays, and after the summit)
• Insider tips on effective brainstorming and idea generating
• Creative breakout rooms you can duck in and out of
• We’ll match-make you with at least three collaborators; on your own, you can reach out to everyone in the summit
• We’ll give you access to a curated list of hundreds short stories, plays, novellas and plot summaries for inspiration, plus listings for thousands more
• Can’t get the rights to your favorite book or movie? We’ll show you how and what to adapt, so you won’t need any rights

It’s all online; join us from anywhere on the planet. All you need is a webcam and your creativity.

For more info, and to register, visit https://nmi.org/creative-summit-registration-form/

(Los Angeles, November 15, 2019)  

Winners of the prestigious international Search for New Musicals were announced today at New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles.

First Prize goes to Entertaining Murder with book, lyrics, and music by Chris Burgess.
Second Prize goes to Love and Sons with book, lyrics, and music by John G. Higgins.
Third Prize goes to Glass Ceilings with book by Nicholas David Brandt and music and lyrics by Laura Watkins
Special Merit goes to Weeds with book, music, and lyrics by Adam Gubman
Special Merit goes to Rose Petals and Ashes by Bill Berry

The Search for New Musicals accepts entrants from around the globe; winners receive awards worth up to $25,000 in workshop productions, concert readings, feedback, and developmental support.

“We are thrilled to sponsor the Search,” says Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of NMI. “We love seeing what writers are creating; and of course our mission is to nurture the folks who are writing musicals, so announcing the winners of the Search is one of my favorite things to do all year!”

Entertaining Murder is a song cycle for four voices, based on the a true story of the hanging of Edith Thompson - a ‘cause celebre’ in 1922. There is now a consensus that she was innocent of colluding to murder her husband. So why did British justice fail her? And how did her sixty three love letters serve to incriminate her?

Love and Sons is the story of a modern day farmer who risks everything to keep his family together on the same land his ancestors settled. His sons Dooley and Chase are ready to leave to start their own lives, but when Homer uses the money he’s promised them to buy new farmland for all of them to work, the whole family is driven apart. How can they find a way back to each other–and what does it really mean to be “together”?

Glass Ceilings is the story of historical women - whose stories you should but probably don’t know - who find themselves in the surreal afterlife of Hergatory, a cabaret bar where feminists go when they die. They balance telling their stories with watching current events unravel, waiting with bated breath for more glass ceilings to come tumbling down.

Weeds is a fantasy movie musical about a young woman trapped in a mental institution somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Through the ultimate desire to create color and life in the fantastic (and somewhat horrific) magical world around her, she and her friends discover that true elevation lies in empowering each other, and through their understanding, find an escape to a better world.

Rose Petals and Ashes is a one-person song cycle about a songwriter struggling with addiction and the memories of his mother.

Entertaining Murder will receive a workshop at NMI in the spring, and a concert reading as part of the 2020 BIZ of the Musical Theatre BIZ in Los Angeles in July, 2020. Love and Sons will receive a staff table reading.  Glass Ceilings will receive a Detailed Analysis from an NMI dramaturge.

NMI is committed to an ongoing search to find and nurture promising new musical theatre. If you’ve written a musical, and you would like some honest, constructive, detailed feedback on how to make your musical better, you can submit your musical to NMI for dramaturgical feedback at levels from evaluation to analysis to table reading to workshop to concert reading.

Past winners of the Search have included: The Water by Jeff Hylton, Tim Werenko, and Georgia Stitt (2008); Greenbrier Ghost by Susan Murray and Clay Zambo (2009); Gilbert & Sullivan on Wall Street by Charles Veley and Arthur Sullivan (2010); Emerald by Chris Burgess and Denise Wright (2011); Mad Bomber by Charles Monagan and Richard deRosa (2012); It Happened in Roswell by Terrence Atkins and Jeffery Lyle Segal (2013); Off the Wall by Sarah Rebell and Danny Abosch (2014), Invisible by David Hollingsworth and David Orris (2015), Spellbound: A F@#$*d-Up Fairy Tale by Ben Boecker (2016), Bravo by Cristian Guerrero, Steven Schmidt, and Andrew Moorhead (2017), and The Bully Problem by Michael Gordon Shapiro (2019).

All musicals submitted (at any level) to NMI by July 15, 2020 will be automatically entered in the Search for New Musicals for next season. Winners of the 2020 Search will be announced by November 15, 2020. The winner of the Search receives a workshop with the Academy Repertory Company, detailed feedback from the NMI staff, and a concert reading in Los Angeles.

Information on submitting to the Search is available by visiting www.nmi.org.

(Los Angeles, November 4, 2019)  

“The Learned Ladies” is a new musical internet series featuring stories, songs, poems and essays from forgotten women composers and forgotten women authors of the past.

Award-winning actress Elise Dewsberry plays southern belle Ann Reeves Jarvis as she welcomes us into her pre-Civil-War music room, introducing us to women authors and composers, like an antebellum “Masterpiece Theatre.” Mrs. Jarvis first tells us a little about the featured woman author’s background and literary bent, and then regales us with a reading, followed by a song.

“It’s wonderful being able to bring these stories and songs to life,” says Ms. Dewsberry, “The writing is amazing!  Literate, funny, touching…sometimes spooky.  We’re discovering many beautiful lost gems.”

The first season of “The Learned Ladies” features the songs of beloved American composer, Amy Beach, including “Empress of the Night,” “Le Secret,” and the haunted story of poor jilted “Anita.”

The authors include Amelia B. Welty, Virginia French, Mary E. Bryan, Mary Stanly Bunce Palmer, and others.  Their stories and poems traverse a wild range variety of topics, from shipwrecks, haunted houses, deaths of loved ones, to chilling vampire stories.

The series is produced by New Musicals Inc., as part of their ongoing exploration of short musical theatre content for the internet.  “Usually we develop musicals for the stage,” says Executive Director Scott Guy, “but in the past several seasons, we’ve been exploring the musical theatre short form…telling stories in five or ten minutes of musical theatre.  ‘The Learned Ladies’ is definitely one of our most literary series, but we’re still focused on character and story.”

The host, Ann Reeves Jarvis, is based on an actual person.  Jarvis’s daughter, Anna Jarvis, founded Mother’s Day.  Ann Reeves Jarvis was a strong advocate for women in the home and in the workplace.  Subsequent seasons will continue to feature women writers and composers, such as the Women of New England, or the astounding cotton-mill women who founded their own literary magazine in the late 1800’s, and beloved-but-forgotten composers such as Carrie Jacobs-Bond, Ethyl Smith, Harriet Ware, and Mildred Hill (who wrote the tune for “Happy Birthday”, and left behind dozens of songs in manuscript).

Episodes will be available free of charge on NMI’s “Channel 5678” which can be found on YouTube beginning November 1st.

(Los Angeles, July 2, 2019)  

A twenty-one-year tradition, the Stages Musical Theatre Festival, is coming to Los Angeles August 1 through 4, featuring six new musicals.

The STAGES Festival will feature concert versions, and table readings, and some live streamcasts of new musicals beginning at 8:00pm on Thursday August 1st, and continuing through Sunday evening August 4th, hosted by New Musicals Inc.

“For years, we’ve been presenting the STAGES Festival as a one or two weekend marathon of readings of new musicals,” says NMI Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry, “but last year we streamed portions of the festival, and found we were able to reach a broader audience from all over the globe.  So this festival we’re doing the same, only we’re adding a wild ice-cold reading, and an experimental greenscreen streamcast!”

Musicals in this year’s festival include:

Across the Street, by Dean Alexander and Janet Hay, exploring racial tensions between Irish and Jewish immigrants in the early 1900’s in America.  A concert reading on August 1st at 8pm.

The Max Factor Factor with book by Adrian Bewley, music by Joseph Blodgett, and lyrics by Chana Wise, about rival movie studios in the 1930’s thrown into chaos when their rival leading men fall in love with each other.  An “ice-cold reading”, in which we put the scripts of a brand-new draft in front of actors and singers without any rehearsal whatsoever.  Livestreamed on Friday August 2 at 8:00pm.

Trunk Songs featuring songs which were cut from musicals before or just after opening night.  This portion of the festival is a wild-ride experiment in three different forms of live greenscreen technique; join us as we succeed (or fail spectacularly) in transporting actors in our greenscreen studio into digital environments…live.  Live-streamed Saturday August 3rd at 10:00am.

Big Noise, by Joel Bailey and Ron Barnett, telling the story of a family torn apart by a hurricane in New Orleans.  A table reading on Saturday August 3rd at 1:00pm.

The Plot to Kill Charlie Chaplin with book and lyrics by Scott Guy, music by Kevin Mathie, dramatizing the allegedly true plot to assassinate Charlie Chaplin onboard William Randolph Hearst’s yacht.  It’s told in a vaudeville/silent movie style, presented in a concert reading at 4:30pm on Saturday, August 3rd.

Flesh Trade, written by Chris Holoyda, an irreverent comedy set in the Wild West, involving showgirls, gunslingers and (spoiler alert) cannibals.  Second-Prize Winner of NMI’s 2019 Search for New Musicals.  A concert reading on Saturday August 3 at 8:00pm.

Pickpocket, with book and lyrics by Sandy Kasten and music by Billy Wolfe, telling the story of a young woman making her way in turn of the century New York.  Table reading on Sunday August 4th at 2pm.

“got musical” –  NMI’s annual celebration of this year’s season of development of new musicals.  Presented in concert will be selections from NMI’s New Voices Project (featuring this year’s young writers Evan Johnson, Socks Whitmore, Shayna Toh, and Ryan Patrick Martin); Ghost of a Chance (book by Rhonda Lageyre, music by Ron Barnett, and lyrics by Scott Kriloff; Foresight Saga (book and lyrics by Wayne Self, music by Scott Wilkinson); and selections from some of our musical webseries, including “Tales from a Darkening Wood.”  Livestreamed beginning 6:00pm on Sunday August 4th.

Admission is free for all events.  There is a suggested donation at the concert readings.

The Festival takes place at New Musicals Inc; 5628 Vineland Ave., North Hollywood, CA  91601.

Reservation for the live events, as well as program information and the link to the streamcasts can be found at https://nmi.org/stages-musical-theatre-festival-2019/

(Los Angeles, June 15, 2019)  

Eight brand-new fifteen-minute musicals will have their world premiere on July 18 and 19 at the Broadwater Second Stage in Hollywood. These musicals are a decades-long tradition at New Musicals Inc., and one of the hottest tickets in town.

The 15 Minute Musical Project concludes each season of NMI’s world-famous Core Curriculum of the writers’ workshop, offered through their academic branch the Academy for New Musical Theatre, which has been in existence for over 40 years. For the final project of the curriculum, composers and lyricists and bookwriters are put together on writing teams and are given three short months to write, revise and polish a brand-new musical written for four actors whom they’ve never met before.

“It’s like a rite of passage,” says Elise Dewsberry, the Academy’s Artistic Director and producer of the 15 Minute Musicals. “We design the process to imitate a full-length show in a professional theatre: draft, rehearsal, rewrites, rehearsal, opening. It’s really a wonderful experience, but it’s often stressful, just like a million dollar opening night. Our writers’ names are in the program, and it’s important to them they write the best show they possibly can, in the short amount of time we’ve given them.”

This season there will be eight 15-minute musicals, featuring two different casts of four actors. The evening is entitled: Green-Eyed Monsters: eight new musicals about jealousy, and the writing teams have cooked up eight wildly different approaches to this theme ranging from feuding siblings in a high-wire act to jealous musical divas succombing to magical trickery to a conniving cat and mouse to a pair of gardeners raising rivals flowers - and much more!

These evenings are an annual highlight of NMI’s year-long season of developing new musicals and feature many new voices in musical theatre. Every seat in the house usually sells out.

The eight shows presented each evening (July 18 and 19) are split into two groups:

The BLUE Program:
Granny Wars with book by Kimberly Barger, and music and lyrics by Katie Brady
Stanford or Bust with book by Michael Harold, and music and lyrics by Jan Wong
Cheese & Crackers with book by Thomas Blakely, music by Duncan Smith, and lyrics by Bill Coe
Highwire with book by Gustav Hoyer, music by Joely Zuker, and lyrics by Elizabeth Coleman
Directed by John Coppola; Music Directed by Jake Anthony; Stage Managed by Jenn Dupre
Starring Melvin Biteng, Tianna Cohen, Marcello Padilla, and Andrea Somera

The RED Program:
The Cure with book and lyrics by B.K. Wells, and music by Xavier Vidal
Greener Gardens with book by Sara Beil, music by Jon Kull, and lyrics by Greg Beattie
I Heart Jeffrey Braddock with book by Marilyn Haese, music by Ron Barnett, and lyrics by Charlotte Bash
The Fifth Element with book and lyrics by Wayne Self, and music by Joelle Ferrando
Directed by Elise Dewsberry; Music Directed by Ron Barnett; Stage Managed by Rachel Shanblatt
Starring Corinne DeVries, Seth David Mitchell, Giane Morris, and Patrick Steward

Tickets are $25; the performances begin at 7:30pm. For tickets, reservations and more info: https://nmi.org/nmi-summer-events-2019/

(Los Angeles, June 3, 2019)  

An exciting new creative collaboration between independent film and independent theater begins this June at Fringe Festival with an adaptation of the indie cult classic comedy horror film Hell’s Kitty! The Los Angeles theatre company New Musicals Inc. (NMI) and the entertainment production company Smart Media have teamed up to present HELL’S KITTY: The Musical, a comedy, horror musical based on the original award-winning Hell’s Kitty web-series, comic book, and movie. There’s even a musical exorcism of a cat sung mostly in Latin, with “Exorcismus Feline,” and the theme song from the film sung in ensemble titled “My Pussy’s Possessed.”

Unlike the movie, the musical is more of an unrequited love story involving a lonely, struggling writer, who blames his cat for his lack of inspiration, not knowing that his cat is possessed by someone from his past. The musical, like the movie, which attracted horror fans and cat lovers alike, with its uncanny array of iconic cult figures from classic eighties horror films, hopes to develop the story line further by adding new musical performances, and expanding off of what began in the film with Dale Midkiff (Pet Sematary) lip-synching a parody of Frank N’ Furter in drag. This time, however, the actors will really be singing!

Adapted for the stage by Hell’s Kitty writer/director and star, Nicholas Tana, HELL’S KITTY: The Musical is a collaborative contribution between Nicholas Tana and Alexa Borden, a Los Angeles based composer, who arranged most of the music while Tana contributed to the lyrics and melody. Other musical contributors include Richard Albert, a German based film composer, who also worked on the film and web-series, and Spanish born composer, Miguel Coiz. The song “Chainsaw Kitty,” written by Richard Albert and Nicholas Tana, was an American Tracks Winner for Best Song in a Film in 2018 and will appear in the musical to be directed by veteran musical theater director, Denis McCourt. The musical includes exciting cat choreography by a professional Broadway performer, John Paul Batista, who was in the musical CATS, with additional choreography from Melissa Carvajal.

The HELL’S KITTY: The Musical story centers on a fictionalized account of Mr. Tana’s precarious relationship living with his possessive and possessed cat named Angel, and his inability to date as a result. While the musical numbers move the plot along at an entertaining pace, Nick’s initial denial of his cat’s more nefarious, supernatural tendencies (Imagine Stephen King’s Carrie as a Cat) fades away, once he realizes that buried within the cute, cuddly cat resides someone far more sinister. The musical provides fresh insights into the lead antagonist, Rosemary Carrie, who is to be played by seasoned performer, Miss Barbie Q. The quality cast stars Joey Hunt as Nick, Isabel Caxide as Angel, Patrick Steward as Adam, Maeve Thompson Osgood as Lisa, and Jordan Knapp as Dr. Strode. Other cast members include Antoinette (Toni) Attell, Denise “The Oracle” Lyles-Cook, Elisa Janele Alpizar, Giane Morris, and Brian Snyder. There is even a sexy, crazy cat ensemble comprised of Mellisa Carvajal, Sawyer Fuller, Elizabeth Frolich, Elisa Janelle Aplizar, and Lindsay Kate Ballif, with costume design by Michael Mullen.

Creator Nicholas Tana says, “At its core, HELL’S KITTY: The Musical is a tragic love story about an artist’s struggle to find inspiration amidst chaos, loneliness, and confusion. The music ranges from pop/rock to contemporary musical theatre, with song styles reminiscent of Tin Pan Alley’s burlesque and cabaret sounds; speckled with creepy meow choruses that remind the listener first and foremost that HELL’S KITTY: The Musical, is meant to entertain. There’s something in it for everyone, whether you like cats or not. And I’m pleased with the caliber of talent who’ve agreed to participate. But don’t take my word for it, come experience it for yourself.”

Tickets can be purchased at the theater 30 minutes before curtain, or online:  http://hff19.org/5899

(Los Angeles, May 17, 2019)  

Fresh off showcasing at the prestigious ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop, acclaimed composer Michael Gordon Shapiro’s captivating look at bullying makes its official L.A. debut.

LOS ANGELES – The award-winning musical The Bully Problem is coming to Hollywood Fringe, playing in June at The Broadwater – Main Stage, produced by New Musicals Inc.

In The Bully Problem, 14-year-old whiz kid Kevin Dijkstra yearns to escape his bully-infested school for an elite tech academy. But when he inherits a (mostly) functional android bodyguard, he’s able to turn the tables on the local bully population! Sweet, poignant, and action-packed, The Bully Problem is an all-ages musical about bullying, standing up for yourself…and robots.

The show has already earned accolades. Out of hundreds of submissions to theatre legend Stephen Schwartz’ Musical Theatre Workshop, writer, composer and Fringe veteran Michael Gordon Shapiro was honored to have his newest work as one of two selected for the 2018 Los Angeles program. Not long after, he was awarded first prize in New Musicals Inc.’s 2018 Search for New Musicals. From there, Shapiro wanted the next stop to be a production at Fringe.

“Growing up, I was one of the smart kids who were too easily pushed around,” Shapiro said. “Years later this led me to the idea of a musical about outsmarting the bad guys through technology. Bullying being such a grim and ever-present topic, I felt that a fun adventure musical set in a larger-than-life universe was a great medium for making this kind of story accessible and emotionally resonant. Also, I like robots.”

Shapiro, who also composes scores for film, television, video games and the concert hall, is no stranger to Hollywood Fringe. He wrote the music and lyrics for Fringe favorite Super Sidekick: The Musical (which also went to FringeNYC), and he’s the writer and composer of A Feast of Snacks, which was nominated for Best Musical at the 2016 Hollywood Fringe. Also in the works for Shapiro is Gideon and The Blundersnorp, a musical fantasy fable.

The Bully Problem is also fortunate to be helmed by Fringe award-winner Joanna Syiek (The Pokemusical, Giraffenstein, Merely Players), and is being produced in conjunction with New Musicals Inc., which helped Shapiro develop the show.

Despite the futuristic subject matter and contemporary musical style, Shapiro said The Bully Problem is a throwback in many ways in that it is character and plot-driven and follows a very traditional musical theater story arc. With an age range of eight and up, it’s suitable for kids and grownups alike.

“Above all, I hope audiences experience laughter, a sense of uplift and some melodies that linger in their heads when they see this show,” he said. “And for my fellow ‘smart kids’ out there (young and grownup) perhaps a sense of self-recognition amongst the eccentric characters in the story.”

Calendar Listing Request:

The Bully Problem

Written and composed by Michael Gordon Shapiro
Directed by Joanna Syiek

SYNOPSIS:

In The Bully Problem, 14-year-old whiz kid Kevin Dijkstra yearns to escape his bully-infested school for an elite tech academy. But when he inherits a (mostly) functional android bodyguard, he’s able to turn the tables on the local bully population! Sweet, poignant, and action-packed, The Bully Problem is an all-ages musical about bullying, standing up for yourself…and robots.

DATES AND TIMES:

Part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival

Thursday, June 6 – 6:30 p.m. (*preview)
Saturday, June 8 – 11:00 a.m. (*preview)
Friday, June 14 – 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 22 – 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 27 – 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 29 – 7:00 p.m.

LOCATION:

The Broadwater – Main Stage
1076 Lillian Way
Los Angeles, CA 90038

TICKET PRICES:

$20
*Group and educational discounts available
**Preview tickets are $12

FOR TICKETS AND MORE INFORMATION:

https://www.hff19.org/5900

www.thebullyproblem.com

PRESS CONTACT INFORMATION:

Jim Martyka
(818) 497-3701
JimMartyka@gmail.com

JimMartykaPR@aol.com

(Los Angeles, May 3, 2019)  

An exciting new creative collaboration between independent film and independent theater begins this June at Fringe Festival with an adaptation of the indie cult classic comedy horror film Hell’s Kitty!  The Los Angeles theatre company New Musicals Inc. (NMI) and the entertainment production company Smart Media have teamed up to present Hell’s Kitty: The Musical.  It is a comedy, horror musical based on the original award-winning Hell’s Kitty web-series, comic book, and movie. There’s even a musical exorcism of a cat sung mostly in Latin, with “Exorcismus Feline,” and the theme song from the film sung in ensemble humorously titled “My Pussy’s Possessed.”

Unlike the movie, the musical is more of an unrequited love story involving a lonely, struggling writer, who blames his cat for his lack of inspiration, not knowing that his cat is possessed by someone from his past. The musical like the movie, which attracted horror fans and cat lovers alike, with its uncanny array of iconic cult figures from classic eighties horror films, hopes to develop the story line further by adding new musical performances, and expanding off of what began in the film with Dale Midkiff (Pet Sematary) performing a parody of Frank N’ Furter in drag. This time, however, the actors will really be singing!

Adapted for the stage by Hell’s Kitty writer/director and star, Nicholas Tana, HELL’S KITTY: The Musical is a collaborative contribution between Nicholas Tana and Alexa Borden, a Los Angeles based composer, who arranged most of the music while Tana contributed to the lyrics and melody. Other musical contributors include Richard Albert, a German based film composer, who also worked on the film and web-series, and Spanish born composer, Miguel Coiz. The song “Chainsaw Kitty,” written by Richard Albert and Nicholas Tana, was an American Tracks Winner for Best Song in a Film in 2018 and will appear in the musical to be directed by veteran musical theater director, Denis McCourt.

The HELL’S KITTY: The Musical story centers on a fictionalized account of Mr. Tana’s precarious relationship living with his possessive and possessed cat named Angel, and his inability to date as a result. While the musical numbers move the plot along at an entertaining pace, Nick’s initial denial of his cat’s more nefarious, supernatural tendencies (Imagine Stephen King’s Carrie as a Cat) fades away, once he realizes that buried within the cute, cuddly cat resides someone far more sinister. The quality cast also includes Joey Hunt as Nick, Isabel Caxide as Angel, Patrick Steward as Adam, Maeve Osgood as Lisa, and Gia Mora as Dr. Strode, with costume design by Michael Mullen, and choreography by John Paul Batista.

Nicholas Tana writes:  “At its core, HELL’S KITTY: The Musical is a tragic love story about an artist’s struggle to find inspiration amidst chaos, loneliness, and confusion. The music ranges from pop/rock to contemporary musical theatre, with song styles reminiscent of Tin Pan Alley’s burlesque and cabaret sounds; speckled with creepy meow choruses that remind the listener first and foremost that HELL’S KITTY: The Musical, is meant to entertain. There’s something in it for everyone, whether you like cats or not. And I’m pleased with the caliber of talent who’ve agreed to participate. But don’t take my word for it, come experience it for yourself.”

Tickets can be purchased at The Broadwater Theater or online:  https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/5899

Performances are as follows:

 1st Preview:    Sunday, June 9 at 10:30pm
2nd Preview:   Thursday, June 13 at 8pm
Opening:         Friday, June 14 at 10pm
2nd Show:       Friday, June 21 at 10:30pm
3rd Show:       Saturday, June 22 at 10pm
4th Show:        Friday, June 28 at 9:30pm
5th Show:        Saturday, June 29 at 9pm

LOCATION:

The Broadwater Theater

1076 Lillian Way, Los Angeles, CA 90038

HELL’S KITTY: The Musical has a run time of 90 minutes. For more information, visit https://hellskitty.com/.

ABOUT NEW MUSICALS INC. (NMI)

New Musicals Inc. (NMI) is an established theater organization responsible for hosting many programs supporting new musicals in development. The theatre company develops several dozen musicals each year for producers and writers all around the country through table readings, workshops, concerts, and occasional productions, with its academic wing, the prestigious Academy for Musical Theatre, offering courses both online and live in Los Angeles for professional musical theatre writers. The Academy for Musical Theatre has been around for more than 40 years since its inception as the Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop, and has helped hundreds of writers and producers launch thousands of musicals. Furthermore, NMI sponsors several widely attended nationwide events, including Stages Musical Theatre Festival, the Search for New Musicals, the New Voices Project, and a biennial Conference on the Biz of the Musical Theatre Biz. The Incubator at NMI is a workshop/playground for musical theatre.  Whether you’re creating a musical from scratch — or if it’s already underway — NMI offers a complete process for developing a musical.

(Los Angeles, March 1, 2019)  

New Musicals Inc. is proud to announce that three writing teams have been selected to participate in the 2019 New Voices Project, a musical theatre development program hosted by New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles (with support from Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment), now in its seventh year.

The New Voices Project is offered to a select group of young musical theatre playwrights, composers and lyricists under the age of 26, who receive workshops, readings, and concerts of their work.

“We are always so thrilled to have this opportunity to get to know these up-and-coming writers,” says Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of New Musicals Inc., “and we only wish we could support more of these deserving young and talented artists.”

The three teams will receive workshops and feedback with NMI’s resident theatre ensemble, the Academy Repertory Company, and will then have excerpts of their work presented as part of the STAGES FESTIVAL in August, 2019.

“Being a part of [the New Voices Project] was an incredibly informative experience.” says Chris Bryon Pratt, former NVP winner. “Having my material performed then dissected gave me a very clear picture of what I can improve on as a writer. I think workshops such as the New Voices Project are so monumental to young aspiring writers because the panel gives fabulous critical feedback.”

The teams chosen to participate this year are:

• Evan Johnson and Socks Whitmore
• Ryan Martin
• Shayna Toh

“New Musicals Inc. offers a great opportunity to get the exposure that all young writers so desperately need.” says Santino DeAngelo, former NVP winner. “The New Voices Project was my first chance to have my writing scrutinized by industry professionals and, throughout the course of the project, they really helped to shape the professional standards that I hold myself to today.”

Additional information about this year’s New Voices writers:

Evan Johnson is a fourth-year Composition student at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). An alumnus of The Walden School Young Musicians’s program, Evan has worked with prominent film composers Joe Wong, Roger Neill, and Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum. His diverse musical catalogue includes music for solo instruments, orchestra, chamber ensembles, jazz ensembles, electronics, and large and small choral groups. He has scored films such as Where It Takes Me and Serenade, and contributed music to the third season of the podcast Unsolved. Evan recently directed the premiere of We Are Here, an original musical he wrote with Socks Whitmore. The CalArts Contemporary Vocal Ensemble will premiere his choral work The Einstein Complex in April.

Socks Whitmore is a second-year undergraduate student in the Performer-Composer program at CalArts and an in-demand singer, voice actor, and lyricist. In addition to debuting roles in the play Rosacea (2017) and the lead of Ray in the ballet operetta Children Cannot Sleep (2018), they have been involved in productions of Hansel and Gretel, Street Scene, Shrek the Musical, and will be in the upcoming CalArts production of the a cappella opera Sweat in March 2019. Socks recently played the lead role of Valerie at CalArts in the premiere of We Are Here, an original musical written in collaboration with Evan Johnson.

Ryan Martin is a playwright, composer, and lyricist based in Chicago, Illinois. His original musical The Incredible Six Thousand-Foot Ladder to Heaven was produced at the 2019 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, where it was recognized with six awards including Best Book, Best Music, and Best of the Festival. His work has also appeared at the Purple Crayon Players’ PLAYground Festival of New Works, and was selected as a finalist for UC Davis’s Ground and Field Theatre Festival. He is a recent graduate of Northwestern University where he was honored with the Craig Carnelia Award for achievement in songwriting for his work on Waa-Mu: Beyond Belief. You can find Ryan on Soundcloud, YouTube, Twitter, and (usually) in close proximity to strong coffee.

Shayna Toh is an author, composer, lyricist, performer and a junior at Brown University, double-concentrating in Music and International Relations. Her first musical, Firefly in the Light, was an Official Selection of the 2017 New York Musical Festival, with presentations at Playwrights Horizons, Off-Broadway. Shayna’s second musical, The Olive Trees, was staged in Brown in 2017. At age 11, her 15-minute winning play was showcased by the Singapore Repertory Theatre and she has been awarded multiple grants for her original theatrical productions and literary publications.

For additional information on the New Voices Project, visit NMI’s website (www.nmi.org) or contact Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry at admin@nmi.org; 818.506.8500.

(Los Angeles, January 1, 2019)  

If you’re under the age of 26, and you’re writing for musical theatre, New Musicals Inc. would love to hear from you.

New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles is sponsoring its seventh annual New Voices Project, in which young playwrights, composers and lyricists receive workshops and concerts of their work, with support from the Helen & Jose Colton Foundation, and feedback sessions from executives from Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment and New Musicals Inc.

Selected finalists will have their work presented at an in-house concert at NMI in April and will receive critical feedback from industry professionals. After an opportunity to revise their work, selections by finalists will be presented in concert in Los Angeles in the summer of 2019.

Writers are encouraged to submit up to three selections, either from a single work, or separate works, for a total of 20 minutes of material. The staff of New Musicals Inc. will select up to six teams of writers for presentation and critique.

“We’re looking for writers in whom we see potential,” says NMI’s Executive Director Scott Guy. “We’re not pigeon-holing that potential: that is, we’re not looking for ‘Broadway musical’ writers per se, or ‘ground-breaking’ or ‘commercial’ or ‘avant-garde’. We’re looking for writers who are exploring their voices through the blend of music and voice. The stronger your voice and vision are, the more likely we’re going to respond to your work.”

Previous New Voices Project winners were: Charlie Oh, Ross Baum, Monica Hannush, Julian Drucker, Natalie Stewart Elder, John Ervin Brooks, Anderson Cook, Amanda D’Archangelis, Luke Davidson, David Gomez, Cristian Guerrero, Edison Hong, Jonathan Horn, Oliver Houser, Oscar Jacques, David Lancelle, Ariel Mitchell, Andrew Moorhead, Jude Obermüller, Eliot Rhys, Steven Schmidt, Jackson Teeley, Rebekah Allen, Ben Boecker, Benedict Braxton-Smith, Claire McKenzie and Scott Gilmour, Blake Dylan Pilger, Alex Ratner and Laurel Durning-Hammond, Marina Toft and Benji Goldsmith, Zach Spound, Jacob Combs & Madeline Myers, Bill Nelson and Joseph Trefler, Michael Finke, Mark Sonnenblick, Andre Catrini, Sam Chanse and Bob Kelly, Ben Boecker, Danny K. Bernstein, Santino De Angelo, Zach Zadek, Amar Benkhoukha, Ion Constantine, Nick Jester, Christopher Byron Pratt, and Noah Reece.

Writers may apply online at https://nmi.org/develop/new-voices-project/

Timeline:
Open for Submissions: January 1, 2019
Deadline for Submissions: February 15, 2019
Winners Announced: March 1, 2019

There is no application fee. For finalists who are not Los Angeles locals, participation will be available via video conferencing.

(Los Angeles, December 18, 2017)  

Another video from the Stages Musical Theatre Festival was just released this week.  New Musicals Inc. aired 51 hours of live streamcast footage of musical theatre readings, concerts, creative sessions, as well as interviews with writers and producers, all part of the most recent Stages Musical Theatre Festival.  The Festival ran for fifteen years in Chicago before New Musicals Inc. brought it to the West Coast about a decade ago.

The featured videos at NMI this week are interviews with Zack Zadek (New Voice Project 2014) and the writing team of Bill Nelson and Joseph Trefler (New Voices Project 2015). These interviews are part of a series with producers and writers of new musical theatre, originally streamed live during the 2017 Stages Musical Theatre Festival.

Check it out at https://nmi.org/the-front-row/

New Musicals Inc. studies, creates and produces new musicals.  The Stages Musical Theatre Festival is one of many programs and events which NMI hosts.

This week’s featured video, as well as many other musical-theatre-related videos, can be viewed at NMI’s FRONT ROW page at https://nmi.org/the-front-row/

(Los Angeles, December 11, 2017)  

Another video from the Stages Musical Theatre Festival was just released this week.  New Musicals Inc. aired 51 hours of live streamcast footage of musical theatre readings, concerts, creative sessions, as well as interviews with writers and producers, all part of the most recent Stages Musical Theatre Festival.  The Festival ran for fifteen years in Chicago before New Musicals Inc. brought it to the West Coast about a decade ago.

NMI’s featured video release this week is the 2017 Hollywood Fringe Festival production of  “Curses”: a charming cautionary tale about a woman from the neighboring shtetl with the uncanny ability to have her curses come true. Book & Lyrics by Harriet Belkin, Music by Sandy Shanin, Based on a short story by Norman Belkin. Starring: Toni-Lynn Chaco, Kelly Coughlin, Patrick Geringer, Tedd Szeto, Orlando Perez, and Lia Peros. Director — Elise Dewsberry.  Music Director — Emily Cohn.  Stage Manager — Morgan Aiken.  Cellist — Cameron Stone.  Presented in June of 2017.

New Musicals Inc. studies, creates and produces new musicals.  The Stages Musical Theatre Festival is one of many programs and events which NMI hosts.

This week’s featured video, as well as many other musical-theatre-related videos, can be viewed at NMI’s FRONT ROW page at https://nmi.org/the-front-row/

(Los Angeles, December 4, 2017)  

Another video from the Stages Musical Theatre Festival was just released this week.  New Musicals Inc. aired 51 hours of live streamcast footage of musical theatre readings, concerts, creative sessions, as well as interviews with writers and producers, all part of the most recent Stages Musical Theatre Festival.  The Festival ran for fifteen years in Chicago before New Musicals Inc. brought it to the West Coast about a decade ago.

NMI’s featured video release this week is an interview with Tony nominated bookwriter Cheri Steinkellner (Sister Act). This interview is part of a series with producers and writers of new musical theatre, originally streamed live during the 2017 Stages Musical Theatre Festival.

Check it out at https://nmi.org/the-front-row/

New Musicals Inc. studies, creates and produces new musicals.  The Stages Musical Theatre Festival is one of many programs and events which NMI hosts.

This week’s featured video, as well as many other musical-theatre-related videos, can be viewed at NMI’s FRONT ROW page at https://nmi.org/the-front-row/

(Los Angeles, November 27, 2017)  

Another video from the Stages Musical Theatre Festival was just released this week.  New Musicals Inc. aired 51 hours of live streamcast footage of musical theatre readings, concerts, creative sessions, as well as interviews with writers and producers, all part of the most recent Stages Musical Theatre Festival.  The Festival ran for fifteen years in Chicago before New Musicals Inc. brought it to the West Coast about a decade ago.

NMI’s featured video release this week is NMI’s Hollywood Fringe Festival production of the film noir detective spoof KANTATA KOFFEE KOMPANY. Book & Lyrics by John Piraino, Music & Lyrics by Jerry A. Ranger. Featuring Caity Ware, Allen Corben, Alexandra Nicole G-Smith, Tomas Dakan, Richard Lewis Warren, and Ken Patton. Directed by Warren Davis, Music Director Kevin Mathie; Stage Manager - Jerry A. Blackburn. Presented in June of 2017.

New Musicals Inc. studies, creates and produces new musicals.  The Stages Musical Theatre Festival is one of many programs and events which NMI hosts.

This week’s featured video, as well as many other musical-theatre-related videos, can be viewed at NMI’s FRONT ROW page at https://nmi.org/the-front-row/

(Los Angeles, November 21, 2017)  

Another video from the Stages Musical Theatre Festival was just released this week.  New Musicals Inc. aired 51 hours of live streamcast footage of musical theatre readings, concerts, creative sessions, as well as interviews with writers and producers, all part of the most recent Stages Musical Theatre Festival.  The Festival ran for fifteen years in Chicago before New Musicals Inc. brought it to the West Coast about a decade ago.

NMI’s featured video releases this week are interviews with Joe Barros (Artistic Director of New York Theatre Barn) and Jeff Herbst (Artistic Director of Nothern Sky Theatre in Wisconsin). Both of these organizations are very involved in the development of new musicals.

New Musicals Inc. studies, creates and produces new musicals.  The Stages Musical Theatre Festival is one of many programs and events which NMI hosts.

This week’s featured video, as well as many other musical-theatre-related videos, can be viewed at NMI’s FRONT ROW page at https://nmi.org/the-front-row/

(Los Angeles, November 15, 2017)  

Winners of the prestigious international Search for New Musicals were announced today at New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles.

First Prize goes to Bravo with book and lyrics by Cristian Guerrero and Andrew Moorhead, and music and lyrics by Steven Schmidt .

Second Prize goes to Alexander with book and lyrics by Gabriel Rotello, and music by Gabriel Rotello based upon the piano sonatas of Ludwig Van Beethoven.

Third Prize goes to Santa Returns with book, music, and lyrics by Stefan Broadley.

The Search for New Musicals accepts entrants from around the globe; winners receive awards worth up to $25,000 in workshop productions, concert readings, feedback, and developmental support.

“We are thrilled to sponsor the Search,” says Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of NMI. “We love seeing what writers are creating; and of course our mission is to nurture the folks who are writing musicals, so announcing the winners of the Search is one of my favorite things to do all year!”

Bravo takes place in Italy during the second World War.  It tells the story of Renzo, a sharp tongued and misunderstood fourteen year old, who struggles to fit in with his peers in a faction of the Mussolini Fascist Youth movement. When he finds himself helping a group of Jewish children hiding in the tunnels beneath the city, he begins to question whether or not the hate he’s been taught is morally right.

Alexander is about the life of the infamous Alexander the Great - focussing on his relationship with his mystical mother Queen Olympias (who believes Alexander is the son of Zeus); and his best friend Hephastion (who dreams of a world united by the ideals of ancient Greece).  Hailed in Asia as a living god, Alexander begins to believe in his own divinity, setting in motion an epic betrayal of his Greek ideals, his Macedonian companions, and his oldest friend Hephastion.

Santa Returns is the adult parable of little doubting Tommy who becomes a true believer after meeting Santa (in a dream), and forms a club with his friends to preach the good news. But a war breaks out with the evil Easter Bunny believers, and the Santa kids steal their toys on Christmas Eve expecting Santa to return to prove them right. But only when Tommy gets knocked unconscious does Santa return and reveal that (like god) he’s spiritually, not literally true.

Bravo, which was featured at this summer’s STAGES Festival of New Musicals (as part of the New Voices Project), will receive a workshop with the Academy Repertory Company and a concert reading in Los Angeles.  Alexander will receive a staff evaluation.  Santa Returns will receive a Detailed Analysis from an NMI dramaturge.

NMI is committed to an ongoing search to find and nurture promising new musical theatre. If you’ve written a musical, and you would like some honest, constructive, detailed feedback on how to make your musical better, you can submit your musical to NMI for dramaturgical feedback at levels from evaluation to analysis to table reading to workshop to concert reading.

Past winners of the Search have included: The Water by Jeff Hylton, Tim Werenko, and Georgia Stitt (2008); Greenbrier Ghost by Susan Murray and Clay Zambo (2009); Gilbert & Sullivan on Wall Street by Charles Veley and Arthur Sullivan (2010); Emerald by Chris Burgess and Denise Wright (2011); Mad Bomber by Charles Monagan and Richard deRosa (2012); It Happened in Roswell by Terrence Atkins and Jeffery Lyle Segal (2013); Off the Wall by Sarah Rebell and Danny Abosch (2014), Invisible by David Hollingsworth and David Orris (2015), and Spellbound: A F@#$*d-Up Fairy Tale by Ben Boecker (2016).

All musicals submitted (at any level) to NMI by July 15, 2018 will be automatically entered in the Search for New Musicals for next season. Winners of the 2018 Search will be announced by November 15, 2018. The winner of the Search receives a workshop with the Academy Repertory Company, detailed feedback from the NMI staff, and a concert reading in Los Angeles.

Information on submitting to the Search is available by visiting www.nmi.org.

(Los Angeles, November 13, 2017)  

Another video from the Stages Musical Theatre Festival was just released this week.  New Musicals Inc. aired 51 hours of live streamcast footage of musical theatre readings, concerts, creative sessions, as well as interviews with writers and producers, all part of the most recent Stages Musical Theatre Festival.  The Festival ran for fifteen years in Chicago before New Musicals Inc. brought it to the West Coast about a decade ago.

NMI’s featured video release this week is NMI’s Hollywood Fringe Festival production of THANKSGIVING IN ITHACA; book and lyrics by Mitch Glaser, music by Joseph Blodgett.  This mini-opera is an irreverant retelling of the final scene of the Odyssey. Starring Tedd Szeto, Amber Hurst Martin, Shannon Martinous, Chandler Reed, Robert Leh, Pamela Welky Paul, Kila Packett, and Heidi Elisabeth Appe. Directed by Elise Dewsberry; Music Direction by Emily Cohn; Stage Managed by Morgan Aiken; Cellist - Cameron Stone.  You can also check out an INTERVIEW with the writers, Mitch and Joe.

New Musicals Inc. studies, creates and produces new musicals.  The Stages Musical Theatre Festival is one of many programs and events which NMI hosts.

This week’s featured video, as well as many other musical-theatre-related videos, can be viewed at NMI’s FRONT ROW page at https://nmi.org/the-front-row/

(Los Angeles, November 6, 2017)  

Another video from the Stages Musical Theatre Festival was just released this week.  New Musicals Inc. aired 51 hours of live streamcast footage of musical theatre readings, concerts, creative sessions, as well as interviews with writers and producers, all part of the most recent Stages Musical Theatre Festival.  The Festival ran for fifteen years in Chicago before New Musicals Inc. brought it to the West Coast about a decade ago.

The featured video release this week is NMI’s Hollywood Fringe Festival production of HOLLYWOOD FOREVER; book and lyrics by Robin Share, music by Ross Kalling.  This charming short musical tells the story of two Hollywood teen stars who meet up again 50 years later. Starring John Sparks and Gwen Hillier. Directed by Jessica Snow Wilson; music directed by Jan Roper; stage managed by Jerry A. Blackburn.

New Musicals Inc. studies, creates and produces new musicals.  The Stages Musical Theatre Festival is one of many programs and events which NMI hosts.

This week’s featured video, as well as many other musical-theatre-related videos, can be viewed at NMI’s FRONT ROW page at https://nmi.org/the-front-row/

(Los Angeles, October 30, 2017)  

Another video from the Stages Musical Theatre Festival was just released this week.  New Musicals Inc. aired 51 hours of live streamcast footage of musical theatre readings, concerts, creative sessions, as well as interviews with writers and producers, all part of the most recent Stages Musical Theatre Festival.  The Festival ran for fifteen years in Chicago before New Musicals Inc. brought it to the West Coast about a decade ago.

This week’s video is the concert reading of the new musical Spellbound: A Perfect Musical Fairytale, written by Ben Boecker. This musical was the winner of the 2017 SEARCH FOR NEW MUSICALS and received a workshop with the Academy Repertory Company prior to the concert reading as part of the STAGES Festival on Sunday, July 30, 2017. Starring Conchita Belisle Newman, Christopher Maikish, Sari Rose Barron, Jordan Goodsell, Elise Dewsberry, Andrea Press, and Lia Peros. With Ron Barnett at the piano.

New Musicals Inc. studies, creates and produces new musicals.  The Stages Musical Theatre is one of many programs and events which NMI hosts.

This week’s featured video, as well as many other musical-theatre-related videos, can be viewed at NMI’s FRONT ROW page at https://nmi.org/the-front-row/

(Los Angeles, October 23, 2017)  

Another video from the Stages Musical Theatre Festival was just released this week.  New Musicals Inc. aired 51 hours of live streamcast footage of musical theatre readings, concerts, creative sessions, as well as interviews with writers and producers, all part of the most recent Stages Musical Theatre Festival.  The Festival ran for fifteen years in Chicago before New Musicals Inc. brought it to the West Coast about a decade ago.

This week’s video is an interview with Amy Engelhardt, the co-creator of the recent Off-Broadway musical BASTARD JONES.  Amy used a unique crowd-funding model to help finance the commercial run.

New Musicals Inc. studies, creates and produces new musicals.  The Stages Musical Theatre is one of many programs and events which NMI hosts.

This week’s featured video, as well as many other musical-theatre-related videos, can be viewed at NMI’s FRONT ROW page at https://nmi.org/the-front-row/

(Los Angeles, October 4, 2017)  

Another video from the Stages Musical Theatre Festival was just released this week.  New Musicals Inc. aired 51 hours of live streamcast footage of musical theatre readings, concerts, creative sessions, as well as interviews with writers and producers, all part of the most recent Stages Musical Theatre Festival.  The Festival ran for fifteen years in Chicago before New Musicals Inc. brought it to the West Coast about a decade ago.

This week’s video is an intimate creative discussion and interview with Broadway producers Tim Kashani and Pamela Winslow Kashani, from Apples and Oranges Productions, producing such Broadway hits as An American In Paris, Hair and Memphis.  They also run Apples & Oranges Studio, which supports and develops new musicals, most notably through its Musical Theater Accelerator.

New Musicals Inc. studies, creates and produces new musicals.  The Stages Musical Theatre is one of many programs and events which NMI hosts.

This week’s featured video, as well as many other musical-theatre-related videos, can be viewed at NMI’s FRONT ROW page at https://nmi.org/the-front-row/

(Los Angeles, September 8, 2017)  

New Musicals Inc. is now accepting applications from musical theatre bookwriters, lyricists, and composers to take part in an open audition for the Core Curriculum - NMI’s Musical Theatre Writers’ Workshop based in Los Angeles.

Bookwriters, lyricists, and composers interested in joining the Core Curriculum for the 2017/18 season are invited to audition by taking part in the September and October sessions.

“We’ll put all applicants on collaborative teams in September, and give them assignments that are due in October,” says Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of New Musicals Inc., “After the October session, we will evaluate whether or not the Core Curriculum is the right place for each writer.”

Successful applicants will then take part in monthly workshops through fall and winter, working with new collaborators each month. In the late spring, writers are paired one final time for a 15 minute musical, produced by NMI in a Los Angeles theatre with professional actors.

Bookwriters, lyricists and composers can apply online to reserve a space for the September auditions, or can simply show up at 5628 Vineland Avenue, North Hollywood, on Saturday, September 16th at 10:00am.

Writers can also take part from long-distance via live video-conference on September 16 (10am to 2pm PST) and 17 (2:30pm-6:30pm PST).  (For information on how to join us via video-conference, please email admin@nmi.org)

“We’ve had an overwhelming response this season, with our largest ever group of potential participants already registered to take part in our September auditions,” says NMI Executive Director Scott Guy. “We can still accept more registrations during this next week, but the competition for participation is going to be pretty strong for the 2017-18 season, and we are looking forward to a very exciting year.”

The heart of the writers’ workshop at NMI is the Core Curriculum, in which composers, bookwriters and lyricists are matched together in different teams each month, and each month write a song or a scene based on an assigned text. The curriculum studies both contemporary and historical musicals, giving writers and composers the chance to create traditional and cutting-edge musicals, while studying contemporary variations of timeless ballads, charm songs, comedy songs and musical scenes.

Throughout the decades, the writers workshop has trained over 400 writers, who have gone on to created hundreds of successful musicals all across the country and the world.

For more information, visit www.nmi.org and click on STUDY. The direct link is: http://www.nmi.org/study/core-curriculum/

(Los Angeles, July 20, 2017)  

A twenty-year musical theatre tradition will be streamed live for the first time this year.  New Musicals Inc. will host the 20^th STAGES FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS from July 28^th through July 30^th in North Hollywood, and streamcast it across the globe.

For the first time since its inception, the STAGES Festival will feature streaming of live and recorded new musical theatre events 24/7 beginning at 7:00pm on Friday July 28 and continue through Sunday evening July 30th.

“For years, we’ve been presenting the STAGES Festival for years as a one or two weekend marathon of readings of new musicals,” says NMI Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry, “but this year we’re reaching out to a broader audience from outside the local LA area.”

The live events include the New Voices Project Concert, featuring writers under age 26 (Friday, July 28 at 7:00pm); a concert reading of Michael Shapiro’s The Bully Problem, developed through NMI’s Sandbox developmental program (Saturday, July 29 at 8pm); and a concert reading of the winner of the 2017 Search for New Musicals, Spellbound! A F@$&ked-Up Musical Fairy Tale, by Ben Boecker (Sunday, July 30 at 7:30pm).  All live events will take place at New Musicals Inc., 5628 Vineland Avenue in North Hollywood.  (Visit the NMI website for info and reservations).

“For the 20th anniversary of Stages Festival,” says NMI Executive Director Scott Guy, “We thought we should do something really ambitious and new.  We’ve spent the last couple of months recording over 40 interviews with musical theatre professionals and collecting footage from various sources, including twelve musicals which were part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival in June.  We’ve been driven to have continuous programming streaming all weekend long.”

Interviews with writers, producers and theatre artists recorded especially for the Stages Festival include:

• Broadway producer Ken Davenport (The Producer’s Perspective Blog); along with a lecture from Ken recorded at NMI’s Biz of the Musical Theatre Biz Conference last summer;
• Broadway writing team Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner (FIRST DATE and SECOND HAND LIONS);
• Amy Engelhardt, co-creator of the new Off-Broadway musical BASTARD JONES; along with a promo video for the show;
• Joe Baros, Artistic Director of New York Theatre Barn; along with video clips from NY Theatre Barn presentations;
• Andrew Panton (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) and David Bell (American Musical Theatre Project at Northwestern University) about their ground breaking new collaboration;
• Victoria Bussert, Director of Musical Theatre at Baldwin Wallace University in Ohio;
• J. Dawson, Artistic Producer of 3D Theatricals in Orange County, California;
• Kevin Saunders Hayes and Victoria Levy, along with videos from their amazing soon-to-be-Off-Broadway musical/silent movie mashup VOX LUMIERE
• Kellen Blair, co-creator of the Off Broadway musical MURDER FOR TWO, along with the documentary he shot when he went through the 15 Minute Musical process at NMI;
• Amy Corcoran of London’s Aria Entertainment;
• Kate Galvin, Associate Producer at 11th Hour Theatre in Philadelphia;
• Marco Gomez, Artistic Director of DOMA Theatre Company in Los Angeles, along with footage from their world premiere of the new musical DORIAN’S DESCENT
• Jeff Herbst, Artistic Director of Northern Sky Theatre in Wisconsin, along with an interview from Richard Castle and Matthew Levine, writers of OKLAHOMA IN WISCONSIN which just received its world premiere at Northern Sky;
• Broadway producer Cody Lassen (SPRING AWAKENING);
• Cheri Steinkellner, Tony nominee as co-bookwriter for Broadway’s SISTER ACT; including Cheri’s TED TALK on how to make your writing funnier;
• Josh Katzker, Artistic Associate from Fingerlakes Music Festival in New York
• Betsy King-Militello, Executive Director of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) in New York;
• Rick Boynton, Creative Producer at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, along with promo footage from three of the many world premiere musicals produced at Chicago Shakes
• Donna Lynn Hilton, Line Producer at Goodspeed Musicals in Connecticut;
• Robb Hunt, Executive Producer of the Village Theatre in Issaquah, Washington;
• Gabrielle Wagner and Julie Weiner, from the creative team behind CITY OF LIGHT which received a world premiere production this past month in New York;
• Tim Kashani and Pamela Winslow Kashani of Apples and Oranges Studios;
• Kent Nicholson, Director of Musical Theatre at Playwrights Horizons in New York;
• Michael Rubinoff, Producer at the Canadian Musical Theatre Project at Sheridan College in Toronto (and the man who commissioned and developed the Tony nominated new musical COME FROM AWAY).

Additional programming includes

• Footage from all twelve of the brand new short musicals produced by NMI under the umbrella of 1001 Minutes of New Musicals at the Hollywood Fringe Festival last month; as well as interviews with many of the creative teams from the shows
• Interviews with winners of NMI’s New Voices Project including Anderson Cook and Amanda D’Archangelis; Ariel Mitchell and Edison Hong; Oliver Houser; Eliot Rhys and Oscar Jacques; Jackson Teeley; Santino D’Angelo, Bill Nelson and Joseph Trefler, and Zack Zadek
• A host of fabulous new musical theatre songs written by writers all over the country and performed as part of the cabaret A LITTLE NEW MUSIC in Los Angeles
• “The Customer Is Always Right” and “I Quit!” – two “pop-up” musicals produced by New Musicals Inc;
• Tips and lectures on the craft of writing musical theatre from NMI staff
• The five part musical webseries “Coffee Quintet” by NMI writers Chana Wise and Carl Johnson;
• An insider’s look at a series of brand new songs written on the occasion of NMI Artistic Director’s 60^th birthday by NMI writers including Lori Jaroslow and Morgan Hollingsworth, Larry Todd Cousineau and Cindy O’Connor, Chana Wise and Cindy O’Connor, Jake Anthony, Ron Barnett, and Mitch Glaser and Bryan Blaskie.

Reservation for the live events, as well as program information and the link to the streamcast can be found at https://nmi.org/stages-musical-theatre-festival-2017/

(Los Angeles, June 5, 2017)  

New Musicals Inc. has just been awarded the Pick of the Fringe award.

Pick of the Fringe is Combined Artform and Fringe Management’s fourth year of offering this prestigious award.  Modeled after Edenborough’s similarly-named award, independent judges are sent to see productions across every genre, and then live highlights are presented from five different top Fringe shows.  Historically, many of their choices have gone on to win major awards, including several Encore winners.

“We’re thrilled and honored to be selected for Pick of the Fringe,” says Elise Dewsberry, NMI’s Artistic Director.  “We’ve been honing our musicals for several months, and now that audiences are beginning to flock to see them, it’s very rewarding to see the writers’ work recognized.”

NMI is producing four productions at the Hollywood Fringe this season, each comprised of three unique one-acts.  Production C has been chosen as Pick of the Fringe.  Production C features The Wedding Night, book by Jana Hejdukova, music by Stephen Coleman, lyrics by Keith Dale Gordon; Curses, book and lyrics by Harriet Belkin, music by Sandy Shanin, based on a short story by Norman Belkin; and Thanksgiving in Ithaca, book and lyrics by Mitch Glaser, music by Joe Blodgett.

Production C has already sold out one of its performances, and the remaining performances on June 14 at 9pm, June 15 at 7:30pm, June 18 at 3pm, and June 23 at 9pm are selling out quickly.  Tickets may be purchased through the Hollywood Fringe website:  www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/4412.

The other productions, named Production A, Production B, and Production D feature nine other one-act musicals written specifically for the Fringe Festival.  The one acts have a large range of topics and styles: from film noir parody, goofy nerd zombie role-playing, to R-rated naughtier fare about fetishes and video voyeurism.

(Los Angeles, May 26, 2017)  

New Musicals Inc. and the Academy for New Musical Theatre are joining forces to present an extraordinary conference for musical theatre writers, entirely online, over a two-week period from July 10-27, 2017. The conference will focus on the craft of writing musical theatre, as writers get the chance to write/collaborate, receive critique, rewrite, attend lectures about the craft of writing for musical theatre, and finally see their works presented in concert in front of an audience.

“We’re designing this conference to take place entirely online,” explains NMI’s Executive Director Scott Guy, “So writers can participate from anywhere in the world. We have the capability of including as many as 24 simultaneous video streams, but lectures will be recorded, in case time zones are an issue.”

After an inspiring keynote speaker to launch the conference, writers will present material for feedback, followed by a lecture. At the end of the first day, writers will be teamed with collaborators and given a scene/song which will be due on the third day of the conference. NMI will present the material live in Los Angeles, followed by feedback and then another lecture. There will then be a second scene/song with new collaborators, followed by a second round of presentation and feedback.

The second week of the conference will team collaborators together to write a ten minute musical, with a few sessions of feedback, culminating in a rehearsed presentation in front of an invited audience.

Depending on the success of the final presentation, NMI might include screening of the ten-minute conference musicals during Stages Musical Theatre Festival in the weekend which immediately follows the conference.

“It’s a very exciting opportunity not only for the writers, but for us,” says Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry. “We get to work with writers all around the world, and everyone gets to work with three sets of potential collaborators. Plus, we’re all gathered together talking about the craft of writing musicals, discussing what’s important, what’s trending, and what’s the future of musical theatre.”

The conference takes place July 10-23, online, although participants MAY attend in person at NMI’s workshops in North Hollywood. Rehearsals for the ten-minute musicals will be July 24-25, with presentation on July 26th.

Registration closes June 21; the cost of registration is $450. Participation is limited and by invitation only. To be considered for the conference, writers should email admin@nmi.org with a brief resume, artistic statement, and an indication of which craft the writer would like to focus on for the conference (pick one): bookwriter, composer, lyricist.

(Los Angeles, March 3, 2017)  

New Musicals Inc. is proud to announce that nine writing teams (with a total of 17 writers and composers) have been selected to participate in the 2017 New Voices Project, a musical theatre development program hosted by New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles (with support from Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment), now in its fifth year.

The New Voices Project is offered to a select group young musical theatre playwrights, composers and lyricists under the age of 26, who receive workshops, readings, and concerts of their work.

“We had a record number of submissions this year,” explains Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of New Musicals Inc., “and we are excited to be able to offer support to so many of these young and talented artists.”

All of the teams will receive workshops and feedback with NMI’s resident theatre ensemble, the Academy Repertory Company, and will then have excerpts of their work presented as part of the STAGES Festival of New Musicals this summer.

“Being a part of [the New Voices Project] was an incredibly informative experience.” says Chris Bryon Pratt, NVP 2013 winner. “Having my material performed then dissected gave me a very clear picture of what I can improve on as a writer. I think workshops such as the New Voices Project are so monumental to young aspiring writers because the panel gives fabulous critical feedback.”

The teams chosen to participate this year are:

• Amanda D’Archangelis and Anderson Cook
• Ariel Mitchell and Edison Hong
• Cristian Guerrero, Andrew Moorhead, and Steven Schmidt
• Eliot Rhys and Oscar Jacques
• Jackson Teeley
• Jonathan Horn and Luke Davidson
• Jude Obermüller and David Gomez
• Marina Toft, David Lancelle
• Oliver Houser

The public can see a selection of works from the New Voices Project as part of the STAGES Festival of New Musicals, currently scheduled to take place at the end of July, 2017.

“New Musicals Inc. offers a great opportunity to get the exposure that all young writers so desperately need.” says Santino DeAngelo, 2014 NVP winner. “The New Voices Project was my first chance to have my writing scrutinized by industry professionals and, throughout the course of the project, they really helped to shape the professional standards that I hold myself to today.”

Additional information about this year’s New Voices writers:

Anderson Cook is a playwright and lyricist currently pursuing an MFA in Dramatic Writing at Carnegie Mellon University. His musicals have appeared at the PIT (NYC), the Reckless Theatre (NYC), the Boston Conservatory, and will appear next season at Dad’s Garage and in Stockholm, Sweden.

Amanda D’Archangelis is a New York based actress, composer, and performer currently in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. Her music has been performed by The Boston Gay Men’s Chorus, featured in the Musematch series at 54 Below, and in the NYMF song cycle, Outliers.

Ariel Mitchell has a BA in Playwriting (Music minor) from Brigham Young University and an MFA in Musical Theatre Writing NYU. She was awarded the KCACTF Harold and Mimi Steinberg 2013 National Student Playwriting Award, and the 2011 Vera Hinckley Mayhew Award.

Edison Hong, a New York and São Paulo based composer, is a proud recipient of the Richie Jackson Fellowship, and has been chosen for Prospect Theatre’s Musical Theatre Lab and the National Asian Artists Project’s Discover Series. He received his MFA at the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at NYU.

Cristian Guerrero is an LA based actor and writer who holds his B.F.A in Acting from Chapman University, is currently a teaching artist at Theatre 360 Performing Arts Academy in Pasadena, and Co-Artistic Director of his theatre company founded with Moorhead and Schmidt, play/ground theatre company.

Andrew Moorhead is an LA based writer, actor, and director whose original work has been produced at Berkeley Repertory Theater and The Actor’s Company in West Hollywood. He holds a BFA in screen-acting from Chapman University, and is currently the co-artistic director of play/ground theatre company (which he founded with Guerrero and Schmidt).

Steven Schmidt is a writer, musician, and educator from the Los Angeles area who has a BMA in arranging and composition from Azusa Pacific University, is the Music Director of play/ground theatre company in Hollywood, and currently teaches at the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus and Balboa Magnate Elementary.

Eliot Rhys and Oscar Jacques are writing partners working out of Edinburgh known for their short films that have been finalists at festivals such as Edinburgh International Film Festival. Eliot is an award-winning composer, and Oscar is a veteran musical-theatre performer.

Jackson Teeley is a musical theatre writer and performer who currently lives in Brooklyn and is participating in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.

Luke Davidson is in his final semester at Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY where he is studying to receive his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre. He has acted in a variety of roles and performed in numerous venues across Minnesota and areas of New York.

Jonathan Horn is set to graduate in May 2017 with two degrees – one in Theatre, and one in Music – from the University of Northwestern in St. Paul, MN. He has served as an actor, director, musical director, and accompanist for productions in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, and has released an album of piano music, including several original pieces.

David Gomez is a NYC based composer/lyricist, and librettist whose first mini-musical debuted at Joe’s Pub, and whose second musical was selected for a developmental lab through the Pace New Musicals program. Rumple, his newest musical with Jude, has been selected to debut in Kansas City in 2018 through MTKC.

Jude Obermüller recently won the Menken Remixed competition at City Center and had several works included in NYMF’s 2016 season. He is the music director/arranger for Frances Ruffelle and has provided several arrangements for Cynthia Erivo. Bardo, his musical webseries will be filmed and recorded this year in the UK.

Marina Toft is a lyricist and bookwriter who is currently an MFA candidate at NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing program. With composer Benji Goldsmith, she was a 2016 New Voices Project finalist with NMI and Walt Disney Imagineering.

David Lancelle is a composer who is currently an MFA candidate at NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing program. His 10-minute musical, The Qualms, was produced at Barrington Stage last summer.

Oliver Houser is an actor and musical theatre writer who is a recent graduate of the Macaulay Honors Program at Hunter College and is a member of ASCAP, MTF, and the Advanced BMI musical theater workshop.

For additional information on the New Voices Project, visit NMI’s website (www.nmi.org) or contact Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry at admin@nmi.org; 818.506.8500.

(Los Angeles, January 18, 2017)  

New Musicals Inc. is launching an online conference for musical theatre writers, focusing on business issues such as contracts, fundraising, copyright, how to approach producers (and how not to approach producers).

Every other year, NMI hosts a national conference live in Los Angeles.  The online version features 19 videos of highlights from many of the conference panels.

“If you weren’t able to attend our conference in person, you missed a lot!” says NMI’s Executive Director Scott Guy.  “It was a jam-packed three-day weekend of musical theatre panels, schmoozing, learning, eating, drinking, and networking.”

The August conference featured writers, attorneys, producers, artistic directors, actors, composers, and other theatre artists and industry experts.  One of the keynote speakers of the 2016 conference was Ken Davenport of Davenport Theatricals (Spring Awakening, Grease, Altar Boyz, Daddy Long Legs, etc.)  Davenport gave lots of practical advice, insights and strategies to writers about producing, fundraising and marketing new musicals.  The online conference excerpts five of Davenport’s hottest topics, and two “case studies” from among conference participants he advised for everyone to hear.

Entertainment attorneys Gordon Firemark and Michael Blaha gave us thousands of dollars’ worth of advice about the legal aspects of musical theatre including topics such as collaboration agreements, permissions and rights, and merger in three excerted videos.

NMI’s artistic director Elise Dewsberry says that NMI has been contemplating creating an online version of the conference since its inception in 2008.  “We always hope writers will attend in person, because the networking is so fantastic.  Writers get to rub shoulders with producers, directors, writers, entertainment attorneys, money-raisers, and dramaturgs…it’s an experience you can’t duplicate online.  But for those writers who can’t attend in person, we’re hoping the online version is the next best thing.”

Online viewers will miss the opportunity to present their musicals directly to producers; but two of the online videos are from the panel with producers giving advice how to approach them.  Producers Daniel Henning, Michael Blaha, and Michael Michetti represent the Blank Theatre, Edinburgh Festival and Boston Court Theatre.

An additional set of seven videos feature tips and tricks from the screenwriting and television world, presented by Scott Guy (Disney, Warner Bros., NBC, PBS, etc.).

The online conference costs $195, which is a third of the cost of the full live conference ($595).  The NMI website features two free videos for visitors to sample before committing to the purchase of the entire online conference.

To see the free videos and register for the online conference, visit nmi.org, or the direct link:  https://nmi.org/develop/conference/2016-panel-videos-login/

(Los Angeles, January 15, 2017)  

If you’re under the age of 26, and you’re writing for musical theatre, Walt Disney Imagineering and New Musicals Inc. would love to hear from you.

New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles is sponsoring its fifth annual New Voices Project, in which young playwrights, composers and lyricists receive workshops and concerts of their work, with feedback sessions from executives from Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment and New Musicals Inc.

Selected finalists will have their work presented at NMI’s annual got musical concert in Los Angeles in the early spring.  Following the concert, finalists will receive critical feedback from industry professionals and be given the opportunity to revise their work.  The revised pieces will be presented as part of NMI’s STAGES Festival of New Musicals in the summer of 2017.

Writers are encouraged to submit up to three selections, either from a single work, or separate works, for a total of 20 minutes of material. The staff of New Musicals Inc. will select up to six teams of writers for presentation and critique.

The finalists work will be presented in concert at the Colony Theatre in Burbank, as part of NMI’s annual showcase, “got musical,” which features highlights of musicals in development at NMI; will receive feedback from the NMI staff and representatives from Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment; and the writers will then be given an opportunity to rewrite and resubmit in time to be presented as part of the STAGES Festival of New Musicals in the summer of 2017.

“We’re looking for writers in whom we see potential,” says NMI’s Executive Director Scott Guy. “We’re not pigeon-holing that potential: that is, we’re not looking for ‘Broadway musical’ writers per se, or ‘ground-breaking’ or ‘commercial’ or ‘avant-garde’. We’re looking for writers who are exploring their voices through the blend of music and voice. The stronger your voice and vision are, the more likely we’re going to respond to your work.”

Previous New Voices Project were: Rebekah Allen, Ben Boecker, Benedict Braxton-Smith, Claire McKenzie and Scott Gilmour, Blake Dylan Pilger, Alex Ratner and Laurel Durning-Hammond, Marina Toft and Benji Goldsmith, Zach Spound, Jacob Combs & Madeline Myers, Bill Nelson and Joseph Trefler, Michael Finke, Mark Sonnenblick, Andre Catrini, Sam Chanse and Bob Kelly, Ben Boecker, Amar Benkhoukha, Ion Constantine, Nick Jester, Christopher Byron Pratt, and Noah Reece.

“We have been continually impressed with the level of talent of the young writers who have submitted to the New Voices Project in the past,” says Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry. “As only one example, Ben Boecker was originally a Merit Finalist in 2015; then went on to be a finalist in 2016; and recently submitted to and won first prize in our annual Search for New Musicals.  This means that Ben’s musical Spellbound will be presented in its entirety as part of the STAGES Festival this summer.”

Writers may apply online at https://nmi.org/develop/new-voices-project/

Timeline:
Open for Submissions: January 1, 2017
Deadline for Submissions: February 15, 2017
Winners Announced: March 1, 2017

There is no application fee. NMI is hopeful that funds will be available to fly the winning participants to Los Angeles for the got musical presentation in April, but such funding is not yet secured.

(Los Angeles, November 15, 2016)  

Winners of the prestigious international Search for New Musicals were announced today at New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles.

First Prize goes to Spellbound! A Perfect Musical Fairytale with book, music, and lyrics by Ben Boecker.

Second Prize goes to WikiMusical with book and lyrics by Frank Ceruzzi and Blake J. Harris and music by Trent Jeffords.

Third Prize goes to Assistants with book, music, and lyrics by Bryan Blaskie and Manny Hagopian

The Search for New Musicals accepts entrants from around the globe; winners receive awards worth up to $25,000 in workshop productions, concert readings, feedback, and developmental support.

“We are thrilled to sponsor the Search,” says Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of NMI. “We love seeing what writers are creating; and of course our mission is to nurture the folks who are writing musicals, so announcing the winners of the Search is one of my favorite things to do all year!”

Spellbound! tells the story of Cedarella, a witch who identifies more with Princesses than Witches, so she runs away from home to seek her One True Love in the mountains. She meets an Extreme Gardener named Hunter, whom she likes but ultimately rejects because he is not tall enough. Cedarella finally meets her perfect One True Love only to discover that he is a robot designed by her evil aunts to suck all of the love out of her heart. Will Cedarella be able to meld her fairytale vision of love with the real world? Or will her evil aunts suck all of the love out of her heart before she can?

WikiMusical tells the epic tale of two estranged brothers who are magically zapped inside the Internet. The brothers must put aside their differences and come to terms with their pasts in order to save the future. A quintessential quest story, WikiMusical shows us how our obsession with the virtual world has affected our ability to live in the real one.

Assistants the Musical follows four aspiring Hollywood go-getters as they explore the superiority complex and the glamorous lifestyle of Los Angeles that seems to elevate its participants above “ordinary” people. They maneuver around long hours, degrading work, and hostile environments in the name of their big dream. All alone in the bustling city of L.A., the characters find that they may need some assistance of their own.

Spellbound!, which was featured at Got Musical (as part of the New Voices Project), will receive a workshop with the Academy Repertory Company and a concert reading in Los Angeles.  WikiMusical will receive a staff evaluation.  Assistants will receive a Detailed Analysis from an NMI dramaturge.

NMI is committed to an ongoing search to find and nurture promising new musical theatre. If you’ve written a musical, and you would like some honest, constructive, detailed feedback on how to make your musical better, you can submit your musical to NMI for dramaturgical feedback at levels from evaluation to analysis to table reading to workshop to concert reading.

Past winners of the Search have included: The Water by Jeff Hylton, Tim Werenko, and Georgia Stitt (2008); Greenbrier Ghost by Susan Murray and Clay Zambo (2009); Gilbert & Sullivan on Wall Street by Charles Veley and Arthur Sullivan (2010); Emerald by Chris Burgess and Denise Wright (2011); Mad Bomber by Charles Monagan and Richard deRosa (2012); It Happened in Roswell by Terrence Atkins and Jeffery Lyle Segal (2013); Off the Wall by Sarah Rebell and Danny Abosch (2014), and Invisible by David Hollingsworth and David Orris (2015).

All musicals submitted (at any level) to NMI by July 15, 2017 will be automatically entered in the Search for New Musicals for next season. Winners of the 2017 Search will be announced by November 15, 2017. The winner of the Search receives a workshop with the Academy Repertory Company, detailed feedback from the NMI staff, and a concert reading in Los Angeles.

Information on submitting to the Search is available by visiting www.nmi.org.

(Los Angeles, August 8, 2016)  

New Musicals Inc. is now accepting applications from musical theatre bookwriters, lyricists, and composers to take part in an open audition for the Core Curriculum - NMI’s Musical Theatre Writers’ Workshop in Los Angeles.

Bookwriters, lyricists, and composers interested in joining the Core Curriculum for the 2016/17 season are invited to audition by taking part in the September and October sessions. (September 17 & 18; October 15 & 16; from 2:30pm to 6:30pm PST)

“We’ll put all applicants on collaborative teams in September, and give them assignments that are due in October,” says Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of New Musicals Inc., “After the October session, we will evaluate whether or not the Core Curriculum is the right place for each writer.”

Successful applicants will then take part in monthly workshops through fall and winter, working with new collaborators each month. In the late spring, writers are paired one final time for a 15 minute musical, produced by NMI in a Los Angeles theatre with professional actors.

Bookwriters, lyricists and composers can apply online to reserve a space for the September auditions, or can simply show up at 5628 Vineland Avenue, North Hollywood, on Saturday, September 17th at 2:30pm.

Writers can also take part from long-distance via live video-conference on September 17 and 18 (2:30pm-6:30pm PST).  (For information on how to join us via video-conference, please email admin@nmi.org)

“During the 2015/16 season, we had nearly half of the workshop joining us via video-conference.” said Scott Guy, NMI’s Executive Director and author of the online Lyric Lab.  “Besides the group of local participants who were in the room with us every month, we also had writers taking part from New York, Atlanta, Santa Cruz, Australia and Edmonton, Canada.”

The heart of the writers’ workshop at NMI is the Core Curriculum, in which composers, bookwriters and lyricists are matched together in different teams each month, and each month write a song or a scene based on an assigned text. The curriculum studies both contemporary and historical musicals, giving writers and composers the chance to create traditional and cutting-edge musicals, while studying contemporary variations of timeless ballads, charm songs, comedy songs and musical scenes.

Throughout the decades, the writers workshop has trained over 400 writers, who have gone on to created hundreds of successful musicals all across the country and the world.

For more information, visit www.nmi.org and click on STUDY. The direct link is: http://www.nmi.org/study/core-curriculum/

(Los Angeles, July 5, 2016)  

New Musicals Inc. has announced a new panel “What Makes a Good Idea for a Musical?” as part of their sixth national conference for musical theatre writers in Burbank on July 22-24.  The Biz of the Musical Theatre Biz Conference is for musical theatre writers and producers focusing on the business side of the musical theatre business.   The conference features panels and networking with producers, directors, writers, entertainment attorneys, money-raisers, dramaturgs and other insider theatre professionals.

“We’ve had an overwhelming demand from our writers asking us how to know what makes a good musical, and how to avoid spending years and years and lots of money on a BAD idea,” says Elise Dewsberry, NMI’s Artistic Director.  Where can you find a good idea for a musical?  How do you know a good idea when you’ve found it?  How can you head off a problematic idea before you start?”

The new panel addresses these issues head on.  The panel assumes that conference participants don’t control the rights to blockbuster movies or novels, and so they are always on the lookout for compelling stories and characters which can drive their next musical.

NMI’s Executive Director Scott Guy will take writers and composers through a whirlwind of idea-generating techniques and resources, developed through his years as a television writer/producer at Disney, PBS, NBC and Warner Bros.

Fellow conference panelist and Broadway producer Ken Davenport says, “Maybe you haven’t yet heard of New Musicals Inc., but you should know them.  They run both a professional development branch, creating musicals for regional and local producers, as well as the Academy for New Musical Theatre, which has offered the fabled Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop on the West Coast since the days of Lehman Engel himself.  They’re also the ones who sponsor the New Voices Project for writers under the age of 26, as well as workshops, concerts, productions, and this writers’ conference.  I really support them and their mission.”

The new panel will take place on the third day of the conference, Sunday July 24th at 10:00am.  New Musicals Inc.’s Sixth Biennial Conference on the BIZ of the Musical Theatre BIZ is at the ANC conference center in Burbank, July 22-24.  To register or for more information, visit:  https://nmi.org/develop/conference/

(Los Angeles, July 1, 2016)  

Have you written a great new musical, and are you looking for feedback and/or an opportunity for a concert reading? Don’t miss the July 15 deadline for the annual Search for New Musicals at New Musicals Inc.

The Search for New Musicals accepts entries from around the globe; winners receive awards worth up to $25,000 in workshop productions, concert readings, feedback, and developmental support.

“We are thrilled to sponsor the Search,” says Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of NMI. “We love seeing what writers are creating; and of course our mission is to nurture the folks who are writing musicals, so I’m looking forward to seeing what submissions we will get this season.”

Established in 2008, the Search for New Musicals has awarded concert readings and/or workshops to promising new musicals including Invisible by David Hollingsworth and David Orris; Caroline and George by Michael Finke; Morality Play by Janet Burroway, Matthew M. Kiedrowski and Curtis Powell; Off the Wall by Sarah Rebell and Danny Abosch; The Anarchist Girli by J. Linn Allen and Cris Wo; It Happened in Roswell by Terrence Atkins and Jeffery Lyle Segal; The Looking Glass Wars by by Kurt Kuenne, based on the novel by Frank Beddor; Infamous by Karen M. Cohen and Stephen Kingsbury; Mad Bomber by Charles Monagan and Richard de Rosa; Emerald by Chris Burgess and Denise Wright; Chapter Eleven by Stephen Telfer; Gilbert & Sullivan on Wall Street by Charles Veley; The Water by Georgia Stitt, Jeff Hylton, and Tim Werenko; Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam, Jr., Chris Budinich, Diana Belkowski, Dan Tramon, and Carl Anthony Tramon; Girl Detective by Alan Gordon and Mark Sutton-Smith; Greenbrier Ghost by Susan Murray and Clay Zambo; The Next Fairy Tale by Brian Pugach; and Life After Life by Tracey Langran Corea and Thaddeus Corea.

If you’ve written a musical, and you would like some honest, constructive, detailed feedback on how to make your musical better, you can submit your musical to NMI for dramaturgical feedback at levels from evaluation to analysis to table reading to workshop to concert reading.

The submission deadline this season is July 15, 2016. All submissions will receive either an audio Overview Evaluation ($195 submission level) or an audio/video Detailed Analysis ($400 submission level), and will also be automatically entered into the Search contest.

“I’ve never received a more cogent and usable evaluation,” wrote Search writer Elliott Baker (author of The Tooth Fairy’s Daughter). “I’m very comfortable with the critique process but I have never finished reading a critique/evaluation with as much desire and energy to go to work on and polish a piece.”

“The evaluation was far more in-depth than I expected and seemed to cover all the key aspects of the show. Frankly, I found it more helpful than a staged reading would have been,” stated Search participant Barbara Campbell (bookwriter/lyricist of The Awakening). “This critique offered me far more in-depth comments into the basic ‘nuts and bolts’ than I have ever received to date.”

British writer Michael Dresser stated “The real value of this service is in its rarity: from genuine industry professionals who have the clarity and vision to provide feedback with no bias or agenda and which asks the right questions and suggestions to enable YOU to genuinely UNDERSTAND how to make your work a better piece of musical theatre - the long term benefits of which are incalculable!”

All entries will receive constructive dramaturgical feedback, and will be entered in the Search contest. The winner of the 2016 Search will be announced by November 16, and will receive a workshop with the Academy Repertory Company, detailed feedback from the NMI staff, and will be given a concert reading in Los Angeles.

Writers can submit their shows electronically via NMI’s website, or submit materials by mail after completing an online submission form.

Information on submitting to the Search is available online via NMI’s website: www.nmi.org

(Los Angeles, June 27, 2016)  

New Musicals Inc. has announced Ken Davenport as a keynote panelist at their sixth national conference for musical theatre writers in Burbank on July 22-24.  The Biz of the Musical Theatre Biz Conference is for musical theatre writers and producers focusing on the business side of the musical theatre business.   The conference features panels and networking with producers, directors, writers, entertainment attorneys, money-raisers, dramaturgs and other insider theatre professionals.

“We’re thrilled to have Ken Davenport with us for an entire session,” says Scott Guy, the conference’s Executive Producer.  “Ken’s the guy who’s breaking new ground with streamcasts like Daddy Long Legs, his amazing social media savvy, and producing credits which include over a dozen Broadway shows.”

Davenport will be speaking about how to get producers to readings, whether writers should self-produce, and next steps writers might contemplate in their musical theatre writing careers.  Then there will be a Q&A session for writers to ask him about their own particular questions.

Davenport writes, “In 2014, I was on a panel at this conference, along with some other producers, giving comments on writers’ pitches.  My fellow panelists were articulate, supportive and fair, and I think we helped many of the writers to create stronger pitches.”

“Maybe you haven’t yet heard of New Musicals Inc.,” Davenport continues, “but you should know them.  They run both a professional development branch, creating musicals for regional and local producers, as well as the Academy for New Musical Theatre, which has offered the fabled Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop on the West Coast since the days of Lehman Engel himself.  They’re also the ones who sponsor the New Voices Project for writers under the age of 26, as well as workshops, concerts, productions, and this writers’ conference.  I really support them and their mission.”

Davenport’s producing credentials include Deaf West Theatre’s Spring Awakening, Allegiance, The Visit, Kinky Boots, Macbeth, Mothers and Sons, and Godspell, as well as six Off-Broadway shows, including Altar Boyz, The Awesome 80s Prom, That Bachelorette Show, and Daddy Long Legs.

“Face-to-face with Ken Davenport,” says Guy, “It doesn’t get any better than that!”

New Musicals Inc.’s sixth biennial Conference on the BIZ of the Musical Theatre BIZ is at the ANC conference center in Burbank, July 22-24.  To register or for more information, visit:  https://nmi.org/develop/conference/

(Los Angeles, May 27, 2016)  

The early registration deadline for the sixth biennial Biz of the Musical Theatre Biz Conference is coming up on June 1.

New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles is hosting a conference just for musical theatre bookwriters, lyricists, and composers. EIGHT incredible panels, multiple power-networking sessions, and several opportunities to pitch your musical to producers all around the country.  The Biz of the Musical Theatre Biz is a jam-packed weekend with producers, directors, writers, entertainment attorneys, money-raisers, dramaturgs and other insider theatre professionals ready to rub shoulders with you and answer your questions. If you’re serious about your musical theatre writing career, this is a weekend you won’t want to miss.

The conference this year will take place the weekend of July 22, 23, and 24 – in a brand new conference facility in Burbank.  Among the panels is a session with Broadway producer Ken Davenport (Spring Awakening, The Visit, Kinky Boots, Mothers and Sons, and Godspell, as well as six Off-Broadway shows, including Altar Boyz, and Daddy Long Legs).  There will also be panels on finding funding; getting info from lawyers; and a unique “Pitch Panel” writers get a chance to pitch musicals to a panel of producers.

New panelists are coming on board all the time, but the list so far includes:

Ken Davenport  (Broadway Producer)
Sheldon Epps  (Artistic Director, Pasadena Playhouse)
Michael A. Kerker  (ASCAP Director of Musical Theatre)
Brian Graden  (CEO, Brian Graden Media)
Daniel Henning  (Artistic Director, The Blank Theatre)
Amy Lieberman  (Casting Director)
Jeff Loeb  (Associate General Manager, Pantages Theatre)
Brady Schwind  (Director/Conceiver, Carrie)
Mark Waldman  (Production Counsel, Carrie, the musical)
Michael R. Blaha  (Entertainment Lawyer, Producer)
Tim Dang  (Producing Artistic Director, East West Players)
Michael Shepperd  (Artistic Director, Celebration Theatre)
Lou Spisto  (Executive Producer, Recorded in Hollywood)
Matt Donnelly  (Writer, Recorded in Hollywood)
Denise Dowse  (Director, Recorded in Hollywood)
Padraic Duffy  (Managing Director, Sacred Fools Theatre)
Gordon P. Firemark  (Entertainment Lawyer)
John Perrin Flynn  (Artistic Director, Rogue Machine)
Karole Foreman  (Writer, The Princess & the Black-Eyed Pea)
Kevin Saunders Hayes  (Creator, Vox Lumiere)
Michael Michetti  (Co-Artistic Director, The Theatre @ Boston Court)
Steven Leigh Morris  (Executive Director, LA Stage Alliance)
Erik Przytulski  (Co-Creator, Alien V. Musical)
Steve Troop  (Co-Creator, Alien V. Musical)

PLUS!  - Some musicals written by conference participants will receive staged-reading presentations of excerpts; followed by a feedback session with NMI staffers and guests.  The conference moderators will talk about how staged-readings have become such a critical step in the development of your show, and their vital importance nationally at places like the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Village Theatre, Goodspeed, etc.

There is an Early Registration discount of $100 off the full conference for participants who sign up by June 1st.

To find out more information about the conference, and to register visit this link: https://nmi.org/develop/conference/

(Los Angeles, May 11, 2016)  

New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles is hosting a conference just for musical theatre bookwriters, lyricists, and composers. EIGHT incredible panels, eleven power-networking sessions, and several opportunities to pitch your musical to producers all around the country.  “The Biz of the Musical Theatre Biz” is a jam-packed weekend with producers, directors, writers, entertainment attorneys, money-raisers, dramaturgs and other insider theatre professionals ready to rub shoulders with you and answer your questions. If you’re serious about your musical theatre writing career, this is a weekend you won’t want to miss.

The conference this year will take place the weekend of July 22, 23, and 24 – in a brand new conference facility in Burbank.  Among the panels is a session with Broadway producer Ken Davenport (Spring Awakening, The Visit, Kinky Boots, Mothers and Sons, and Godspell, as well as six Off-Broadway shows, including Altar Boyz, and Daddy Long Legs).  There will also be panels on finding funding; getting info from lawyers; and a unique “Pitch Panel” writers get a chance to pitch musicals to a panel of producers.   Other panelists this year include producers Mark Waldman (Carrie), Kenny Alhadeff (Memphis), Tim Kashani (American in Paris), Michael Shepperd (The Color Purple at Celebration Theatre), etc., etc.

PLUS!  - Some musicals written by conference participants will receive staged-reading presentations of excerpts; followed by a feedback session with NMI staffers and guests.  The conference moderators will talk about how staged-readings have become such a critical step in the development of your show, and their vital importance nationally at places like the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Village Theatre, Goodspeed, etc.

There is an Early Registration discount of $100 off the full conference for participants who sign up by June 1st.

Here is a link to the conference page:  https://nmi.org/develop/conference/

(Los Angeles, April 29, 2016)  

New Musicals Inc. (in cooperation with 3-D Theatricals) is thrilled to announce the cast for the upcoming staged reading of the new musical Invisible, with book by David Hollingsworth and lyrics and music by David Orris.

Invisible was developed through NMI’s curriculum; was presented at the STAGES Festival in the summer of 2015; and won NMI’s annual SEARCH for New Musicals this year. This concert reading will be co-directed by 3-D Theatrical’s Artistic Director T.J. Dawson and NMI’s Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry; with music direction by Ron Barnett; sound design by Julie Ferrin; and puppet design by Patricio Wolovich.

The cast is set to include Michael Thomas Grant (For the Record: Dear John Hughes, UMPO: Clueless, UMPO: Scream) and Daniel Amerman (Arrested Development, The Office, Glee, CSI:NY, Awkward, and the ABC Family prank show “Freak Out”) as the high school nerds, Griff and Kemper who brew up a potion intended to make them popular (but which accidentally turns Griff invisible). Ashley Argota (The Fosters, Girl Meets World, True Jackson, VP, The Lion King on Broadway) is the goth girl, Hemlock; and Jordan Goodsell (Frozen: Live at the Hyperion) is the jock Chetwick. The cast is rounded out with Christie Brooke and Natalie MacDonald as the twins Melrose and Madison Lindeborne; Jay Cramer as Principal Sherman; Luke Klipp as Mr. Reeves, and Luke Matthew Simon and Daniel Mills as the flunkies Craig and Jackal.

The Invisible ensemble is made up of Melvin Villajin Biteng, Natasha J Gaston, Sara Gonzales, Sarah Kennedy, Christian Sullivan, Dekontee Tucrkile, Collin Tyler, Logan Vamosi; with Ian Wakem Felchlin (Guitar), Randy Fox (Drums), and Kevin Lambertucci (Bass).

Invisible is a John-Hughes-esque musical theatre re-interpretation of the HG Wells classic The Invisible Man with a totally original pop/rock score that takes great joy in paying homage to popular music and popular cultural tropes of the era. The show ultimately endeavors to physically and figuratively bring the audience into their own hallowed high school hallways via the heightened and dangerous halls of Springborough High School. Invisible lives in the fairly self-concerned and narcissistic year of 1988, because at its core, it is a show about what it means to cut away all of the cultural and social melodrama and truly see another human being.

The presentations will take place on Monday, June 6 (8:00pm) at the Colony Theatre in Burbank; and again on Tuesday, June 7 (8:00pm) at the 3-D Theatricals Rehearsal Hall in Anaheim. Visit www.nmi.org to learn more.

NMI has launched an Indiegogo Campaign designed to sell out the house for June 6, and to support the development of more new musicals like Invisible. To support the campaign, visit https://igg.me/at/invisible-the-musical between May 1 and May 15.

(Los Angeles, April 20, 2016)  

This week, East West Players (EWP) and New Musicals Inc. (NMI) are proud to announce the Finalists for their joint initiative to develop a new musical.

The finalists comprise of eleven writing teams, with a total of 20 writers.  The teams are: Howard Ho and Marc Macalintal (Los Angeles); Zhu Yi, Yoonmi Lee, and Gaby Gold (New York); Khiyon Hursey and Cheeyang Ng (New York); Edison Hong and Tidtaya Sinutoke (New York); Jason Ma (Los Angeles); Boni B. Alvarez and Christopher Porter (Los Angeles); Sam Chanse and Bob Kelly (New York); Timothy Huang; Orlando G. Morales (Seattle); Marcus Yi (New York); and Jeff Liu, Koji Steven Sakai, and Scott Jung (Los Angeles).

We also received submissions from teams of promising young writers and we would like to give Honorable Mention to two in particular - the Pennsylvania team of Gabrielle Harrison (17), Michael Tang (16), and Anna Tang (12); as well as to Thirdy Saruca, a 16-year-old student living in the Philippines.

“We received four times the number of proposals we were expecting ,” says Snehal Desai, EWP’s Associate Artistic Director.  “Submissions arrived from all over the world.  It’s been very difficult to decide which musicals to go forward with; there were many compelling projects and extremely diverse and talented creative teams to choose from.”

East West Players and New Musicals Inc. will be nurturing the works over the next year or two through workshops and concert presentations before potentially selecting one for production.  “We wish we could produce all eleven of these musicals,” admits Elise Dewsberry, NMI’s Artistic Director, “but that’s unrealistic, of course.  However, we do hope to support each of them somehow.  We’ll be speaking with the writing teams in the next few weeks to talk about next steps for each of them.”

From this finalist pool, NMI and EWP will select up to three projects that they will develop through the fall and into the spring of 2017.  “Each team will find its own path,” says Desai.  “It’s wonderful to think of all the amazing musical theatre ahead of us. The work ranges from experimental and contemporary to commercial and traditional, and everything in between.  But all of it is speaking to the Asian American experience.  We can’t wait to start sharing these works with our audiences.”

New Musicals Inc. has established a growing reputation for creating original musicals directly for producers. They are currently working with Deaf West Theatre, McCoy-Rigby Productions and Northern Sky Theatre. Other recent partnerships include ones with Jeff Marx (“Avenue Q”), Celebration Theatre, The Victory Theatre, Red Mountain Theatre, The Lyric Theatre, UC Irvine, and other regional theatres. This is their second collaboration with East West Players.  They last collaborated to create the hit musical, “Imelda,” about a decade ago.

East West Players, the longest continuously-running theatre of color in the country, produces artistic works and educational programs that foster dialogue exploring Asian Pacific experiences. EWP is currently celebrating its 50^th anniversary season.

For further information about the East West Players and New Musicals Initiative, or to follow the progress of these works, email admin@nmi.org or subscribe at www.eastwestplayers.org.

(Los Angeles, March 10, 2016)  

East-West Players and New Musicals Inc. are partnering again to create a new musical, and are accepting submissions from Asian-American musical theatre writers to be considered for the project. They partnered a decade ago to create the hit musical, Imelda, and are now coming together in time for East-West Players’ 50th anniversary.

“We’re looking to work together to create an important, powerful piece of theater about the Asian-American experience,” says Snehal Desai, EWP’s Associate Artistic Director. “The show itself could be large or small, funny or dramatic, realistic or abstract, cutting-edge or traditional, but we’re hoping that it’s contemporary in its message and innovative in its storytelling. So whether you are working on the next Hamilton, Allegiance, or Here Lies Love, we want to hear from you.”

New Musicals Inc. is hoping to find several teams or projects in the early stages, nurturing several works over the next year or two through workshops and concert presentations before potentially selecting one for production.

Writers who are interested in submitting may choose to submit excerpts from existing musicals, either finished or still in progress, or they may submit samples from their work along with an idea for something brand-new. “Works which are very early in the process actually have an advantage right now,” says Elise Dewsberry, NMI’s Artistic Director. “Even if the new work is just a single paragraph and nothing more, we would consider it. This is an opportunity for our organizations to work together and create something special.”

New Musicals Inc. has established a growing reputation for creating original musicals directly for producers. They are currently working with Deaf West Theatre, McCoy-Rigby Productions and Northern Sky Theatre. Other recent partnerships include ones with Jeff Marx (Avenue Q), Celebration Theatre, The Victory Theatre, Red Mountain Theatre, The Lyric Theatre, UC Irvine, and other regional theatres. This is their second collaboration with East West Players.

SUBMISSION TIMELINE

March 7, 2016: Submissions Open
April 8, 2016: Final Deadline for Submissions
April 20, 2016: East West Players Musical Theatre Initiative Winners Announced

A link to the submission form and criteria can be found at:  https://nmi.org/develop/east-west-players-initiative/

(Los Angeles, March 1, 2016)  

A record number of composers and writers have been selected to participate in the New Voices Project, a musical theatre development program hosted by New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles (with support from Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment), now in its fourth year.

The New Voices Project is offered to a select group young musical theatre playwrights, composers and lyricists under the age of 26, who receive workshops, readings, and concerts of their work.

“Last year we invited four teams to participate in the project,” explains Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of New Musicals Inc., “This year the submissions were so strong, we’re inviting eight teams - and a total of 11 writers.”

All of the teams will receive workshops and feedback with NMI’s resident theatre ensemble, the Academy Repertory Company. Then, depending upon the needs of each particular musical and writing team, some of the writers will receive additional support, perhaps with full-length presentations, or concerts, or streamcast consultations with musical theatre writers and producers.

“Being a part of [the New Voices Project] was an incredibly informative experience.” says Chris Bryon Pratt, NVP 2013 winner. “Having my material performed then dissected gave me a very clear picture of what I can improve on as a writer. I think workshops such as the New Voices Project are so monumental to young aspiring writers because the panel gives fabulous critical feedback.”

The teams chosen to participate this year are:

• Rebekah Allen
• Ben Boecker
• Benedict Braxton-Smith
• Claire McKenzie and Scott Gilmour
• Blake Dylan Pilger
• Alex Ratner and Laurel Durning-Hammond
• Marina Toft and Benji Goldsmith
• Zach Spound

These young writers come from all over the globe, including Australia and Scotland; and the musicals they are writing range from traditional musical theatre suitable for family audiences, to rock-country, to operatic, to children’s pieces; telling stories about witches, Appalachians, dinosaurs, whores, outlaws, and, of course, many pairs of star-crossed lovers.

.The public can see a selection of works from the New Voices Project as part of got musical - NMI’s annual presentation of season highlights of musicals in development (part of a new jointly-produced concert series between NMI and 3D Theatricals in Anaheim).

got musical will be happening on two nights this year in two locations: Tuesday, April 26th at 3D Theatricals in Anaheim, and Sunday, May 15th at the Colony Theatre in Burbank.

“New Musicals Inc. offers a great opportunity to get the exposure that all young writers so desperately need.” says Santino DeAngelo, 2014 NVP winner. “The New Voices Project was my first chance to have my writing scrutinized by industry professionals and, throughout the course of the project, they really helped to shape the professional standards that I hold myself to today.”

Additional information about this year’s New Voices writers:

Rebekah M. Allen is a writer, composer, and lyricist living in New York City. Her musical WE ARE THE TIGERS had its world premiere at the Hudson Backstage Theatre in LA in 2015. Rebekah is currently a lyricist in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop.

Ben Boecker is a New York based composer/lyricist/bookwriter, vocal teacher, and teaching artist. His one-act musical, Magic in New Hampshire (NMI Merit Award 2015, UNC Sam Selden Award 2012) recently received its second NYC staged reading. Ben is on the Adjunct Faculty of the Calhoun School, is a proud member of the BMI Advanced Musical Theater Writing Workshop and is a member of the Dramatists Guild.

Benedict Braxton-Smith is an internationally-trained Australian composer, music director, and orchestrator who studied composition at the Queensland Conservatorium and music direction at the Goodspeed Opera House. Outside of the theatrical realm, Benedict has composed several film-scores and concert-works.

Laurel Durning-Hammond is a Boston-based writer, performer and director. A Yale graduate, Laurel is the 2011 recipient of the Robert Lyons Danly 1969 Memorial Fellowship, and is a member of the artistic faculty of the Charles River Creative Arts Program in Dover, Massachusetts.

Scott Gilmour trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and now works as an actor and writer throughout the UK. Currently, Scott and Claire are working on a new commission for Dundee Rep, Little Red and the Wolf, opening in March 2016, which Scott will also direct.

Benji Goldsmith is a composer, and currently an MFA student in NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. As a composer and lyricist, Benji has written three full-length musicals, and is a recipient of the ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Award.

Claire McKenzie studied Composition and Musical Direction at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where she received the Patrons Prize for Composition from the Royal Schools of Music, the Stevenson Scholarship and the Paul Kelly Prize for Drama, and was nominated for a BAFTA New Talent Award for Original Music.

Blake Dylan Pilger is a composer, musical director, and pianist who has been involved in several amateur and professional theater productions. Blake’s orchestral and chamber compositions have won local, state, and national awards, including Honorable Mention from the Music Institute of Chicago’s National Generation Next Young Composers’ Competition. Blake has received mentorship from Jeff Marx, co-writer of the Avenue Q score, for over a year, and is a member of the National Honors Society, the National Society for High School Scholars, and the Tri-M Music Honors Society.

Alex Ratner is a New York-based musical theatre composer-lyricist, musical director and arranger. Alex is a Yale graduate whose work has been featured in concert through the New York Musical Theatre Festival, New Voices Collective and Stagedoor Manor, and he is a member of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop.

Marina Toft is a New York-based lyricist and bookwriter who is now an MFA candidate at New York University’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing program. Her short film “It’s A Seussical Life!” (with co-bookwriter David Startup and composer Alexander Juhan) has been nominated for and received several awards globally, including the Special Achievement award at the Canterbury University Film Festival.

Zach Spound is an LA-based actor, writer, and composer. As a composer and songwriter, he contributed music to Northwestern University’s famous Waa-Mu Show, and also wrote songs and played guitar with his hip-hop/funk rock band, Apolla.

For additional information on got musical (and to make reservations), visit the 3DT/NMI Concert Reading Series page at NMI’s website.

or contact Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry at admin@nmi.org; www.nmi.org; 818.506.8500.

(Los Angeles, January 18, 2016)  

New Musicals Inc. is proud to announce the new Concert Reading Series for New Musicals in cooperation with 3D Theatricals of Orange County.  The inaugural season will consist of readings of three new musicals, presented at the 3D Theatricals Rehearsal Hall in Anaheim and at the Colony Theatre in Burbank, from March through June of 2016.

The two organizations first worked together in August of 2015 when NMI presented their STAGES Festival of New Works for the 3DT subscribers.

“The STAGES readings were a big hit with our audience,” says 3DT Artistic Director T.J. Dawson.  “and we think they are definitely ready to embrace the developmental process for new musicals.  Our mission statement is ‘to provide southern California with professional theatre that includes Broadway musicals, plays, readings and new works.’  We’ve been very proud of our musical productions over the last four years - but were looking for a way to fulfill the ‘new works’ part of that mission.  Finding the folks at NMI was a real match made in heaven.”

“It’s a win-win situation for both organizations,” says NMI Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry.  ” 3DT is looking for a way to expose their audiences to new works, and NMI is always looking for ways to expose our writers to broader audiences.  It’s a natural.”

The three musicals chosen for presentation in this inaugural outing are:

Darby O’Gill and the Leprechaun Queen
by Ron Barnett and Scott Guy
Monday, March 14, at New Musicals Inc.
Tuesday, March 15, at 3D Theatricals Rehearsal Hall

got musical!
an evening of excerpts from new shows in development
Tuesday, April 26, at 3D Theatricals Rehearsal Hall
Sunday, May 15 (4pm), at the Colony Theatre

Invisible
by David Hollingsworth and David Orris
Monday, June 6, at the Colony Theatre
Tuesday, June 7, at 3D Theatricals Rehearsal Hall

The Darby O’Gill project is in development for McCoy-Rigby Entertainment, with an eye toward Cathy Rigby in the role of the queen of the leprechauns.  The got musical! concert is an annual NMI event that features excerpts from many different new musicals currently in development, and featuring the winners of the 4th annual New Voices Project for musical theatre writers under the age of 26.  Invisible was the break-out hit of the August STAGES Festival, and 3D Theatricals audiences began asking about its future.

“I’m so excited about Invisible,” says Dawson, “It’s contemporary and fresh, and has a sweet and powerful message about truly seeing each other.  High school audiences are loving it, as well as Baby Boomers who are digging all the references to 80’s pop culture.  We’re thinking this MIGHT be the show we get behind for our very first world premiere!”

“We are hopeful that this is the beginning of a long partnership of identifying promising new shows, exposing them to audience reactions and feedback, and nurturing them to be production ready,” says Dewsberry.

Tickets for the Concert Reading Series will be available for purchase by the beginning of March.

For more information on 3D Theatricals and their upcoming season of Broadway musicals, visit their website at www.3dtshows.com.  For more info on the programs at New Musicals Inc., visit their website at www.nmi.org.

(Los Angeles, January 1, 2016)  

New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles is sponsoring its fourth annual New Voices Project, in which young playwrights, composers and lyricists receive workshops and concerts of their work, with feedback sessions from executives from Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment and New Musicals Inc. Selected finalists will have their work critiqued in an in-house workshop in March of 2016; and then presented in concert in Los Angeles in April 2016.

Writers are encouraged to submit up to three selections, either from a single work, or separate works, for a total of 20 minutes of material. The staff of New Musicals Inc. selects up to six writers’ works to present to executives at Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Engineering.

The finalists work will receive feedback from the NMI staff and representatives from Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment, and the writers will then be given an opportunity to rewrite and resubmit in time to be presented in concert at the Colony Theatre in Burbank, as part of NMI’s annual showcase, “got musical,” which features highlights of musicals in development at NMI.

“We’re looking for writers in whom we see potential,” says NMI’s Executive Director Scott Guy. “We’re not pigeon-holing that potential: that is, we’re not looking for ‘Broadway musical’ writers per se, or ‘ground-breaking’ or ‘commercial’ or ‘avant-garde’. We’re looking for writers who are exploring their voices through the blend of music and voice. The stronger your voice and vision are, the more likely we’re going to respond to your work.”

The 2015 New Voices Project winners were: Jacob Combs & Madeline Myers, Bill Nelson and Joseph Trefler, and Michael Finke.  The Merit Award Recipients were: Mark Sonnenblick, Andre Catrini, Sam Chanse and Bob Kelly, and Ben Boecker.  Three writers were selected in 2014: Danny Bernstein, Santino DeAngelo, and Zack Zadek. The writers selected in 2013 were Amar Benkhoukha, Ion Constantine, Nick Jester, Christopher Byron Pratt, and Noah Reece.

“I’m really excited about the structure of our fourth season, which will give writers an opportunity to revise their work before it gets presented at the got musical concert,” says Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry. “So many of the workshop opportunities available right now present writers’ original material and then ask the writers to sit through a critique without having the chance to respond with a revision. The support of the Disney organization will allow us to lengthen this process and give the writers a chance to respond to feedback.”

Writers may apply online at https://nmi.org/develop/new-voices-project/

There is no application fee. NMI is hopeful that funds will be available to fly the winning participants to Los Angeles for the got musical presentation in April, but such funding is not yet secured.

For more information, consult either the link to the project, or contact Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry at admin@nmi.org; www.nmi.org; 818.506.8500.

(Los Angeles, November 2, 2015)  

Winners of the prestigious international Search for New Musicals were announced today at New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles.

First Prize goes to Invisible with book by David Hollingsworth, and music & lyrics by David Orris.

Second Prize goes to Caroline and George by Michael Finke.

Third Prize goes to Morality Play with book & lyrics by Janet Burroway, and music by Matthew M. Kiedrowski and Curtis Powell.

The Search for New Musicals accepts entrants from around the globe; winners receive awards worth up to $25,000 in workshop productions, concert readings, feedback, and developmental support.

“We are thrilled to sponsor the Search,” says Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of NMI. “We love seeing what writers are creating; and of course our mission is to nurture the folks who are writing musicals, so announcing the winners of the Search is one of my favorite things to do all year!”

Invisible is the story of high school nerds Griff and Kemper, who are determined to get popular enough to take the hot girls to the prom, despite warnings from their under-appreciated goth friend Hemlock. When their scientific experiment goes horribly wrong, Griff needs to figure out who is really standing by him, and whether or not being popular is all its cracked up to be.

Caroline & George is an outrageous musical comedy that follows the trials and tribulations of the not-so-happy couple, Caroline of Brunswick and the future King George IV (who were married, reluctantly, in 1795), as they push through their marriage, affairs, addictions, flatulence, and separations on their journey towards the crown of England … ultimately changing a nation.

Morality Play takes place in the England of the 14th century, a bitter winter in a time of plague: A traveling troupe of actors takes on a runaway priest. They come to a town where a young boy has been murdered and a beautiful deaf woman condemned for it. They can’t get an audience — because who wants a Morality Play when there’s real mystery afoot? How can they get back their audience except by Docudrama? In the process of inventing their murder story, they uncover the truth of a plot that mixes procurement, abuse, a Monk confessor and a powerful Duke.

Invisible, which was the third prize winner in the 2014 Search, will receive a developmental production in the 2015/16 season. Caroline and George, written by 2014 New Voice Project finalist Michael Finke, will receive a workshop with the Academy Repertory Company, and a staff evaluation. Morality Play will receive a Detailed Analysis from an NMI dramaturge.

NMI is committed to an ongoing search to find and nurture promising new musical theatre. If you’ve written a musical, and you would like some honest, constructive, detailed feedback on how to make your musical better, you can submit your musical to NMI for dramaturgical feedback at levels from evaluation to analysis to table reading to workshop to concert reading.

Past winners of the Search have included: The Water by Jeff Hylton, Tim Werenko, and Georgia Stitt (2008); Greenbrier Ghost by Susan Murray and Clay Zambo (2009); Gilbert & Sullivan on Wall Street by Charles Veley and Arthur Sullivan (2010); Emerald by Chris Burgess and Denise Wright (2011); Mad Bomber by Charles Monagan and Richard deRosa (2012); It Happened in Roswell by Terrence Atkins and Jeffery Lyle Segal (2013); and Off the Wall by Sarah Rebell and Danny Abosch (2014).

All musicals submitted (at any level) to NMI by July 15, 2016 will be automatically entered in the Search for New Musicals for next season. Winners of the 2016 Search will be announced by November 15, 2016. The winner of the Search receives a workshop with the Academy Repertory Company, detailed feedback from the NMI staff, and a concert reading in Los Angeles.

Information on submitting to the Search is available by visiting www.nmi.org.

(Los Angeles, September 3, 2015)  

New Musicals Inc. is issuing an open invitation to musical theatre bookwriters, lyricists, and composers to take part in an open audition for the famed Core Curriculum at the Academy for New Musical Theatre.

Bookwriters, lyricists, and composers interested in joining the Core Curriculum for the 2015/16 season are invited to audition by taking part in the September and October sessions. (September 26 & 27; October 24 & 25; from 2:30pm to 6:30pm PST)

“We’ll put all applicants on collaborative teams in September, and give them assignments that are due in October,” says Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of New Musicals Inc., “After the October session, we will evaluate whether or not the Core Curriculum is the right place for you.”

Successful applicants will then take part in monthly workshops (collaborative and individualized) through fall and winter. In the late spring, writers are paired one final time for a 15 minute musical, produced by NMI in a Los Angeles theatre with professional actors.

Bookwriters, lyricists and composers can apply online to reserve a space for the September auditions, or can simply show up at 5628 Vineland Avenue, North Hollywood, on Saturday, September 26th at 2:30pm.

Writers can also take part from long-distance via streamcast - just email admin@nmi.org for instructions on how to join the live streamcast on September 26 and 27 (2:30pm-6:30pm PST).  “During the 2014/15 season we had a largest group ever of non-local participants.” said Scott Guy, NMI’s Executive Director and author of the online Lyric Lab.  “Besides the sizeable group of local participants who were in the room with us every month, we also had stream-casters taking part from St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa Bay, and even Edmonton, Canada.”

The heart of the writers’ workshop at ANMT is the Core Curriculum, in which composers, bookwriters and lyricists are matched together in different teams each month, and each month write a song or a scene based on an assigned text. The curriculum studies both contemporary and historical musicals, giving writers and composers the chance to create traditional and cutting-edge musicals, while studying contemporary variations of timeless ballads, charm songs, comedy songs and musical scenes.

Throughout the decades, the writers workshop has trained over 400 writers, who have gone on to created hundreds of successful musicals all across the country and the world.

For more information, visit www.nmi.org and click on STUDY. The direct link is: http://www.nmi.org/study/core-curriculum/

(Los Angeles, July 10, 2015)  

Stages Musical Theatre Festival returns to Los Angeles this August. This prestigious festival of new musicals, now in its 18th year, features new musicals presented in concert readings.  This year’s festival features six musicals, presented in two venues over two weekends:  August 21-23 at New Musicals Inc., 5628 Vineland in North Hollywood and August 28-30 at 3D Theatricals, 1255 N. Knollwood Circle in Anaheim, CA 92801.

An annual Chicago tradition for 15 years in Chicago, Stages moved to Los Angeles in 2010, under the wing of New Musicals Inc. becoming a biennial festival.  Submissions to the festival come from around the globe all year long, culminating in a round of finalists, from which the winners are chosen.

The shows featured this year will be Invisible by David Hollingsworth and David Orris; Off the Wall by Danny Abosch and Sarah Rebell; The Anarchist Girl by J. Linn Allen and Cris Wo; Bagels! by Chana Wise and Carl Johnson; Darby O’Gill and the Leprechaun Queen, by Scott Guy and Ron Barnett; and an electric evening of selections from musical theatre writers under the age of 26, the final presentation of the 2015 New Voices Project.  Featured will be the work of the New Voices Project winners: Jacob Combs & Madeline Myers, Bill Nelson and Joseph Trefler, and Michael Finke.

“We had so many wonderful submissions to the New Voices Project this year, we added a special Merit Award,” explains festival producer Scott Guy, “and we’ll be featuring some of the Merit writers as well in the festival.”  The Merit Award Recipients are: Mark Sonnenblick, Andre Catrini, Sam Chanse and Bob Kelly, and Ben Boecker.

“One of the most exciting things about the Stages Festival,” says festival Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry, “is that audiences get to see musicals at different ‘stages’ of development, ranging from polished, wonderful shows ready for production to really raw exciting first drafts.  Audiences get a close-up look at tomorrow’s musicals being developed today, right now, right here.”

Casting and producing the festival involves the talents of nearly 100 actors, pianists, directors, producers, stage managers, dramaturgs, box office staff, and ushers.  The storylines and styles of the musicals are as different as the actors performing in them.

Invisible tells the story of two nerdy high school guys who decide to create a potion to make themselves popular, so they can go to prom with the school’s cheerleading twins.  But miraculously, the potion turns one of them invisible!  Things start to sour between the friends when the visible one starts taking advantage of the situation, and doesn’t want to help his one-time-buddy become visible again, leading up to an explosive prom night.  It features a driving, young score with humor that’s edgy and contemporary (but still family friendly!)  Book by David Hollingsworth, lyrics and music by David Orris.  Directed by Elise Dewsberry with musical direction by Bryan Blaskie.

Off the Wall - This musical comedy, loosely inspired by the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre, won the 2014 Search for New Musicals.  In this five-character, ninety-minute, original musical, the Mona Lisa is brought to life when a worker in the Louvre kisses her.  Much to worker’s dismay, Mona Lisa immediately starts causing chaos all over Paris.  This fresh, tongue-in-cheek musical may take place in the Belle Epoque, but it whimsically explores contemporary themes, including the glorification of celebrity, the obsession with physical beauty, and the importance of taking a second glance at preconceived notions of love and art.   Book and lyrics by Sarah Rebell, music by Danny Abosch.  Directed by Allison Bibicoff with musical direction by Jan Roper.

The Anarchist Girl - An edgy, provocative chamber musical about a young protestor who breaks into a house planning to kidnap a famous author, to make him a spokesperson for her cause, only to find that this former literary giant is now confined to a wheelchair, no longer able to speak. She turns her attention to the author’s shut-in son, and tries to convince him to come with her into the dangerous world to stand up for what he believes in. This is an “existential” musical that will appeal to the audience that loves a challenge!  Book and lyrics by J. Linn Allen, and music by Cris Wo.  Directed by Jon Sparks with musical direction by Ron Barnett.

Bagels!- The almost-true story of the man who invented the automated bagel-making machine; how it almost tore apart a family, and got some union bagel makers pretty upset.  A family comedy, but with some adult moral dilemmas for the young inventor, this show has a charming, witty book and a lovely joyful score.  Book and lyrics by Chana Wise, music by Carl Johnson.  Directed by John Henry Davis, with musical direction by Emily Cohn.

Darby O’Gill and the Leprechaun Queen - We’re in mythic Celtic Ireland, a land filled with magic, leprechauns, goblins, banshees, and the legendary trickster Darby O’Gill, who is bent on stealing the Leprechaun’s Gold.  Darby is forced to make a bargain with the Leprechaun Queen, whom he does not trust in the least little bit…and she trusts him even less.  Darby’s journey takes him to the very edge the Otherworld, ruled over by the frightening spectre of the Banshee, who has tormented the Queen’s nightmares for years with an awful, terrible death.  The musical palette is a kind of Celtic mythic folk rock.  Book and lyrics by Scott Guy, music by Ron Barnett.

New Voices Project- A concert of songs and musical excerpts written by the winners of the 2015 New Voices Projects - all writers under the age of 26.  This is the third year of this competition, with sponsorship by Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment.

Untitled - A seventh musical might be added, pending final rights-approval from the motion picture studio which is preparing for a simultaneous opening night on Broadway and a television series based on the same storyline.  For legal reasons, New Musicals Inc. is not permitted to announce the title at this moment, but hopes to be able to add the show if the rights become approved.

The festival’s first weekend will begin Friday August, 21^st at 8:00pm at New Musicals Inc. in North Hollywood and will continue Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings through the 23^rd.  The Festival’s second weekend will begin Friday August 28^th at 8:00pm at 3D Theatricals in Anaheim and will continue Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings through the 30^th.

Tickets are free, but a donation of $10 or more guarantees a seat reservation.  For reservations and more information: www.nmi.org

(Los Angeles, June 17, 2015)  

Seven brand-new fifteen-minute musicals will have their world premiere on June 29, 30, and July 1 at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in North Hollywood. These musicals are a decades-long tradition at NMI’s Academy for New Musical Theatre, and one of the hottest tickets in town.

The 15 Minute Musical Project concludes each season of the Academy’s world-famous Core Curriculum of the writers’ workshop, which has been in existence for over 40 years.

For the final project of the curriculum, composers, lyricists and bookwriters are put together on writing teams and are given eight short weeks to write, revise and polish a brand-new musical written for actors whom they’ve never met before.

This year’s theme is “Forks in the Road”, so each musical is about a life-changing moment.

“It’s an amazing experience,” says ” Scott Guy, one of evening’s directors. “All seven of this season’s musicals explores a different outlook on life and how people experience it.  It’s a wonderful, wild-ride of an evening of musical theatre enjoyment.”

The creative team of director Scott Guy, music director Ron Barnett, stage manager Rita Cannon, and actors Conchita Belisle-Newman, David Crane, Shannon Martinous, and Louis Silvers will present the following three 15-minute musicals:

End of the Line (book by Howard Ho, music by Kristen Rea, and lyrics by Chris Edgar)
Can I Help You Out? (book by Weston Scott, music by Laura Wardrip, and lyrics by David Rackoff)
Fork You! (book by Lucy Wang, music by Molly Siskin, and lyrics by Shawn Ryan)

The creative team of director John Coppola, music director Ross Kalling, stage manager Angel Hernandez, and actors Melvin Biteng, J. Bailey Burcham, Elise Dewsberry, and Emma Sperka will present the following four 15-minute musicals:

Queen Hamembshaput Says What? (book by Danielle Roderick, music by Sahara S. Spain, and lyrics by Mitch Glaser)
Margot’s Blessing (book and lyrics by Lori Ada Jaroslow, and music by Morgan Hollingsworth)
Have A Nice Trip (book by Dan Margules, music by Raphael Nemes, and lyrics by Marissa Kochanski)
Half Off (book by Rich Cook, music and lyrics by Jeff King)

You can see all seven musicals on either Monday, June 29, Tuesday, June 30, or Wednesday, July 1.  The Lonny Chapman Theatre is at 10900 Burbank Blvd. in North Hollywood.  Tickets are $25 and are available at www.nmi.org.

(Los Angeles, June 15, 2015)  

New Musicals Inc. announces the 2015 Summer Musical Theatre Boot Camp with courses for bookwriters, lyricists, and performers.

WHAT ARE THEM DOTS ALL ABOUT? A CRASH COURSE IN READING MUSIC

4 Tuesday evenings 7pm to 11pm
July 7, 14, 21, 28
$115

Lyricists and Actors….get the the tools you need to conquer your fear of reading music, in four easy and fun-filled sessions. I’ll guide you gently through rhythm, key signatures, time signatures, and general shape of melodic line. I’ll begin each session with an hour of basics, then move on to actual singin’ in the room, and finish each session with an hour of more advanced topics (like intervals and chords, and meaning of musical notation). Warning, though: I don’t want to mislead you. 16 hours alone won’t be enough to learn how to read music. You’ll need a little more practice time. However, I’ll ply you with a fantastic collection of sight-reading excerpts, and plenty of exercises to do in your car, so that you can keep improving long after the course has ended. My goal for actors would be to help you be able to follow along in rehearsals or callbacks, and not be completely dependent on making a rehearsal recording. For lyricists, my goal is for you to be able to croak out the basic contour of a melody in the right rhythm, to help you with things like prosody and rhyme schemes etc.

Warning: Though we’d only meet four times (in July), there would be a LOT of practice in between sessions; you won’t be able to just pick this up during classtimes. However, you could do almost all of the homework in your car, just listening and singing along. My goal isn’t to turn you into a sight-singer in four sessions…however, in the four sessions I think I can give you enough tools to work on and drills that if you’re diligent, you should see huge results by, say, November or December.

OUTLINING LAB

Instructor: Elise Dewsberry
Six Thursday evenings from 8pm to 11pm
July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, and August 6
Course Fee: $395 (discounted from the regular online fee of $595)

The Outlining Lab is available in-person OR online (or a combination of the two!) Video lectures, exercises, handouts, and tests are all available online. Attend the live sessions for feedback on your homework assignments - or submit your work online if you can’t make the sessions.

An outline can be an invaluable writer’s tool for clarifying the structure and story arc of a musical idea. It can then serve as a blueprint for the rough draft that the collaborators will use to develop the new musical. Writers who skip this important step in the development process are likely to find themselves bogged down with a partially written new show that is riddled with logical inconsistencies, and does not compellingly deliver the intentions of the creative team.

In the Outlining Lab, you will be lead step-by-step through the process of developing a musical idea from concept through to a working outline, with detailed constructive feedback along the way. By the end of this ten-unit course, you should have a well-developed and detailed outline that will solidly prepare you for the collaborative task of writing your new musical.

Along with the basic six steps to an outline, other topics dealt with will include:

Types of Conflict
20 Questions for your Outline
Language of an Outline
Dealing with Feedback
Pitch and Synopsis
One-Liner and Logline

Don’t start writing until your outline is rock solid!

And three Master Classes for the musical theatre performer presented by Joshua Finkel:

GETTING AN AGENT OR MANAGER

This 3 session Master Class with Joshua Finkel prepares and tailors your audition material to best suit your type and strengths. We’ll start together for two sessions preparing your interview, streamlining your marketing materials, your personal presentation and your audition material. Then in the third week, you’ll get to meet, work with and audition for some top agents/managers in LA.

You’ll get a chance to have honest discussions with as many as four agents, audition for them, and get great inside info about how they see you, what their agency is looking for and where they see your best casting possibilities. Your takeaway from this class: how agencies REALLY work and where to find the best fit for you.

3 sessions for $375.00
Sunday, July 12 from 11am to 2pm
Sunday, July 19 from 11am to 2pm
Sunday, July 26 from 11am to 2pm

BUILD AND PERFORM AN ORIGINAL CABARET ACT

You’re funny, right? Charismatic? Unique? It’s time to put together your own cabaret act, and find YOUR audience! Broadway’s Joshua Finkel and popular vocal coach Jake Anthony will lead you through your own journey, discovering what’s the most theatrical, entertaining and moving about YOU…and help you fashion patter, jokes, songs and specialty material which makes you shine. Plus create and own your Cabaret Songbook that ANY pianist can play, giving you maximum flexibility in where you can perform your act. Also, learn to build and keep your audience by getting a great system on how to update your act and keep giving your audience new material every time you perform. Includes a Final Video of your Cabaret Set! One of Joshua’s most popular courses, this class comes in two flavors: a 4-session pack in which you concentrate on a powerful 10-minute showcase; or a 10-session pack in which you can build an entire SET.

$350 for 4 sessions
Wednesday, July 1 from 7pm to 11pm
Wednesday, July 8 from 7pm to 11pm
Wednesday, July 22 from 7pm to 11pm
Wednesday, July 29 from 7pm to 11pm

BUILD YOUR AUDITION BOOK

This 4 session class fills in all the holes in your audition material. Never be frustrated that your audition songbook is outdated or that you can’t audition for a certain project because you don’t have the correct song. This is your chance to build 4-6 new songs each cut to 16 bar, 32 bar and a 2 minute ‘full’ cut. Each song will be in your key and you’ll have a great rehearsal track of each cut to rehearse with before auditions. In addition, learn to connect powerfully with each song so it really comes alive and shows your vocal and emotional range when you perform!

Monday, June 29 from 7pm to 10pm
Monday, July 13 from 7pm to 10pm
Monday, July 20 from 7pm to 10pm
Monday, July 27 from 7pm to 10pm

NOTE: This class is currently sold-out. We are accepting Waiting List applications.

All Boot Camp courses take place at New Musicals Inc. at 5628 Vineland Avenue in North Holllywood. For more information, and to register for courses visit NMI.ORG

(Los Angeles, May 1, 2015)  

Have you written a great new musical, and are you looking for feedback and/or an opportunity for a concert reading? Don’t miss the July 15 deadline for the annual Search for New Musicals at New Musicals Inc.

The Search for New Musicals accepts entries from around the globe; winners receive awards worth up to $25,000 in workshop productions, concert readings, feedback, and developmental support.

“We are thrilled to sponsor the Search,” says Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of NMI. “We love seeing what writers are creating; and of course our mission is to nurture the folks who are writing musicals, so I’m looking forward to seeing what submissions we will get this season.”

Established in 2008, the Search for New Musicals has awarded concert readings and/or workshops to promising new musicals including It Happened in Roswell by Terrence Atkins and Jeffery Lyle Segal; The Looking Glass Wars by by Kurt Kuenne, based on the novel by Frank Beddor; Infamous by Karen M. Cohen and Stephen Kingsbury; Mad Bomber by Charles Monagan and Richard de Rosa; Emerald by Chris Burgess and Denise Wright; Chapter Eleven by Stephen Telfer; Gilbert & Sullivan on Wall Street by Charles Veley; The Water by Georgia Stitt, Jeff Hylton, and Tim Werenko; Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam, Jr., Chris Budinich, Diana Belkowski, Dan Tramon, and Carl Anthony Tramon; Girl Detective by Alan Gordon and Mark Sutton-Smith; Greenbrier Ghost by Susan Murray and Clay Zambo; The Next Fairy Tale by Brian Pugach; and Life After Life by Tracey Langran Corea and Thaddeus Corea.

The first, second and third prize winners of the 2014 Search will all be presented this summer as part of the STAGES Festival of New Musicals: Invisible by David Hollingsworth and David Orris; Off the Wall by Danny Abosch and Sarah Rebell; and The Anarchist Girl by J. Linn Allen and Cris Wo.

If you’ve written a musical, and you would like some honest, constructive, detailed feedback on how to make your musical better, you can submit your musical to NMI for dramaturgical feedback at levels from evaluation to analysis to table reading to workshop to concert reading.

The submission deadline this season is July 15, 2015. All submissions will receive either an audio Overview Evaluation ($195 submission level) or an audio/video Detailed Analysis ($400 submission level), and will also be automatically entered into the Search contest.

“I’ve never received a more cogent and usable evaluation,” wrote Search writer Elliott Baker (author of The Tooth Fairy’s Daughter). “I’m very comfortable with the critique process but I have never finished reading a critique/evaluation with as much desire and energy to go to work on and polish a piece.”

“The evaluation was far more in-depth than I expected and seemed to cover all the key aspects of the show. Frankly, I found it more helpful than a staged reading would have been,” stated Search participant Barbara Campbell (bookwriter/lyricist of The Awakening). “This critique offered me far more in-depth comments into the basic ‘nuts and bolts’ than I have ever received to date.”

British writer Michael Dresser stated “The real value of this service is in its rarity: from genuine industry professionals who have the clarity and vision to provide feedback with no bias or agenda and which asks the right questions and suggestions to enable YOU to genuinely UNDERSTAND how to make your work a better piece of musical theatre - the long term benefits of which are incalculable!”

All entries will receive constructive dramaturgical feedback, and will be entered in the Search contest. The winner of the 2015 Search will be announced by November 15, and will receive a workshop with the Academy Repertory Company, detailed feedback from the NMI staff, and will be given a concert reading in Los Angeles.

Writers can submit their shows electronically via NMI’s website, or submit materials by mail after completing an online submission form.

Information on submitting to the Search is available online via NMI’s website: www.nmi.org.

(Los Angeles, April 6, 2015)  

New Musicals Inc. is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2015 New Voices Project.  After carefully reviewing many promising submissions from 18-25 year old writers across the country, the New Voices Project has selected these young writers to be showcased: Jacob Combs & Madeline Myers, Bill Nelson and Joseph Trefler, and Michael Finke. In addition to winning a cash prize, these writers will have selections from their new musicals showcased as part of a three-tiered presentation/feedback trajectory:

• the works will be presented in concert as part of NMI’s annual GOT MUSICAL concert at the Colony Theatre in Burbank on Thursday, June 4, 2015
• later in June, the works will be presented to and critiqued by a distinguished panel of musical theatre professionals including representatives from Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment, and members of the staff of the Academy for New Musical Theatre (Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director; Scott Guy, Lyric Lab Instructor; and Ross Källing, Director of Music Curriculum)
• after an opportunity for revision based on the critiques, the works will be presented in concert as part of the STAGES Musical Theatre Festival in August

“We are very proud of this program,” says NMI’s Artistic Producer Elise Dewsberry. “This is one of only a very few opportunities (such as the Festival of New American Musicals’ Show Search) specifically designed for young musical theatre writers. These writers are so important to the future of this great American art form - and we are thrilled to be contributing to that future!”

The writing team of Jacob Combs and Madeline Myers says “We believe that stories have an unparalleled power to transport and teach, and we know that musical theater is among the most emotionally resonant of the performing arts.” Jacob and Madeline’s current musical, Legends & Lore, has been developed at the Fingerlakes Musical Theater Festival, the New York Theatre Barn, and Musical Theatre Factory.

Jacob Combs, an LA based writer and composer/lyricist, attended Brown University, and has since worked in live theatre and in film. He worked as a music assistant on the original Off-Broadway musical The Blue Flower at Second Stage Theatre, and then in the story department of Blue Sky Studios on the development of several feature films, including “Epic” and “Rio 2.”  As a writer and editor, Jacob has contributed to Indiewire, EqualityOnTrial and the Huffington Post, covering the arts, law and politics.

Madeline Myers, a New York based composer and lyricist, studied composition at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music. Madeline was the first place winner of the 2014 inaugural Ken Davenport Songwriting Competition, and has participated in the New Dramatists Composer-Librettist Studio, the Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project, and the Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals.

“Musical theatre is, for us, hands-down the most thrilling and rewarding way to communicate with people … ” says the writing team of Bill Nelson and Joseph Trefler, co-writers of the musical Men with Money. “In this medium, we’re able to combine words, music and movement to create experiences that are greater than the sum of their parts … and we get to take part in the inspiring act of collaboration, the lightning in a bottle that makes this complex art form possible.”

Bill Nelson is a New York-based lyricist, bookwriter and playwright. His musical Harmony, Kansas (with composer Anna K. Jacobs) received four SCENIE Awards and three San Diego Theatre Critics Circle nominations. William Finn conceived and directed a revue of his songs (at Barrington Stage Co.) called Bill Nelson’s All-Male Revue. His plays have been seen across the country and his songs have been presented at cabarets around the world, including Finn’s Songs by Ridiculously Talented Composers. He received an M.F.A. in Musical Theatre Writing at NYU-Tisch.

Joseph Trefler is a New York based composer-lyricist. He composed the scores for Honey I’m Home!, an interactive film exhibit (Scotiabank Nuit Blanche), and The Music Box, a short dance-film that was shown on Air Canada flights. His 10-minute musical The Bad Ideas of Jack Andrews (with bookwriter-lyricist Seth Christenfeld), was a finalist in the Ken Davenport 10 Minute Play competition. Joseph received his Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto and MFA from the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, New York University.

“Musical theatre has always felt like a transformative experience.” says Michael Finke. “Fusing the different tools of music, text, design, and performance to create a theatrical event can leave me breathless and moved in a rather significant way … I aspire to join those innovative artists who hope to utilize both the methods discovered before us and the unknown processes of contemporary musical theatre to create that transformative experience.”

Michael Finke is a New York based composer, lyricist, and music director who received his B.F.A. from Tisch School of the Arts. He has been an ASCAP and O’Neill Finalist, was selected for the 2013 Johnny Mercer Songwriting Foundation Workshop, and has had songs, concerts, and fully-realized productions of his work performed at 54 Below, The Laurie Beechman Theater, NYU, Don’t Tell Mama, Off Broadway at St. Luke’s, Joe’s Pub, L.A.’s Rockwell: Table & Stage, the Christmas Day telecast on ABC, and many more.

“We received so many outstanding submissions this year,” says NMI Executive Producer Scott Guy, “that we have also decided to give out several Merit Awards. These writers will also be included in the late June feedback session and will receive some written notes from the NMI Staff and the WDI Creative Entertainment team.”

The Merit Award Recipients are: Mark Sonnenblick, Andre Catrini, Sam Chanse and Bob Kelly, and Ben Boecker.

New Musicals Inc. seeks to encourage and enable writers, producers, directors, and dramaturgs to take a more collaborative and strategic approach to the creation of new works right from the start, before the pen even hits the page. This initiative hopes to foster the creation of exceptionally well crafted new musicals, that are intentional and intelligent in design. NMI strives to pave the way for the development of new musical theatre that is imaginative, inspiring, and impactful in today’s world.

For information on New Musicals Inc., or the New Voices Project, visit www.nmi.org

(Los Angeles, January 24, 2015)  

New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles is sponsoring its third annual New Voices Project, in which young playwrights, composers and lyricists receive workshops and concerts of their work, with feedback sessions from executives from Walt Disney Imagineering and New Musicals Inc. Selected finalists will have their work presented as part of the prestigious Stages Musical Theatre Festival in Los Angeles in Summer 2015.

Writers are encouraged to submit up to three selections, either from a single work, or separate works, for a total of 20 minutes of material. The staff of New Musicals Inc. selects up to a dozen writers’ works to present to executives at Walt Disney Imagineering. The finalists’ work will be presented in concert at the Colony Theatre in Burbank, as part of a showcase, “got musical,” which features highlights of musicals in development at NMI.

Following the showcase, writers will receive feedback on their work, with an opportunity to rewrite and resubmit in time for inclusion in Stages Musical Theatre Festival.

“We’re looking for writers in whom we see potential,” says NMI’s Executive Director Scott Guy. “We’re not pigeon-holing that potential: this is, we’re not looking for ‘Broadway musical’ writers per se, or ‘ground-breaking’ or ‘commercial’ or ‘avant-garde’. We’re looking for writers who are exploring their voices through the blend of music and voice. The stronger your voice and vision are, the more likely we’re going to respond to your work.”

Three writers were selected in 2014: Danny Bernstein, Santino DeAngelo, and Zack Zadek. Bernstein’s musical, Far From Canterbury, earned him Cornell University’s Undergraduate Artist of the Year. Zadek’s musical, 6, was featured as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival. DeAngelo’s musical has recently been selected as a 2015 Next Link production in the New York Musical Theater Festival. Previous winners in 2013 included Amar Benkhoukha, Ion Constantine, Nick Jester, Christopher Byron Pratt, and Noah Reece.

“I’m really excited about the structure of our third season, which will give writers an opportunity to revise their work before it gets presented at the festival,” says Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry. “So many of the workshop opportunities available right now present writers’ original material and then ask the writers to sit through a critique without having the chance to respond with a revision. The support of the Disney organization will allow us to lengthen this process and give the writers a chance to respond to feedback..”

Writers may apply online at https://nmi.org/develop/new-voices-project/

There is no application fee. NMI is hopeful that funds will be available to fly the winning participants to Los Angeles for the STAGES presentation in August, but such funding is not yet secured.

For more information, consult either the link to the project, or contact Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry at admin@nmi.org; www.nmi.org; 818.506.8500.

(Los Angeles, November 21, 2011)  

The Academy for New Musical Theatre announces a new partnership between their annual SEARCH FOR NEW MUSICALS and the STAGES FESTIVAL of Los Angeles.

For the past four years, ANMT has conducted the SEARCH FOR NEW MUSICALS and has awarded concert readings and/or workshops to fourteen promising new musicals including The Water by Georgia Stitt, Jeff Hylton, and Tim Werenko; Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam, Jr., Chris Budinich, Diana Belkowski, Dan Tramon, and Carl Anthony Tramon; Girl Detective by Alan Gordon and Mark Sutton-Smith; Greenbrier Ghost by Susan Murray and Clay Zambo; The Next Fairy Tale by Brian Pugach; and Life After Life by Tracey Langran Corea and Thaddeus Corea.
First Prize for the Search has always been a workshop with ANMT’s Academy Repertory Company, followed by a concert reading as part of ANMT’s annual series.
Last summer, ANMT moved the famed STAGES Festival from Chicago (where it was created 15 years ago by ANMT’s founding Artistic Director John Sparks) to Los Angeles after the previous host - Theatre Building Chicago - closed its doors.
Beginning this season, ANMT plans to connect the Search with the Stages Festival by offering Search winners a presentation slot in the festival. The annual submission deadline of December 15 will be moved to July 1, and the first prize winner will receive a workshop with the Academy Repertory Company, and a presentation slot in the 2013 Stages Festival in March of 2013.
“We’re very excited about being about to up the stakes for the winner of our annual Search,” says ANMT Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry. “The new July deadline will allow us to announce the Search winners in November, and then workshop the first prize winner with our company in December, and follow that up with a presentation as part of our next Stages Festival.”
Dates for the next Stages Festival have not yet been finalized, but the event is tentatively planned for March of 2013.
“We’re working out the details for the new submission process for the 2013 Stages Festival”, says ANMT Executive Director Scott Guy, “but we will definitely be including the winner of the Search as one of the eight new musicals that will be featured in the festival.”
All submissions to the annual Search for New Musicals receive either a 20-30 minute audio overview evaluation or a 2-3 hour video detailed analysis conducted by dramaturge Elise Dewsberry.
“”The Search evaluation provided not only insights, but also inspirations,” said Charles Veley, writer of 2010 Search winner Gilbert and Sullivan on Wall Street, “ANMT transformed the rewrite process into something exciting and fun!”.
British writer Michael Dresser stated “The real value of this service is in its rarity: from genuine industry professionals who have the clarity and vision to provide feedback with no bias or agenda and which asks the right questions and suggestions to enable YOU to genuinely UNDERSTAND how to make your work a better piece of musical theatre - the long term benefits of which are incalculable!”
For more information about the annual Search for New Musicals, and to submit for the July 1, 2012 deadline, visit www.anmt.org.

(Los Angeles, November 20, 2011)  

ANMT’s 2011-12 Concert Series kicks off on December 12 this year, with The Angel of Painted Post, book by Adrian Bewley, music by Matthew Levine and lyrics by Richard Castle.

The Angel of Painted Post tells the story of a resourceful mother in 1945 rural Massachusetts who begins charging admission fees for folks to see the visions which appear in her comatose daughter’s bedroom window. This new musical began in ANMT’s Full-Length Curriculum last year, and was so promising we gave it a slot in Stages Musical Theatre Festival, after which the writers wrote a new draft which we are now featuring in the concert series.

The Concert Series will continue on February 6, 2012 with Emerald, written by Chris Burgess and Denise Wright from London, England. Emerald won ANMT’s 4th Annual Search for New Musicals, and received a workshop with the Academy Repertory Company in April 2011. The Concert Series will feature a new draft, based on the work which the writers have done since the April workshop.

The concert reading of The Angel of Painted Post will take place on Monday, December 12 at 7:30pm at the Lonny Chapman Theatre on Burbank Blvd., and will feature members of the Academy Repertory Company including Noel Britton, Elise Dewsberry, Evelyn Halus, Christopher Maikish, Sari Rose Poll, Andrea Press, Tedd Szeto, Peter Welkin, and Ross Kalling at the piano. Tickets are $10.

(Los Angeles, July 12, 2010)

“Aging Out,” the a new rock musical that tells the stories of foster care kids who turn 18 and age out of the foster care system, will have its premiere in concert form for five performances only at the NoHo Arts Center, on July 21-August 4. With music by Darin Goulet and book and lyrics by Tara Redepenning and Hillary Rollins, the writing team is hoping to open some eyes and minds about the realities of foster care kids.

“The characters in the show and their stories are inspired by things that really happened,” says Rollins, “We’re hoping to inspire some people with the courage and plight of these kids. By bringing some of their stories to life, maybe we can help a little bit.”

“Aging Out” is not all doom-and-gloom, because it is, after all, a musical. The writers have found joy and humor in their characters. Some of the songs include “The Ones Nobody Wanted,” “Laundry,” “My Life is a Soap Opera,” and “15 Transition Tips.”

“The show is so funny it’s almost a problem,” confesses composer Goulet, “we’ve found so many laughs in our first drafts that we think we might be undercutting some of the serious moments of the show. We’re definitely exploring some very serious and dangerous issues, so we want to treat them with respect and give them the drama that they deserve.”

The musical grew out of a partnership between the Academy for New Musical Theatre in North Hollywood and the Department of Drama at University of California/Irvine. “Aging Out” has been workshopped several times at the Academy and UC/Irvine both, and was a highlight of the 2009 Festival of New Musicals at Irvine.

The two organizations have quietly been nurturing four musicals for pair of seasons, and are now ready to present the first of them in public.

“It’s one thing to put on a tried-and-true Rodgers & Hammerstein classic like Oklahoma or South Pacific,” says Dr. Daniel Gary Busby, professor of UCI’s celebrated drama department, “It’s quite another to develop new musicals – originals, from the first word all the way through to full production – and that’s the journey the drama department of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts has embarked on.”

The performances this summer will feature UC/Irvine students in the cast. “It’s very exciting to see 18 year olds playing 18 year olds,” says the Academy’s Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry. “In our professional workshops, we often use working Hollywood actors, which means they might be 20 or even 30. Working with the UC/Irvine students is amazing; they’re all ready to move straight to Broadway. We’re so lucky to be able to work with them.”

August 4 will be a benefit for the Serpentine Project, CBS’ “Survivor” host Jeff Probst’s charity for foster children, along with the Academy for New Musical Theatre and UC/Irvine.

Performances are July 21, 27, 28 and August 3 and 4 at the NoHo Arts Center at 11134 Magnolia in Burbank. Tickets are $20. Reservations may be made via the Academy’s website www.anmt.org

(Los Angeles, July 5, 2010)  

For the months of July and August, the Academy for New Musical Theatre at 5628 Vineland in North Hollywood is offering summer crash courses in the art of writing musicals.

There are courses in lyric writing, composing, bookwriting, as well as outlining, analysis, music preparation and dialogue punching. And for the actor, there are intensives in audition techniques and masterclasses for the singing actor.

The Academy’s Executive Director, Scott Guy, explains that “The philosophy of the summer boot camp is designed to give writers a chance to work quickly over a concentrated six week period. If you’re thinking about writing a musical, but aren’t 100% sure about your idea, or the time involved, or even your own level of commitment, the summer boot camp is a perfect place to play and explore.”

Academy instructors have Broadway credits, as well as regional theatre credits, college and university experience, and have a true sense of purpose helping writers and their musicals. The Academy’s writers’ workshop itself has been around for over 40 years and has helped nurture some 2000 musicals.

Courses include:

OUTLINING LAB

LEARNING A DANCE COMBINATION QUICKLY

COLD READING for AUDITIONS

PREPARING YOUR SCORE in FINALE NOTATION

SUMMER BOOK LAB

BRINGING A SONG TO LIFE

FINDING and USING YOUR LEGIT and BELT VOICE

MUSICAL STYLES AND GENRES

THE ART OF WRITING DIALOGUE

ADAPTATION: CASE STUDIES and PRACTICUM

HOW DOES A MUSICAL GET FINANCED?

Q & A with ENTERTAINMENT ATTORNEYS

MUSICAL THEATRE PERFORMERS INTENSIVE

Courses vary from $95 to $495. For a complete schedule of courses, fees, and biographies of the instructors, visit www.anmt.org

(Los Angeles, July 1, 2010)  

The Academy for New Musical Theatre in North Hollywood has over 50 new musicals in development this season, and this summer they’re producing some of them, workshopping some others, giving concert readings of still more, plus putting on two conferences on the business of musical theatre (one for actors, one for writers), as well as offering several dozen courses in the craft of writing, acting, or producing musical theatre.

ANMT will take over the NoHo Arts Center for six weeks from July 16 through August 22nd, and they’re cramming in all that musical theatre activity, practically night and day, seven days a week, for 38 astonishing days.

“Since we’re producing a musical on the weekends,” says Scott Guy, the Academy’s Executive Director, “we thought we might as well create events and programs for the time surrounding that production as well. We’re ramping up for a huge summer!”

The lynch pin to the summer programming is a production of the new musical, 40 is the New 15, written by Larry Todd Johnson and Cindy O’Connor, which follows the lives of five 40-year-olds as they look back to when they were 15…looking forward to being 40. An earlier workshop version of this musical was nominated for a 2010 GLAAD Media Award, and was selected by Stephen Schwartz for the ASCAP/Disney Musical Theatre Workshop

Tuesdays and Wednesdays will feature a workshop production of Aging Out, which explores what happens to foster-care kids when they age out of the System. The musical follows seven kids for a year, beginning on the day they “graduate” into adult life with little or no emotional or financial support. They are now utterly and frighteningly on their own in a world which doesn’t want them. Book and lyrics are by Tara Redepenning and Hillary Rollins with music by Darin Goulet. This musical is being developed in partnership with the Drama Department at University of California/Irvine and was part of their Festival of New Musicals in the fall of 2009.

Over the weekend of July 23-25, the Academy will host the third bi-annual conference aimed at musical theatre writers, producers and theatre industry experts discussing the nuts-and-bolts of marketing and producing new musicals in today’s economy. The Biz of the Musical Theatre Biz invites producers, agents, Broadway writers, artistic directors, entertainment attorneys, marketers, entrepreneurs, and writers all to come together to network and share the inside scoop and behind-the-scenes info about getting musicals seen and produced.

Two weeks later, on August 6-7-8, the Academy will host a conference for actors, shining a spotlight on the business side of their careers. Agents, producers, casting directors, music directors, artistic directors, photographers, managers, vocal coaches, union reps and working actors will share survival tips and techniques for actors young and seasoned. Dan Callaway will host the weekend, produced by Broadway’s Heather Provost.

Monday and Sunday evenings, the Academy will host a series of one-night-only concerts featuring musical theatre artists such as Ed Martel, Darin Goulet, Elise Dewsberry, Christopher Maikish, Dana Shaw, and a special appearance of Sondheim Unscripted.

Meanwhile, the Academy will also be conducting a full summer of courses on the writing and performing of musical theatre in their annual Musical Theatre Summer Boot Camp.

“Okay, we’re crazy to attempt all this musical theatre activity all at once,” confesses Elise Dewsberry, trying hard not to look at her watch, “but having six weeks all to ourselves at the beautiful NoHo Arts Center is such a golden opportunity, we want to make sure we produce everything we possibly can!”

Prices vary from $20 for the dark night series, to a range of $250-$495 for the conferences. Programs begin on July 16 and run through August 22nd. For a complete schedule of the summer, visit the Academy’s website at www.anmt.org.

(Los Angeles, June 23, 2010)  

The Academy for New Musical Theatre is producing a world premiere musical, 40 is the New 15. at the NoHo Arts Center for a six week run beginning July 16 through August 22nd.

This show was selected by Stephen Schwartz to be part of his ASCAP/Disney Musical Theatre Workshop in February 2010, and The Academy’s workshop presentation of it last summer at the Secret Rose Theatre was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award. 40 is the New 15 follows the lives of some fortysomethings who look back to their innocent days in high school, when they all dreamed of becoming successes at 40. A wannabe neurosurgeon, a teen gymnast phenom, a computer geek, an all-too-All-American baseball fan, and a starry-eyed musical theatre fan…all grow up to be…well, 40-year-olds.

“It’s touching and funny,” says ANMT’s Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry, “and speaks powerfully about those critical moments in our lives when either we change…or we stay as we were, for better or for worse. I leave the theatre after a performance of 40 is the New 15 feeling very empowered.”

Michele Spears directs this brand-new world premiere production, with scenery and lights by Kevin Traxler (former producer for Disney). Cast members include Tod Macofsky, Dana Meller, Craig Woolson, Karole Foreman, John Allsopp, Peter Welkin, Gretchen Weiss and Lindsey Mixon.

“This is the biggest production in our 40-year history” beams the show’s producer Scott Guy, “We’re adding live band, scenic design by a guy from Disney, and a thousand light cues. It’s thrilling to have nurtured this piece from its very beginnings through workshop, concert readings, and now full production.”

Guy confides that the writers learned a lot from the ASCAP/Disney Musical Theatre Workshop of this show in February, and have done a lot of re-examining how the songs function, particularly how they END, both in content and in style.

Bookwriter Larry Todd Johnson explains that ‘We’re examining whether we would make the same decisions, if we knew then what we know now. Cindy and I are fascinated by how inevitable some of our life-choices seem, in retrospect. There are certain moments in our lives which determine who we are, indelibly. We find that wonderful, funny, and a little terrifying all at once. Can understanding this help us get past it? That’s what this musical is all about.’

‘I love the fact that I get to write music for these characters in two completely different time periods. In Act 1 they’re teenagers in the 80’s, and the songs have a youthful 80’s pop flavor. In Act 2 they’re older, life is more complicated, and their songs get more complex and diverse in style. It really reflects what’s happened to my generation, and to me, since the 80’s.’

The authors are both 40, and knew each other when they were teenagers. ‘We didn’t start writing together until we were young adults,’ says O’Connor, ‘but we’ve been successful writing as a team for twenty years. A lot of silly murder mysteries, yes, but some very serious works as well.’ Johnson and O’Connor’s All That He Was won the Kennedy Center Kennedy Center National Student Playwriting Award’ and the KC/ACTF Musical Theatre Award.’

40 is the New 15 was originally developed in the Academy’s workshop, but subsequently caught the eye of Academy staff, who supported it with several presentations at the Academy and in the Concert Reading Series at the Colony Theatre. John Sparks, the Academy’s venerable Artistic Director, included it in his Monday Night Reading Series at Theatre Building Chicago.

The Academy is building the scenery on its own premises, and then moving it to the NoHo Arts Center the week before opening.

The Academy touts a “risk-free” approach to producing 40 is the New 15 this summer, citing a combination of pre-sales and benefactor-guarantors. They used a similar method of pre-sales last year to guarantee that production costs were entirely covered, even before they booked a theatre.

‘We knew we could not afford to lose money on a production,’ says Guy, ‘so we went to all our friends and members, and said ‘If you’ll buy enough tickets in advance, we can commit to this production. If we don’t sell enough tickets, we won’t produce the show; it’s that simple.’ Guy’s approach worked like gangbusters. The Academy’s friends rallied to the cause.

‘We’re grateful and astonished at the outpouring of support from our friends,’ says the Academy’s Associate Artistic Director, Elise Dewsberry. ‘It shows us that a lot of folks want us to succeed as producers of new musicals. It’s very encouraging; we’ve been producing in concert for a couple of seasons now, and our audience has come to trust our taste and our quality programming. We couldn’t have done this without them, obviously.’

Performances begin July 16 at the NoHo Arts Center. Thursday through Saturday evenings, with Saturday and Sunday matinees. $30. www.anmt.org or LINK to reserve tickets.

(Los Angeles, June 21, 2010)  

Four brand-new fifteen-minute musicals will have their world premiere on June 28 and 29 at the Colony Theatre in Burbank. These musicals are a decades-long tradition at the Academy for New Musical Theatre, and one of the hottest tickets in town.

The 15 Minute Musical Project concludes each season of the Academy’s world-famous core curriculum of the writers’ workshop, which has been in existence for over 40 years.
For the final project of the curriculum, composers and lyricists and bookwriters are put together on writing teams and are given eight short weeks to write, revise and polish a brand-new musical written for five actors whom they’ve never met before.

“It’s like a rite of passage,” says Elise Dewsberry, the Academy’s Artistic Director and producer of the 15 Minute Musicals. “We design the process to imitate a full-length show in a professional theatre: draft, rehearsal, rewrites, rehearsal, opening. It’s really a wonderful experience, but it’s often stressful, just like a million dollar opening night. Our writers’ names are in the program, and it’s important to them they write the best show they possibly can, in the short amount of time we’ve given them.”

This season there will be four 15-minute musicals, featuring the same cast of five actors. The writers have been given a theme of For Richer, For Poorer, and have cooked up four wildly different approaches to this theme: an outrageous family squabble over a cookie dough recipe; a porn movie with a G-rated director at the helm; Hansel and Gretel all grown up but delusional that the Witch is still out to eat ’em; and three exotic plants singing for their lives.

These evenings are an annual highlight of the Academy’s year-long season of developing new musicals and feature many new voices in musical theatre. Every seat in the house usually sells out.

The four shows presented each evening (June 28 and 29) are:
Dough!, with book by Sarah Hernandez, music by Clifford J. Tasner, and lyrics by Ron Ovadia.
Shoot Ma!, with book by Joe Moe, music by Ryan Luevano, and lyrics by Richard Hefner
Witch Is It?, with book by Maureen Borillo, music by Matthew Levine, and lyrics by Richard Castle
Green Thumb, with book by Joan Enguita, music by Nancy Gitlin, and lyrics by Joan Enguita and Karrie Vach
The cast for all four musicals is: Sonia Alcazar, Patrick Foley, Barry O’Neil, Emily Kimmel Plotkin, and Gabrielle Wagner. The four musicals are directed by John Sparks, with music direction by Jake Anthony.

Tickets are $25; the performances begin at 7:30pm. For tickets, reservations and more info: www.anmt.org

(Los Angeles, June 7, 2010)  

This summer, a three-day conference for musical theatre writers brings together producers, agents, managers, writers, union reps, artistic directors and other theatre artists to address the complex issues of marketing new musicals and the business of musical theatre. The third bi-annual conference will take place on July 23-25, hosted by the Academy for New Musical Theatre at the NoHo Arts Center in North Hollywood. The conference is called “The Biz of the Musical Theatre: a conference for writers.”

“Getting musicals in the hands of producers is such a tricky, complex business,” says the Academy’s Executive Director, “It gets more difficult every year. We’ve hosted two national conferences, in 2006 and again in 2008, but in this one in 2010, we’re going to explore the nuts and bolts of marketing musicals from the writers’ standpoint, as well as how to get producers’ attention. There are good ways to do it, and there are really bad ways which can really hurt a writer’s career. This conference should give a writer some really practical guidance about what to do with a new musical.”

Invitations have gone out to musical theatre luminaries to serve on all sorts of interesting panels including:

Pitch Me! Producers and Executives Who Actually Want You to Email Them
How do you get someone, anyone, to take your pitch? This group of powerful panelists will actually take your pitch. They’ll talk to you about how to approach them, and how NOT to approach them. But also, as a bonus for everyone who’s registered for the conference, ANMT has compiled a long list of producers and agents who’ve agreed to receive an email pitch from you: you send us two paragraphs — one about you and one about your project — and we’ll send it directly to them. Folks who’ll receive your email pitch include:

321 Theatrical Management
42nd Street Moon
5th Avenue Theatre
Alley Theatre
Amas Musical Theatre
Arizona Theatre Company
Broadway Rose Theatre
Broadway/L.A.
Cabrillo Music Theatre
California Conservatory of the Arts
California Musical Theatre (Music Circus and Broadway Sacramento)
California State University, Fullerton
CAP21 - Collaborative Arts Project 21
Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre
Cumberland County Playhouse
Dallas Theater Center
Danish Academy of Musical Theatre
Demos Bizar Entertainment
Denver Center Theatre Company
Florida State University College of Music
Ford’s Theatre
Junkyard Dog Productions
Las Positas College
Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Inc
Millikin University, Department of Theatre and Dance
Music Theatre of Wichita
Musical Mondays Theatre Lab, Inc.
Musical Theatre West
New York Theatre Barn
North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
Northwestern University, Music Theatre Program and AMTP
Pace New Musicals
Pennsylvania Centre Stage
Playing Pretend
Porchlight Music Theatre Chicago
Red Mountain Theatre Company
ReVision Theatre (The Genesius Guild, Inc.)
SenovvA, Inc.
Spirit of Broadway Theater
Stacey Mindich Productions, LLC.
Stage Aurora Theatrical Company, Inc.
Tacoma Musical Playhouse
Theater Latté Da
Theater of the Stars
Theatre Building Chicago
Theatre Under The Stars
University of Michigan Department of Musical Theatre
Uptown Players
Utah Festival Opera Company
Village Theatre
Walnut Street Theatre
Western Stage
Weston Playhouse Theatre Company
Woodminster Summer Musicals
ZACH Theatre
and more!

Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to get your pitch to producers and theatres across the country!
Kevin Bailey (Producer, NoHo Arts Center)
Dan Berkowitz (Co-Chair of The Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights)
Donald E. Biederman Entertainment and Media Law Institute, Southwestern Law School)
James Blackman (Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities)
Michael R. Blaha (Entertainment Lawyer, Producer)
Cate Caplin (LA Director/Choreographer)
Bill Chamberlain (Independent producer/writer, entrepreneur and creator of internet films/series)
Brad Ellis (glee)
Gordon P. Firemark (Entertainment Lawyer)
Richard Fowkes (Business Affairs Executive for Legendary Pictures)
Hilary Genga (Producer)
Larry Dean Harris (Dramatists Guild)
Daniel Henning (Artistic Director/Producer, The Blank Theatre Company)
Katy Hilton (Grants Manager, Center for Cultural Innovation)
Michael A. Kerker (ASCAP Director of Musical Theatre)
Robert Lind (Director)
Claire Peeps (The Durfee Foundation, Individual Artists Grants)
Ben Ryan (Internet Series Producer)
Alan Roy Scott (Founder of Music Bridges)
Rick Sparks (Director, Divorce: the Musical)
Fred Stuart (Director of Sales & Marketing, Theatrical Rights Worldwide)
Allee Willis (Tony nominated Composer/Lyricist, The Color Purple)

“We try to invite people who have their ear to the ground about today’s economy and marketing techniques,” says Guy, “but we also love hosting Broadway writers who can share their success stories with us. It’s always inspiring to hear how a musical makes it. An undiscovered musical theatre writer hears these stories and thinks, ‘If they can make it, so can I!’ To some degree that’s true, of course, but we also want to temper that wonderful idealism with some practical advice and a sense of reality. The conference is designed to empower and inspire, but also to guide and advise.”

The topics for this years’ panels will be:

Pay Me!: Getting Paid as a Musical Theatre Writer
Pick Me!: Contests, Festivals, Grants and Big Important Prestigious Awards
Pitch Me! Producers and Executives Who Actually Want You to Email Them
Produce Me! Launching a Musical from Los Angeles
Sue Me! How to Avoid Being Sued By Your Collaborator;
Q&A with Entertainment Attorneys
Tweet Me!: New Media, New Audiences; Using the Internet to Get Producers’ Attention
Watch Me!: Musical Theatre on the Big and Small Screen

The conference will take place the weekend of July 23-25. For an up-to-date schedule, list of this year’s panelists, fees, and info on registering, visit www.anmt.org

(Los Angeles, April 26, 2010)  

This summer from July 16 through August 22nd, the Academy for New Musical Theatre is producing six weeks of new musicals, seven days a week: productions, workshops, concerts, lectures, seminars, two conferences on the business of musical theatre (one for actors, one for writers), as well as offering several dozen courses in the craft of writing or acting or producing musical theatre.

The lynch pin to the summer programming is a production of the new musical, 40 is the New 15, written by Larry Todd Johnson and Cindy O’Connor, which follows the lives of five 40-year-olds as they look back to when they were 15…looking forward to being 40. This musical was nominated for a 2010 GLAAD Media Award, and was selected by Stephen Schwartz for the ASCAP/Disney Musical Theatre Workshop.

But a single summer production is not enough for this ambitious company. “Since we’re producing a musical on the weekends,” says Scott Guy, the Academy’s Executive Director, “we thought we might as well create events and programs for the other time as well. We’re ramping up for a huge summer!”

Tuesdays and Wednesdays will feature a workshop production of Aging Out, which explores what happens to foster-care kids when they age out of the System. The musical follows seven kids for a year, beginning on the day they “graduate” into adult life with little or no emotional and financial support. They have aged out of the system, and are now utterly and frighteningly on their own in a world which doesn’t want them. Book and lyrics are by Tara Redepenning and Hillary Rollins with music by Darin Goulet. This musical is being developed in partnership with the Drama Department at University of California/Irvine and was part of their Festival of New Musicals last fall.

On the weekend of July 23-25, the Academy will host the third bi-annual conference aimed at musical theatre writers, producers and theatre industry experts discussing the nuts-and-bolts of marketing and producing new musicals in today’s economy. The Biz of the Musical Theatre Biz invites producers, agents, Broadway writers, artistic directors, entertainment attorneys, marketers, entrepreneurs, and writers all to come together to network and share the inside scoop and behind-the-scenes info about getting musicals seen and produced.

Two weeks later, on August 6-8, the Academy will host a conference for actors, shining the spotlight on the business side of their careers. Agents, producers, casting directors, music directors, artistic directors, photographers, managers, vocal coaches, union reps and working actors will share survival tips and techniques for actors young and seasoned. Dan Callaway will host the weekend, produced by Broadway’s Heather Provost.

Monday evenings, the Academy will host a series of one-night-only concerts featuring musical theatre artists such as Ed Martel, Darin Goulet, Elise Dewsberry, Christopher Maikish and Dana Shaw.

Sunday evenings will be private events by invitation only. These events will not generally be open to the public, and usually are informal presentations of new musicals which are not yet ready for the discerning public.

Meanwhile, back at their home a few blocks away, the Academy will be conducting a full summer of courses on the writing and performing of musical theatre in their annual Musical Theatre Summer Boot Camp.

“Okay, we’re crazy to attempt all this musical theatre activity all at once,” confesses Elise Dewsberry, trying hard not to look at her watch, “but having six weeks all to ourselves at the beautiful NoHo Arts Center is such a golden opportunity, we want to make sure we produce everything we possibly can!”

Prices vary from $20 for the dark night series, to a range of $250-$495 for the conferences. Programs begin on July 16 and run through August 22nd. For a complete schedule of the summer, visit the Academy’s website at www.anmt.org.

(Los Angeles, April 5, 2010)  

On Monday, April 19th at the Colony Theatre in Burbank, the Academy for New Musical Theatre will present the second annual Got Musical!, a sneak preview of brand-new musicals in development for producers across the country, giving an insight into the Academy’s process for creating new musicals from scratch specifically for producers and theatre companies.

Musicals to be showcase include thirteen new shows currently in development for producers:
Windjammers by Robin Share and Clay Zambo — songs and stories about shipping on the Great Lakes.
A Midsummersausage Night’s Dream by Joanne Koch, Bill Johnson and Larry Todd Johnson - a fanciful retelling of Shakespeare in the land of the Cheeseheads.
Got Milk by Hillary Rollins, Bill Johnson and Kellen Blair — everyone’s favorite all-bovine musical revue.
Those Circus Boys by Charmaine Spencer, Beverly Crain and Aaron Coleman — the early days of the Ringling Brothers.
Aging Out by Tara Redepenning, Hillary Rollins and Darin Goulet — What happens to foster care kids when they turn 18 and the System stops taking care of them?
Powder Puff Pilots by Marian Partee, Cindy O’Connor and Noelle Donfeld — 14 brave female pilots in the 1920’s, and their historic flying race.
Black & White Christmas by Chana Wise and Carl Johnson - Jimmy Stewart, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby and Natalie Wood to the rescue, on Christmas Eve!
Mistletoe, Mistletoe by Eric Dodson and Alan Ross Fleishman — Poor Aaron, fearing his girlfriend has dumped him, wishes he had the last year to live over. Careful what you wish for!
e-$cape by Scott Guy and Clifford Tasner - a cyberspace thriller.
The Ring by Eric Dodson and Alan Ross Fleishman - Will the high school reunion of some old rivals unearth TRUTH or…CAT FIGHTS?
A Dog’s Tale by Carla Porter, Brian Leader and Brad Beaver — based on Mark Twain’s dark dark short story.
Ghost(s) by Kincaid Jones, Brian Woodbury and Noelle Donfeld — a mistaken communication forces a community theatre troupe to put on a terrrrrible musical adaptation of Ibsen’s play, rather than a musical based on the Patrick Swayze movie they thought they were getting.
Stigma Pi by Chris Smith, Jake Anthony and Mitch Glaser — a musical soap opera filled with horny college girls and the horny college guys who love to love them.

“You don’t have to be in Los Angeles to benefit from our process,” says ANMT Executive Director Scott Guy. “Weʼve developed many shows long-distance utilizing internet technology and our digital equipment, including shows with writers based in London and Berlin.” One of these “long-distance” shows is Miss Vulcan 1939 which the Academy developed for the Red Mountain Theatre in Birmingham, Alabama. “Red Mountain was so happy with that process that they have produced that show three years in a row,” says Guy.

Guy explains that the ANMT development process is fairly simple: the producer generates or approves an idea; the creative team creates a paragraph-sized version, then a half-dozen-page version, and eventually a 15-minute first pass. At this point, the producer either shuts down the project, or agrees to produce a public reading of the work. If a producer approves of the project after the first 15-minute pass, the Academy supports table readings and workshops of the work, nurturing it through first draft. Then, the producer produces a public reading of the work at his expense. After the producer has fulfilled his obligation by producing the reading, he is under no obligation to produce the musical; but if he does produce the musical, the Academy expects the producer to do so under terms approved by the Dramatists Guild.

“We’ve found this to be a win-win situation for the writer and for the producer,” says Associate Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry, “and we’re excited to share this funny, artful and stimulating evening and showing off our innovative business model for developing new musicals for independent producers and theatre companies.”

Got Musical! takes place at 7:30pm on Monday, April 19th at the Colony Theatre in Burbank. Tickets are $10. For more information, and to make a reservation, please visit www.anmt.org and click on Got Musical!

(Los Angeles, March 21, 2010)  

If someone asked you whether it’s possible to produce musical theatre ‘risk free’ you’d laugh, of course. And yet, ‘risk-free’ producing is exactly what the Academy for New Musical Theatre in North Hollywood is trying to do this summer.

For the second time.

Last summer, the Academy produced a musical at the Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood under ‘risk-free’ conditions…and saw a 156% return on its dollar. Now it’s trying to repeat its success.

It sounds impossible, doesn’t it? Every year, only a few musicals make money for their producers; those few make millions of dollars, sometimes billions. But most of the rest of the musicals lose millions of dollars. Knowing how many musicals lose tens of millions of dollars every year, why would the Academy even consider producing in today’s economy?

Executive Director Scott Guy explains. ‘We believe that many musicals lose money because they haven’t undergone enough development — producers are quick to rush a show to the stage in order to begin making money, but we believe that if they spent more time developing a show, and nurturing it through table readings, concerts, and the all-important workshop production, at the end of the day their show is going to be much much stronger.’

The Academy’s putting its money where its mouth is. Last year, they mounted a workshop production of a chamber musical called 40 is the New 15 written by Larry Todd Johnson and Cindy O’Connor, and are now planning a full-scale production of it this summer. 40 is the New 15 follows the lives of five 40-year-olds looking back to when they were 15 looking forward to being 40. It’s received a lot of attention, garnering a 2010 GLAAD Media Award nomination, and being selected by Stephen Schwartz for the ASCAP/Disney Musical Theatre Workshop at the Disney Studios in February.

40 is the New 15 was originally conceived at the Academy in its full-length curriculum, and then cultivated exactly as Guy describes: in-house presentations at the Academy, the some public concert readings at the Colony Theatre in Burbank, and then last year in workshop production at the Secret Rose Theatre in Hollywood. Now, the Academy is planning a full-scale production with complete scenery, costumes, lighting and a live band.

‘It’s our vision now to be able to nurture many musicals this way…from conception through production,’ says Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry, ‘It’s very exciting to watch what’s happening to 40 is the New 15. We think it’s the future of the Academy…to select a show for workshop production one season, followed by its full production the next year.’

Guy’s eyes shine when he watches Dewsberry talk about the Academy’s future. He interrupts her to say, ‘The Academy passed its Survival Phase a few years ago…we’ve clearly survived. But now we’re facing an equally transforming moment in the Academy’s history: become a producer, or forever stay a developmental organization. We have thirteen musicals in development this season alone, with another round coming up next year — how can we sit around and wait for someone else to come along and produce them?’

If Guy doesn’t sound scared, that’s because he’s not. His business plan last summer worked, and he’s confident it will work again. ‘It’s not about investors; it’s not about not paying actors…,’ says Guy, ‘It’s about pre-sales. Last year we actually made money producing our first musical. Now we’re determined to do it again. At approximately ten times the scale as last year. Well, okay, eight times the scale.’

Here’s how Guy and the Academy did it last year. They reached out to their members, friends, and fan base and requested everyone to buy tickets in advance for the workshop production of 40 is the New 15. Guy insisted that the Academy would not commit to production until pre-sales equaled the entire budget, from opening night to closing night, every single dollar. It took a massive email and telephone campaign, but the Academy did it: they raised the entire budget by selling tickets in advance…and so, they were able to produce risk-free, and the show went on to become a big summer hit.

Now they’re asking members and friends to do it again. Only this year, the stakes are higher: a full production is much bigger than a workshop production. There will be a live band, a bigger theatre, more elaborate scenery, costumes and lights; and of course the budget is much bigger.

Guy confesses that he doesn’t think he’ll get the entire budget covered by pre-sales this time around. So how is he going to pull off the trick of risk-free producing this time?

‘We figure the answer this summer is Wall-to-wall 7-days-a-week musical theatre,’ says Guy. We’re booking the beautiful NoHo Arts Center for six weeks, and we’re loading it up with shows and concerts seven days a week. 40 is the New 15 will perform Thursday through Sundays where we hope it will make its weekly nut, but we are also planning for workshop production on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and a Concert Series on Monday nights. It’s going to kill us; it’s going to be great!’

There’s another secret weapon which Guy isn’t yet able to speak about: a private patron from Chicago who has promised to guarantee X number of dollars in ticket sales if the production bombs at the box office, ‘but that’s a last resort. We’re bound and determined not to take a penny from him!’ says Dewsberry.

The Academy is looking for $15,000 in pre-sales by April 15th. They’re giving ticket-buyers the option of exchanging tickets for different dates, and patrons have embraced this idea. ‘I’m happy to help new musicals by buying a ticket in advance,’ applauds one supportive patron, ‘especially because they’re letting me switch my performance date later; that’s great. I get to see a show when I want to… plus I get to help contribute to musical theatre history by supporting a new show. I love that!’

(Los Angeles, March 8, 2010)  

The Academy for New Musical Theatre has completed all the readings and evaluations for the 2010 Search for New Musicals, and we are thrilled to announce the winners.

First Prize goes to Gilbert & Sullivan on Wall Street, book & lyrics by Charles Veley, music by Arthur Sullivan. Second Prize goes to The Next Fairy Tale, by Brian Pugach. Third prize goes to Stranger to the Muse, book and lyrics by Patrick Gallagher and music by Adam David Cohen.

In Gilbert & Sullivan on Wall Street, ex-billionaire Wall Street entrepreneur Frederick F. Freemarket is about to save the world’s economy, make billions of dollars for his employees, and redeem his good name. What could possibly go wrong? This loving homage to the comedies of W.S. Gilbert set to the music of Arthur Sullivan, updated to the current stock market crisis, will receive a workshop with the Academy Repertory Company in May of 2010, and a concert reading as part of the 2010-11 Concert Reading Series at the Colony Theatre in Burbank. ‘[The evaluation] from ANMT provided many fresh insights and inspirations.’ said Veley. ‘I’m looking forward to even more magic from the workshop!’

The Next Fairy Tale tells the story of the chaos created in fairy-tale land when the object of the Prince’s affection turns out to be - another Prince! The Next Fairy Tale will receive an ANMT staff table reading and feedback session in May of 2010.

Stranger to the Muse is an examination of love through the eyes of Eric, a 25 year old aspiring screenwriter. After he is told to incorporate a love story into his screenplay, he decides, having never been in love before, to examine the great philosophical, literary, and cinematic explorations of love. When he does, the stories come alive around him, and teach him valuable lessons about his real life relationships with the women in his life. This piece will receive an ANMT Video Analysis.

ANMT is committed to an ongoing search to find and nurture promising new musical theatre. If you’ve written a musical, and you would like some honest, constructive, detailed feedback on how to make your musical better, you can submit your musical to ANMT for dramaturgical feedback at levels from evaluation to analysis to table reading to workshop to concert reading.

Said one very satisfied entrant about the Search, ‘Without ANMT’s help this project would never have come this far! After last year’s search and the ANMT analysis before that, I have received top notch plot help, character development, and musical advice. Useful is not a strong enough word. ANMT has been a guiding force in this project’s evolution, for which I am most grateful. One of the most difficult things for writers is obtaining professional feedback. Working in a vacuum is almost impossible. Collaboration and constant outside feedback is part of the process. I would certainly recommend ANMT to fellow writers.’

Other receipients of the detailed Analysis have said ‘Wow! Almost 45 minutes of detailed analysis — I’m frankly feeling a bit blown away! Such helpful insights. I’ve listened to the evaluation twice now. MANY THANKS for taking so much time to share such helpful insights.’ and ‘We are in receipt of your video and your analysis of the piece. After watching the video and taking notes, we feel as if a nurturing dramaturgical Mary Poppins has visited us with wonderful insightful nourishment. It appeared to us that you seemed to really relate to the characters we’ve established and are caught up with their plight and have come up with ways to strengthen them … Your suggestions are invaluable to us and many will be integrated.’

All musicals submitted (at any level) to ANMT by DECEMBER 15 of 2010 will be automatically entered in the Search for New Musicals for next season.

Winners will be announced by next March 15 following the annual deadline. The winner of the Search receives a workshop with the Academy Repertory Company, detailed feedback from the ANMT staff, and a concert reading in Los Angeles.

For more information on the Search, visit www.anmt.org.

(Los Angeles, February 8, 2010)  

The winner of the Academy for New Musical Theatre’s 2009 Search for New Musicals, Greenbrier Ghost will be presented in concert at the Colony Theatre in Burbank on Monday, February 22nd at 7:30 p.m.

Based on actual events, Greenbrier Ghost is believed to be the only case in America in which a murderer was convicted based on testimony from a ghost. With book by Susan Murray and music & lyrics by Clay Zambo, Greenbrier Ghost will be directed by Douglas Clayton with musical direction by Ed Martel and will feature members of ANMT’s Academy Repertory Company.

This stirring new musical is based on the true story of Zona Heaster Shue, whose murder trial in 1897 marked the only time in judicial history that a conviction was based on evidence by a victim from beyond the grave. And over 100 years later, the battle between proof and faith wages on.

First Prize in the Academy for New Musical Theatre’s Search for New Musicals was the concert reading, preceded by a workshop last spring, and detailed feedback and dramaturgy. “Our goal is to help the authors realize their musical’s potential,” says Associate Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry.

“This reading will be a really important step for us on our way to the show’s first full production this summer at a regional theatre in Connecticut,“ adds Zambo.

ANMT recently received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support ARC’s Colony Concert Reading Series. Greenbrier Ghost, the grant’s first beneficiary, will be performed in concert at the Colony Theater in Burbank on Monday evening February 22nd at 7:30. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $10.00. For more info or to purchase tickets online, please visit the ANMT website at http://www.anmt.org/events_reservation_1.asp?EventID=122

(Los Angeles, January 25, 2010)  

For years, the Academy for New Musical Theatre has been presenting new musicals in concert, and now for the first time is launching a new Dark Night Series of musicals “not quite ready for the limelight” on one Wednesday evening a month at the Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood.

“Every musical has a beginning,” explains Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry.  “This series explores new musicals even before the beginning — before costumes, before lights, and more importantly…before rewrites.”

The Dark Night Series is designed as an opportunity for writers of new musicals to self-produce readings of their works before producers get a look at them.  “The writers are all very excited about this opportunity to get their new musicals in front of an audience during the early stages of development,” says series producer Carla Porter. “Partnering with the Secret Rose Theatre is a great way for writers to hear whether their songs are working, or whether their plot is clear, or whether we root for the characters.”

The first musical in the series is Now and Then a Hero by Larry Todd Johnson and Jake Anthony, to be presented on Wednesday, February 10th.  Originally developed by ANMT in partnership with the Colony Theatre, Now and Then a Hero received a first workshop reading at the Colony last summer, and has undergone revisions since that first draft.

“We learned a lot from that first reading,” says composer Jake Anthony. “Based on feedback from that outing, we’ve streamlined the show, removing much of the transitional materials, and we’ve written brand-new opening and closing numbers. We’re eager to see if this simpler, more straightforward approach will help us more effectively reach the audience.”

The Origin of “Now and Then a Hero”

In 1939-1944, the WPA put hundreds of writers to work by commissioning thousands of interviews with ordinary Americans, recording their memories and life histories of the first three decades of the 20th century. The resulting transcriptions are stored in the Library of Congress “American Memories” collection. Many of these interviews share a common thread; many persons who might typically be perceived as ‘ordinary’ have dealt with or faced an extraordinary challenge or task.

The idea behind Now and Then A Hero was to create a series of short musical-monologues and scenes based on the WPA memoirs (and other source materials), each one of which would be followed by a second musical-monologue inspired by the parallel life of a modern American, taken from contemporary headlines. These two characters would be linked primarily by their profession, and by some perceived act of heroism, however big or small. The piece is written for five ethnically diverse actors, each of whom plays one of these “now and then” pairs.

“The concept of heroism has been central to the American culture since the founding of our country… and over the course of the evening, it is our goal to explore some basic questions about it,” says bookwriter/lyricist Larry Todd Johnson. “What is a hero? Can it be defined? Has the definition changed over time? And does everyone… no matter how ‘ordinary’ he or she may appear… have the potential within for heroism?”

The cast for the reading of Now and Then a Hero features Jimmer Bolden, Jennifer Chu, Elise Dewsberry, Ed Martin, and Selah Victor.

Other upcoming readings in the Dark Night Series include:
Wed, Mar 10: Wanting Miss Julie, by John Sparks, Jake Anthony and Patricia Zehentmayr
Wed, Mar 31: Esther, by Marian Partee, Mary Garrison and Ann Moore-Miller
Wed, Apr 28: Threads, by John Piraino and Jerry Ranger
Wed, May 12: No More Mr. Nice Guy, by Harriet & Norman Belkin, and Beverly Crain
Wed, Jun 9: Beautiful, by Adrian Bewley, Cindy O’Connor, and Larry Todd Johnson

Now and Then a Hero takes place on Wednesday, February 10th at 8:30pm at the Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood. Admission is $10. For more info and to make a reservation, visit Reservation Page

(Los Angeles, January 20, 2010)  

Gordon Firemark has been elected to a two-year term as President of the Board of Directors of the Academy for New Musical Theatre in North Hollywood.

Firemark has been serving on the Board for the past two years, with an eye towards becoming President this year.  He has been spurring the Board and the staff to create strategic plans, and revenue-generating programming, and most recently has been preparing the organization for its imminent transformation from an organization which develops musicals to one which also produces them.

“I’m very proud to step into the presidency in this time of growth,” says Firemark.  “This is a non-profit organization with which I’ve been involved for a number of years  I hope you’ll investigate ANMT if you’re writing, developing or producing a theatre project.”

Gordon is an entertainment attorney and a producer.  He helped the Academy produce the new musical 40 is the New 15 at the Secret Rose Theatre last summer, leading the production to a 157% profit in just six weeks.

Firemark’s private law practice is devoted to the representation of artists, writers, producers and directors in the fields of theater, film, television, and music. He is also the publisher of Entertainment Law Update., a newsletter for artists and professionals in the entertainment industries. His practice also includes intellectual property, cyberspace, new media and business/corporate matters for clients in the entertainment industry.

“We’ve been talking about this moment for a couple of years,” says Scott Guy, The Academy’s Executive Director.  “When Gordon and I had our first discussion back in 2005 about various business models which might be useful to our writers and producers, I thought, ‘This guy might make a good President one day!’  We’ve been steadily marching towards this moment ever since.  I’m very excited about the leadership which Gordon brings to us.  We’re already talking about big, big dreams and plans.”

In the past, Mr. Firemark has served on the Boards of Governors of The Los Angeles Stage Alliance , (the organization responsible for the annual Ovation Awards for excellence in Theater) and the Board of Governors of the Beverly Hills Bar Association , where he served as liaison to the Association’s Entertainment Law Section (of which he is a former chairman).

Mr. Firemark holds a B.A. in Radio, Television and Film from the University of Oregon, and earned his law degree at Southwestern University School of Law. Before opening The Law Offices of Gordon P. Firemark, Mr. Firemark was a partner with the Business Affairs Group, a boutique entertainment law firm in Los Angeles. He has also worked in the legal and business affairs departments at Hanna Barbera Productions and the MGM/UA Worldwide Television Group, and started his legal career as an associate at Neville L. Johnson & Associates, a West L.A. firm specializing in entertainment litigation

(Los Angeles, January 14, 2010)  

The Academy for New Musical Theatre is proud to announce that 40 is the New 15, a new musical by Larry Todd Johnson and Cindy O’Connor, has received a 2010 GLAAD Media Award nomination for Outstanding Los Angeles Theatre.

Nominations for the awards were announced in Los Angeles at a press conference and on the GLAAD website.

The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives.

40 is the New 15 explores five characters who are turning 40, and looks back on their lives when they met as high-school freshman at 15. Two of these characters, K.P. (Tod Macofsky) and Robby (Ed Martin) face coming-of-age sexuality issues at 15 that shape their view of the world for the rest of their lives. The ups-and-downs of Robby and K.P.’s relationship is the heart and soul of 40 is the New 15.

40 is the New 15 recently completed a successful developmental run at the Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood, produced by the Academy for New Musical Theatre. The production enjoyed sold-out houses throughout its run. There were raves about the “tuneful, clever songs, (and) engrossing storyline,” and critics called it “a diamond in the rough,” “sweetly entertaining,” and “something to sing about.”

“We are proud that this success has come to a new musical that was born in our Full Length Curriculum program and nurtured with a spot in our Concert Reading Series,” says ANMT Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry. “40 is the New 15 was a natural to be our first developmental production, and we congratulate Larry and Cindy for having their work honored with a GLAAD Media Award nomination.”

For a full list of GLAAD Media Award nominations, visit GLAAD.org at: http://www.glaad.org/mediaawards/21/nominees

(Los Angeles, December 1, 2009)  

Tuesday, December 15th is the submission deadline for the 2010 Search for New Musicals, sponsored by the Academy for New Musical Theatre (ANMT). The winner of the Search will receive a workshop with the Academy Repertory Company (ARC) in the spring of 2010, detailed feedback from the ANMT staff, and a concert reading in Los Angeles during the 2010-11 ANMT season.

There is a $100 fee for submitting to the Search, in return for which each entry will receive a 3-5 page script evaluation from an ANMT staff dramaturg. ‘I’ve never received a more cogent and useable evaluation before,’ wrote 2008 applicant Elliott Baker (author of The Tooth Fairy’s Daughter). ‘I’m very comfortable with the critique process but I have never finished reading a critique/evaluation with as much desire and energy to go to work on and polish a piece.’

‘The evaluation was far more in-depth than I expected and seemed to cover all the key aspects of the show. Frankly, I found it more helpful than a staged reading would have been,’ stated Search participant Barbara Campbell (bookwriter/lyricist of The Awakening). ‘This critique offered me far more in-depth comments into the basic ‘nuts and bolts’ than I have ever received to date.’

Writers can submit their shows electronically via ANMT’s website, or submit materials by mail after completing an online submission form.

ANMT has a development process which has been around for four decades, nurturing musicals through a number of stages, including outlines, rough drafts, table readings and concert readings.

Information on submitting to the Search is available online via ANMT’s website: www.anmt.org. ANMT is located at 5628 Vineland Avenue in North Hollywood, California (91601).

(Los Angeles, October 19, 2009)  

At Home in Mitford, a new musical based on the popular novel by Jan Karon, will receive a one night only concert reading October 26 at 7:30 pm as part of The Academy for New Musical Theatre’s reading series at The Colony Theatre in Burbank. Written by Cynthia Ferrell (book), Carl Johnson (music) and Chana Wise (lyrics), it tells the story of Father Tim, a cherished small-town rector, and the quirky group of people that live in the town of Mitford, NC. Elise Dewsberry directs and Darin Goulet is musical director.

“We’re honored that Ms. Karon has entrusted her beloved characters to us,” says the Academy’s Executive Director Scott Guy. “Making a musical is always a tricky thing, and we want to make sure we respect her writing and her readers. She has told us she’s very excited about this particular draft — and we’re delighted for the opportunity to present it in concert.”

Featured in the cast are David Holmes as Father Tim, Kelly Lester, Tess Ferrell, Elise Dewsberry and Jerry Martin, along with Ellen Dostal, Evelyn Halus, Johanna Kent, Christopher Maikesh, Andrea Press, Sari Rose Poll, Ben Ryan, Stephen Vendette and Peter Welkin.

“At Home in Mitford is about second chances for all,” says bookwriter Cynthia Ferrell, “that it’s never too late to find true love, safety, peace, family.” Adds composer Carl Johnson, “The mythical town of Mitford is a metaphor for Anytown U.S.A. The people and their relationships she writes about could be in any small town in America. I think that part of the appeal of her books is that almost anyone can find something to relate to in her characters and their lives.”

The Colony Theatre is located at 555 North Third Street in Burbank, CA. $10 tickets can be reserved through the ANMT website at www.anmt.org.

(Los Angeles, September 28, 2009)  

On Monday, October 26, The Academy for New Musical Theatre will kick off its third season of concert readings at The Colony Theatre in Burbank at 7:30 pm withAt Home in Mitford, a delightful musical based on the popular Mitford series by Jan Karon.

With book by Cynthia Ferrell, lyrics by Chana Wise and music by Carl Johnson, At Home in Mitford is the story of Father Tim, a cherished small-town rector, and the eclectic group of people that make up the town of Mitford, North Carolina - an American village where ‘the grass is still green, the pickets are still white, and the air still smells sweet. The rector’s forthright secretary, Emma Garret, worries about her employer, as she sees past his Christian cheerfulness into his aching loneliness. Slowly but surely, the empty places in Father Tim’s heart do get filled. First with a gangly stray dog, later with a seemingly stray boy, and finally with the realization that he is stumbling into love with his independent and Christian-wise next-door neighbor. Much more than a gentle love story, this is a homespun tale about a town of endearing characters- including a mysterious jewel thief–who are as quirky and popular as those of Mayberry, R.F.D.’ –Gail Hudson, Amazon.com

“The characters Jan Karon created in her novel, At Home in Mitford, are memorable and lovable and dimensional – and I think they’ve been dying to sing!” said lyricist, Chana Wise. Adds bookwriter, Cynthia Ferrell, “Tim’s complicated relationships with people are reflected in his complicated relationship with food. The problem nearly kills him. It’s a universal theme. Casseroles, side dishes, cake recipes - the line of food stretches from one end of the script to the other. Overall, it’s probably best to eat before you show up.”

At Home in Mitford will feature the members of the Academy Repertory Company (ARC) – the elite ensemble of sight-singing and cold-reading actors in residence at The Academy for New Musical Theatre along with ARC’s musical director, Darin Goulet.

“I’m very honored that ANMT is going to include At Home in Mitford in their Concert Reading series” says composer, Carl Johnson. “I feel that although the book is known mostly as a religious or inspirational novel, the characters and situations in the book should be familiar to almost everyone.”

The Colony Theatre is located at 555 North Third Street in Burbank, CA. $10 tickets can be reserved through the ANMT website at www.anmt.org

(Los Angeles, September 14, 2009)  

A weekend of original musical theatre will take place Fri., Sept. 18 through Sun., Sept. 20 at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts. Staged readings of two original musicals will launch the first of what will become an annual New Musical Theatre Festival.

“It’s one thing to put on a tried-and-true Rogers & Hammerstein classic like Oklahoma or South Pacific. Just about everyone has seen them – they’ve been around for generations and have been staged from Broadway to almost every dinner theatre from Pittsburgh to Pasadena,” said Dr. Daniel Gary Busby, professor of UCI’s celebrated drama department.

“It’s quite another to develop new musicals – originals, from the first word all the way through to full production – and that’s the journey the drama department of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts has embarked on,” he added.

By forming an alliance with the Los Angeles-based Academy for New Musical Theatre (ANMT), a 30-year-old creative incubator, CTSA hopes to become the new spawning ground for the classic musicals of tomorrow.

The plan, hatched by Busby and ANMT executive director Scott Guy after serving together on a professional panel, is to create new art and, by doing so, get the opportunity to sculpt what Broadway looks like five or 10 years down the road.

“The University should be a place where this art form is being created,” said Busby. “The goal is to raise CTSA’s profile by creating a niche for ourselves, which in turn results in attracting better drama students and building a larger and broader audience base for all of our performances.”

The plays will be written by ANMT professional writers, composers, and lyricists. They will be performed, designed and directed by CTSA students and faculty.

“With a new bachelor of fine arts degree in musical theatre being offered through the drama department – and with our alumni starring in Broadway, off-Broadway and several national productions – the UC Irvine drama department is uniquely positioned to impact the future of American musical theatre,” said Busby.

Two original musicals were selected earlier in the year and were put through table readings and the workshop process. The months-long procedure will culminate with staged readings on Friday, Sept. 18, Saturday, Sept. 19 and Sunday, Sept. 20 – a weekend-long celebration to launch what Busby hopes will become an annual event.

(Los Angeles, July 6, 2009)  

The 40-year-old Writers’ Workshop at the Academy for New Musical Theatre has finally grown up. After four decades of developing musicals for theatres, they’re producing one on the mainstage.

For a six-week run on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. beginning July 22nd at the Secret Rose Theatre at 11246 Magnolia in North Hollywood, the Academy will produce the new musical 40 is the New 15, book and lyrics by Larry Todd Johnson, and music by Cindy O’Connor.

Why this musical? Why produce now, after 40 years, in this economic climate of all times?

‘We’ve been wanting to produce for a number of years now,’ explains Executive Director Scott Guy, ‘We’re going to continue the writers’ workshop which began back in the 60’s, but we re-incorporated in 2002 in order to become a producer ourselves. We’ve been training a staff and building an infrastructure and audience base to make sure that we’re ready for our first production!’

Guy produced theatre in Chicago for many years, and produced television in Los Angeles before becoming the Academy’s Executive Director. He knew that producing theatre is a risky business even in the best of times, and could not afford to put the Academy in any financial risk. So he announced a bold, attention-getting campaign: selling the tickets in advance, before opening night!

‘We knew we could not afford to lose money on a production,’ says Guy, ‘so we went to all our friends and members, and said ‘If you’ll buy enough tickets in advance, we can commit to this production. If we don’t sell enough tickets, we won’t produce the show; it’s that simple.’ Guy’s approach worked like gangbusters. The Academy’s friends rallied to the cause. The first performances are already sold out, and the Academy’s sold enough tickets to cover the cost of the entire production.

‘We’re grateful and astonished at the outpouring of support from our friends,’ says the Academy’s Associate Artistic Director, Elise Dewsberry. ‘It shows us that a lot of folks want us to succeed as producers of new musicals. It’s very encouraging; we’ve been producing in concert for a couple of seasons now, and our audience has come to trust our taste and our quality programming. We couldn’t have done this without them, obviously.’

40 is the New 15 follows the lives of some fortysomethings who look back to their innocent days in high school, when they all dreamed of becoming successes at 40. A wannabe neurosurgeon, a teen gymnast phenom, a computer geek, an all-too-All-American baseball fan, and a starry-eyed musical theatre fan…all grow up to be…well, 40-year-olds.

Bookwriter Larry Todd Johnson explains that ‘We’re examining whether we would make the same decisions, if we knew then what we know now. Cindy and I are fascinated by how inevitable some of our life-choices seem, in retrospect. There are certain moments in our lives which determine who we are, indelibly. We find that wonderful, funny, and a little terrifying all at once. Can understanding this help us get past it? That’s what this musical is all about.’

‘I love the fact that I get to write music for these characters in two completely different time periods. In Act 1 they’re teenagers in the 80’s, and the songs have a youthful 80’s pop flavor. In Act 2 they’re older, life is more complicated, and their songs get more complex and diverse in style. It really reflects what’s happened to my generation, and to me, since the 80’s.’

The authors are both 40, and knew each other when they were teenagers. ‘We didn’t start writing together until we were young adults,’ says O’Connor, ‘but we’ve been successful writing as a team for twenty years. A lot of silly murder mysteries, yes, but some very serious works as well.’ Johnson and O’Connor’s All That He Was won the Kennedy Center National Student Playwriting Award and the KC/ACTF Musical Theatre Award.

40 is the New 15 was originally developed in the Academy’s workshop, but subsequently caught the eye of Academy staff, who supported it with several presentations at the Academy and in the Concert Reading Series at the Colony Theatre. John Sparks, the Academy’s venerable Artistic Director, included it in his Monday Night Reading Series at Theatre Building Chicago.

The musical is directed by Michele Spears, with a cast which features Taji Coleman as Winter, Tod Macofsky as Kevin, Ed Martin as Robby, Kevin Noonchester as Oren, and Angela Wolcott as Sarah.

The Academy thought that Bonnie and Clyde was going to be its first production, and began raising funds for it, but then the golden opportunity for 40 is the New 15 came up when Mike Rademaekers from the Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood approached the Academy with an ideal six-week summer time slot, and Scott Guy jumped at the chance.

‘We develop musicals from September through June,’ Guy explains, ‘July and August are our only real chance right now to focus on production. Last summer we produced a national Conference on the Biz of the Musical Theatre Biz, and the summer before that we were swamped producing a Festival of New Musicals with Theatre League. So when Mike mentioned this possibility, I knew we had to move fast. We had exactly 14 days to announce our plans and sell enough tickets to cover our budget. We had until noon on Friday June 12th to tell Mike we’d book the Secret Rose Theatre. We were 13 tickets shy of our budget by noon, and we thought, ‘Let’s risk it!’ The Academy has subsequently sold plenty more tickets and is now looking at the possibility of selling out the entire run.

‘What a start as producers!’ Guy muses. ‘We wish every production will go as smoothly as this one!’

40 is the New 15 will be performed at the Secret Rose Theatre on Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 8:30 p.m. from July 22nd through August 27th at the Secret Rose Theatre at 11246 Magnolia in North Hollywood. Reservations can be made at www.anmt.org

(Los Angeles, June 9, 2009)  

The Academy for New Musical Theatre (ANMT) will present their Writers’ Showcase on June 23rd and 25th at the Colony Theatre. This event will feature various works written during the Academy’s writers’ workshops over the 2008/2009 season. Excerpts are taken from musicals written in the Full-Length Curriculum, the General Workshop, Internet musicals, 15-second musicals, and highlights from developing shows.

‘I always love when we get to show off our writers to the public!’ says Elise Dewsberry, the Academy’s Associate Artistic Director. ‘The writers have created so many wonderful shows this year, it’s been agony selecting only 45 minutes to showcase. We could’ve done a showcase three times as long this year!’

‘We’ve been working the writers and their shows really hard all season long, in the privacy and security of our own workshop. It’s really great to see the shows and writers grow month after month,’ says Scott Guy, ANMT’s Executive Director. ‘The Showcase is a public way for us to show-off a little.’

Hillary Rollins, one of the writers of Aging Out and Got Milk, describes her experience: ‘I am absolutely thrilled to present these pieces to a larger audience! As much as I love creating a new musical, I confess there’s nothing better than hearing an audience laugh!’

Works scheduled to be featured include: We Polish and We Scrub from Twelve Pound Look by Jeffrey Scharf and Ross Kalling; It’s a Simple Operation from No More Mr. Nice Guy by Harriet Belkin and Beverly Crain; I Keep Expecting You from Monkey Mind by Terri Weiss, Bill Berry and Edward Auslender; Ratchel Wittick from Ghosts of Stowell Hill by Charles Ives and Scott Guy; Give Me Someone to Love and The Prying Eyes of God from The Good People of Sodom and Gomorrah by Chris Smith, Ross Kalling and Brad Beaver; A Flirtation from Wanting Miss Julie by John Sparks, Jake Anthony, and Patricia Zehentmayr; Long Time Ago from Windjammers by Robin Share and Clay Zambo; Roof Beneath My Head from Aging Out by Tara Redpenning, Hillary Rollins, and Darin Goulet; Cuz I’m Dumb from E-$cape: a Cybermusical by Scott Guy and Nick DeGregorio; India and Elsie the Borden Cow from Got Milk by Hillary Rollings, Kellen Blair, and Bill Johnson; the title tune from The Customer is Always Right by Kellen Blair and Bill Johnson; Oral Speaks from Threads by John Piraino and Jerry Ranger; Rodent’s Rally from Rapunzel by Brian Leader and Alison McGarry; Freckles from At Home in Mitford by Cynthia Ferrel, Chana Wise, and Carl Johnson; Happy Ending from Shoe by CJ Ver Burg and Jerry Ranger; All About The Timing from The Coffee Quintet by Carl Johnson and Chana Wise. The writers’ 15-second musicals will also be presented.

This showcase will comprise the second half of the evening. Three 15-minute musicals, entitled The Promise and the Price, written by members of the Academy’s Core Curriculum will be presented first.

Tickets are on sale now for the evenings of June 23rd and 25th at www.anmt.org under The Promise and The Price.

(Los Angeles, June 9, 2009)  

The Academy for New Musical Theatre (ANMT) will present their Writers’ Showcase on June 23rd and 25th at the Colony Theatre. This event will feature various works written during the Academy’s writers’ workshops over the 2008/2009 season. Excerpts are taken from musicals writte

(Los Angeles, June 9, 2009)  

Perpetual Surrey: a Theatrichorale, led by music director and conductor Jake Anthony, will hold its world premiere concerts on June 22nd and 24th at the Colony Theatre in Burbank.

Perpetual Surrey is dedicated to singing and performing theatrical choral music. Repertoire comes from musical theatre, opera, dramatic and comic concert works, and new pieces. The inaugural season includes many original works, selections from The Music Man, The Sound of Music, Children of Eden, Songs for a New World, some good ol’ fashioned Gilbert and Sullivan, Aaron Copland, a world premiere from a brand-new musical called Now and Then a Hero, and other surprise performances.

‘As a Music Director in the course of a show, there is always a frenetic rush to get ensemble numbers learned very quickly so that they can be put on their feet as soon as possible. Oftentimes, you wind up drilling notes, and slapping on musical band-aids,’ says Anthony. ‘In Perpetual Surrey rehearsal, it’s extremely satisfying to be able to make music out of these pieces, to play with texture and dynamic, to coax out all the rich detail the composer has given us!’

The chorale members take to this approach. Says one member, ‘As an actress, I sometimes feel at a loss in approaching choral music in regard to character and situation. But with the music in Perpetual Surrey, I feel like I’m right in my acting element! I’m so thankful for Jake’s synopses and discussions.”

(Los Angeles, June 8, 2009)  

The Academy for New Musical Theatre will present its annual 15-minute musicals at the Colony Theatre from June 22 through 25. These evenings are an annual highlight of the Academy’s yearlong season of developing new musicals and feature many new voices in musical theatre. Every seat in the house usually sells out.

This year two teams of writers and actors are involved in developing seven new musicals. The Red Team will present four 15 minute musicals with performances on Monday, June 22 and Wednesday, June 24. The Blue Team will present three 15 minute musicals with performances on Tuesday, June 23 and Thursday, June 25.

‘This year’s theme is The Promise and the Price: seven 15-minute musicals about heroes and traitors,’ explains Elise Dewsberry, ANMT’s Associate Artistic Director. ‘Writers have chosen wildly different approaches to this theme: Superman on trial, a jilted 50-year-old bride, an emotional high school reunion, the conflicted young wife of an Iraqi veteran, a to-the-death feud between superhero families, a sit-in against Bank of America, and zombies in love!’

The Red Team’s four new musicals on June 22 and 24 will be: Hired Hands (book by Larry Gene Fortin, music and lyrics by Peter Alexander); Zombie Love (book by Narda Fargotstein, music and lyrics by Clifford J. Tasner); The Ring (book and lyrics by Eric Dodson, music by Alan Ross Fleishman); and The Battle Between Good and Evil (book by Michael Greenspun, music by Jerry T. Fernandez, lyrics by Mitchell Glaser). The Red Team musicals will be performed by Carolyn Freeman Champ, Megan Crockett, Tara Hunnewell, Sylvin Janson, and Kevin Noonchester, and directed by Elise Dewsberry.

The Blue Team’s three new musicals on June 23 and 25 will be: Standing Up (book by Paul Elliott, music by Joseph Blodgett, lyrics by Larry Todd Johnson); The Veteran’s Wife (book by Adrian Bewley, music and lyrics by Scotty Arnold); and The People v. Superman (book by Frank Mula, music by Edward Auslender, lyrics by Glenn Johnson and Frank Mula). The Blue Team musicals will be performed by Kellan Christopher, Kelly Lester, Paul Marchegiani, Dana Shaw, and Heather Stewart, and directed by Scott Guy.

Musical director for all seven new 15 Minute Musicals will be Jake Anthony. Stage Manager for all four evenings is Rita Cofield.

Tickets are $25 per evening, or only $40 for any combination of a Red Team performance [Monday or Wednesday] and Blue Team performance [Tuesday or Thursday]. For more information, and to make reservations, visit www.anmt.org and click on THE PROMISE AND THE PRICE.

(Los Angeles, April 16, 2009)  

Move over, Elephant Man. G’night, Blanche DuBois. There’s a new ballad in town.

For years and years, the first collaboration for composers and lyricists in the Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop was a ballad for The Elephant Man: the Musical and before that, the first collaboration was a ballad for A Streetcar Named Desire. Not any more.

For only the second time in its 41 year history, the texts are changing in the Writers’ Workshop.

‘The musical’s changed in the past two decades, and we’re changing with it,’ says John Sparks, who has run the writers’ workshop for the past 26 years, having taken over the reins from its original founder, Lehman Engel. ‘Time was that the musical was most often about optimism, and there were bouncy, charming songs everywhere you looked. But today, that optimism is old-fashioned.’

Sparks observes that although there are plenty of musicals being fashioned on the classic, traditional models, there’s a growing trend toward musicals which reflect a less optimistic view of the world. ‘I’m not exactly sure what to call it — these shows are about people NOT getting what they want, which is different from the way it used to be. These shows are about loss, or disappointment, or lost opportunities. We need to acknowledge that impulse, and adjust the way we approach musicals.’

In the Core Curriculum, composers, bookwriters and lyricists are matched together in different teams each month, and each month write a song or a scene based on an assigned text.

The curriculum will still study some classic models, and give writers and composers the opportunity to create traditional musicals, which feature timeless ballads, charm songs, comedy songs and musical scenes, but there will be a new focus on the Musical of Today and the Musical of the Future. There will be at least unit devoted to the new ‘I didn’t get what I want’ song which Sparks hasn’t found a name for.

Sparks has chosen texts from contemporary Pulitzer Prize and Obie Award Winners on which to base the assignments in the curriculum. Texts include Topdog/Underdog by Suzan Lori-Parks, Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire, Proof by David Auburn, Doubt: a Parable by John Patrick Shanley, The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? by Edward Albee, The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane and Anna in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz.
‘We’re very excited about re-invigorating not only the Core Curriculum, but musical theatre,’ says ANMT’s Associate Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry. ‘Our hope is to help guide our writers to audiences in the future, not only on the stage, but on film, television and the internet. There’s a future for musical theatre on the internet, and we intend to be a big part of it.’

So what play has replaced The Elephant Man and Streetcar? It’s Rabbit Hole, the Pulitzer Prize winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire, about a family coping with the accidental death of a young son.

You can apply online to join the Core Curriculum for the 2009-2010 season; you’ll need some writing samples and a $60 deposit. Composers submit three samples of songs with piano/vocal scores; lyricists submit three samples of lyrics; and bookwriters submit two 10-page samples, preferably from plays.

The Core Curriculum meets one weekend per month from September to June, culminating in intense 15 minute musical projects which the Academy presents in a professional theatre in June. Applications can be made online or by regular mail. To apply, CLICK HERE.

(Los Angeles, April 6, 2009)  

The winner of the Academy for New Musical Theatre’s 2008 Search for New Musicals is The Water, with book by Tim Werenko and Jeff Hylton, music by Georgia Stitt, and lyrics by Jeff Hylton. It will be presented in concert at the Colony Theatre on Monday evening April 27th at 7:30 p.m.

The Water tells the story of a small Missouri town that survives a flood and examines what it takes for a community to rebuild its buildings, its relationships, and its unique sense of home. The story and characters are fictitious, but inspired by real events which happen in the Midwest every year.

‘I had been interested in writing about the ideas of home and community. What makes a place special, so special that you choose to rebuild after a tragedy rather than leaving?’ says The Water composer Georgia Stitt. ‘Jeff and I have attempted to write a score that captures that sense of place, of belonging, and also deeply explores the passions of these people and their relationships with the water that both feeds and destroys their livelihoods. I have worked to write music that is full of both character and emotion, and I think Jeff and Tim have managed to do that in the script, as well. The show is funny, heartwarming, and achingly tragic. This is a particularly American story, and since we started writing it we have lived through September 11th in New York City and Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. As timely as ever, The Water is a show about moving on.’

‘Having lived in a flood zone, the idea of people living with the possibility of disaster every day became a reality when I was personally flooded out,’ says bookwriter Tim Werenko. ‘The idea of potential tragedy became all too real for the whole world on September 11th. You only need to drive through your town and look at the For Sale signs to see how homes can be lost without a flood, tornado, or hurricane. Yet, when I work on this show, I see how these things can bring out the best in people. They can find a courage they might have forgotten. They come together. They inspire each other. By collectively sharing the worst of times together, they bring out the best in each other.’

First Prize in the Academy for New Musical Theatre’s Search for New Musicals was the concert reading, preceded by a workshop last spring, and detailed feedback and dramaturgy. ‘Our goal is to help the authors realize their musical’s potential,’ says Associate Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry. ‘The Water deals with some big issues, and we saw in the early draft a lot of potential for a powerful, theatrical experience. We can’t wait to see what they’ve done with the musical since we saw it last!’

Scheduled to appear in the cast are Vicki Lewis (Film: Finding Nemo; Broadway: Damn Yankees; Television: series regular on NewsRadio), Michael Arden (who appeared in the title role of the Center Theatre Group’s recent production of Pippin), Jeremy Kocal (currently appearing in Wicked in San Francisco) and other Southern California musical theatre stars including Dan Callaway, Julie Garnye, Tim Gulan and Steven Hack, and members of the Academy Repertory Company.

The Water will be performed in concert at the Colony Theater in Burbank on Monday evening April 27th at 7:30. Tickets are $10 and will go on sale April 1st. Reservations can be made at www.anmt.org.

(Los Angeles, March 30, 2009)  

The Drama Department at the University of California Irvine is partnering with the Academy for New Musical Theatre to create new musicals.

The Academy will supply writers, composers, and dramaturgs, and the University will provide directors, facilities, and students. Each musical will be developed in workshop at the Academy, and then presented in concert format at the University. The goal is for some of the musicals to make it to production, perhaps as early as 2010.

The first two musicals out of the starting block are Aging Out, which focuses on foster care kids who are abandoned by the state support system on their 18th birthday, and e-$cape: a cybermusical, inspired by real events in which a social network virtual world spins out of its creator’s control and bloodthirsty game players come after him, seeking money, revenge…and someone to blame.

‘This is a perfect opportunity for our faculty and students,’ says department chair Eli Simon, ‘We lead our students to explore new works, shape the future, and rise up to become the next generation of leading theatre artists. Our collaboration with the Academy for New Musical Theatre could not be more compelling in this regard. The opportunity to create new musicals from scratch is exciting, especially when the musicals we engage in are relevant and stimulating to graduate and undergraduate students alike.’

Early workshops of the first two musicals took place in January at the Academy in North Hollywood featuring professional actors who are members of the Academy Repertory Company. The next phase will be some closed table readings with faculty from both the University and the Academy. Then beginning in May, students will start to take part in readings and workshops, culminating in concert presentations on the Irvine campus September 18, 19 and 20.

‘This is a very exciting partnership,’ says the Academy’s Artistic Director John Sparks, ‘It is an extraordinary opportunity to create artistic but relevant new works for a younger generation of audiences. We are thrilled at the inspiration this affords writers and composers.’

The Academy for New Musical Theatre offers one of only three professional programs in the U.S. for writers, composers and actors in musical theatre. In the past four years they’ve developed over 50 musicals for producers and theatre companies across the U.S.

‘We’re hoping this will be an annual collaboration, with some works in development, some in concert, and some in performance,’ says Simon. ‘We’ve already begun preliminary discussions for musicals for production in 2012-13. We’re hoping to foster a steady stream of works that are in process throughout each academic year.’

Aging Out is scheduled for two performances in concert at the Winnifred Smith Concert Hall on September 19th at 8:00p.m. and September 20th at 5:00p.m. The book and lyrics are by Hillary Rollins and Tara Redepenning, with music by Darin Goulet.

e-$cape: a cybermusical is scheduled for performances at the Winnifred Smith Concert Hall on September 18th at 8:00p.m. and September 20th at 8:00p.m. The book and lyrics are by Scott Guy, and the music is by Nick DeGregorio.

Audience feedback is a crucial component of developing new work. To this end, there will be discussions held after each performance.

Tickets will be $6 for a single ticket, $10 admission to both musicals.

For more information about performances, contact the Department of Drama at UC/Irivne.

For more information about the Academy, or its process of developing musicals, please visit www.anmt.org.

(Los Angeles, March 24, 2009)  

There is only one week left of a 30-day March-only discount special for the webcast of ANMT’s ‘Salon with Stephen Sondheim.’

In honor of Mr. Sondheim’s 79th birthday, the $40 webcast is being offered at the special price of $14.95, with all proceeds shared equally between ANMT and Mr. Sondheim’s personal charity Young Playwrights, Inc.

The original event, ‘A Salon with Stephen Sondheim,’ a seminar presented by the Academy for New Musical Theatre, on March 13, 2008, sold out less than three minutes after tickets went on sale in February of 2008. Tickets went on sale online for the Academy for New Musical Theatre’s salon with musical theatre’s legend at 10:00 a.m., and were sold out by 10:03. A waiting list as long as the reservation list was complete by 10:10 a.m.

‘Stephen Sondheim is the rock star of the musical theatre world,’ said Scott Guy, the Academy’s Executive Director. ‘We knew he was revered, of course, but we weren’t prepared for such an enormous response.’

Mr. Sondheim has generously agreed to allow a webcast of the salon to be broadcast via the Academy’s website, www.anmt.tv. Fifty precent of the proceeds from this video go directly to Mr. Sondheim’s personal charity, Young Playwrights, Inc. The remainder of the proceeds go to the not-for-profit Academy for New Musical Theatre.

In a fascinating one-hour video from that Salon, Mr. Sondheim discusses his approach to the craft of writing for musical theatre, followed by a Q&A session. The session includes questions from composers, writers and producers of original musical theatre, including Steve Cuden (co-creator of Broadway’s Jekyll and Hyde), Calvin Ramsberg (Sweeney Todd’s Beadle Bamford) and Steven Banks, the Head Writer of Sponge Bob Square Pants.

‘Our Salons are very intimate ‘insider’ events,’ says ANMT’s Executive Director Scott Guy. ‘Part of the reason we’re able to attract such wonderful guests is that our events are small, casual affairs.’

Salon guests in the past have included Winnie Holzman (Wicked), Jeff Marx (Avenue Q), Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years), Marty Panzer (Barry Manilow’s lyricist) and Arthur Kopit (Nine). ‘But Sondheim has trumped them all. His tickets sold like a rock concert.’

The Salon was eventually moved to the larger Colony Theatre, where it again sold out. ‘It was one of the most wonderful, magical, unforgettable afternoons of my life,’ says the Colony Theatre’s Artistic Director, Barbara Beckley. ‘We were honored and awed to host this event.’
The Sondheim webcast is available for viewing at the Academy for New Musical Theatre’s website: www.anmt.tv. To receive the discount price of $14.95, enter the special Promo Code ‘YP09’. But hurry, the webcase will be removed on April 1!

(Los Angeles, March 16, 2009)  

The Academy for New Musical Theatre is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2009 Search for New Musicals.

First Prize goes to Greenbrier Ghost, book by Susan Murray, lyrics & music by Clay Zambo. Second Prize goes to Emerald, book & lyrics by Chris Burgess, music by Denise Wright. Third prize goes to Dula, book by Paul Elliott, music by Jeanie Cunningham, lyrics by Cunningham & Elliott. Special Merit goes to Girl Detective, book & lyrics by Alan Gordon, music by Mark Sutton-Smith.

Greenbrier Ghost, in which a dead woman’s ghost comes back from the grave to accuse her husband of her murder, will receive a workshop with the Academy Repertory Company in May of 2009, and a concert reading as part of the 2009-10 Concert Reading Series at the Colony Theatre in Burbank.

Emerald tells the story of an Irish-American woman who returns to the land of her ancestors, only to find herself haunted by the famed Black Pig. Emerald will receive an ANMT staff table reading and feedback session in May of 2009.

Dula is a fresh look at the story behind the infamous ballad of Tom Dooley and will receive an ANMT Analysis.

Said one very satisfied entrant about the Search, ‘I would say that the work that you are doing is the most helpful I have ever received from any arts organization. I only wish that more organizations were able to do as much for the field of musical theater. I think that your entire approach is great, serving a wide number of artists at many different levels in their careers. An incredible process really.’

‘ANMT is committed to an ongoing search to find and nurture promising new musical theatre,’ says Elise Dewsberry, the Academy’s Associate Artistic Director. ‘If you’ve written a musical, and you would like some honest, constructive, detailed feedback on how to make your musical better, you can submit your musical to ANMT for dramaturgical feedback at levels from evaluation to analysis to table reading to workshop to concert reading.’

All musicals submitted (at any level) to ANMT by December 15 of 2009 will also be entered into the Search for New Musicals for next season. Winners will be announced by March 15 following the annual deadline. The winner of the Search receives a workshop with the Academy Repertory Company, detailed feedback from the ANMT staff, and a concert reading in Los Angeles.

For more information about the Academy, or its process of developing musicals, please visit www.anmt.org.

(Los Angeles, March 1, 2009)  

On Friday, March 13, the Academy for New Musical Theatre will present a concert reading of the musical Bonnie & Clyde: A Folktale, at the Colony Theater in Burbank at 7:30pm.
The musical, penned by Broadway’s Hunter Foster (star of Urinetown, Little Shop of Horrors) and Rick Crom (star of Urinetown, The Goodbye Girl, Footloose) is a comic retelling of the well-known story. Bonnie and Clyde’s sold-out run at the 2008 New York Musical Theatre Festival won the festival’s top honor: ‘Most Promising New Musical.’ The New York Times calls it ‘The one show [in the Festival] that could hold its own in a transfer!’ The musical’s hallmark is its sly honky-tonk music, sharp dialogue, and a J. Edgar Hoover you’ll never forget.
‘We’re thrilled to be working with Hunter and Rick on this show,’ says ANMT Executive Director Scott Guy. ‘Producers are busy planning the world premiere production of this draft, and we’re proud to be able to present it here in Los Angeles first.’
The Academy for New Musical Theatre began working with the writers on Bonnie and Clyde almost two years ago, hosting a developmental workshop, and then a concert reading of the pre-Festival draft last spring. ANMT received an ASCAP Foundation Irving Ceaser Fund grant through the National Alliance for New Musical Theatre to support the writers in making post-NYMF revisions to ready the script for a full production.
‘Hunter and Rick have been very responsive to our input on the show,’ says ANMT dramaturg and Associate Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry. ‘It’s been a great partnership, and we’re very proud of the evolution of this clever and touching musical.’
Bonnie and Clyde: A Folktale will feature local favorite Kirsten Chandler (The Marvelous Wonderettes) and Broadway’s Reed Armstrong (Phantom of the Opera,

(Los Angeles, January 29, 2009)  

On Monday, February 9th at the Colony Theatre in Burbank, the Academy for New Musical Theatre will present Got Musical!, a sneak preview of seven brand-new musicals in development for producers across the country, giving an insight into the Academy’s process for creating new musicals from scratch specifically for producers and theatre companies.

Musicals currently in development which will be showcased at this event include a traditional musical based on a classic Shaw play, a goofy all-cow revue, a cutting-edge cyberspace musical, an experimental take on an Ibsen play, and an enchanted evening based on tales of the Great Lakes shipping industry, among others.

‘You don’t have to be in Los Angeles to benefit from our process,’ says ANMT Executive Director Scott Guy. ‘Weʼve developed many shows long-distance utilizing internet technology and our digital equipment, including shows with writers based in London and Berlin.’ One of these ‘long-distance’ shows is Miss Vulcan 1939 which the Academy developed for the Red Mountain Theatre in Birmingham, Alabama. ‘Red Mountain was so happy with that process that they have produced that show two years in a row,’ says Guy, ‘and they’re planning to remount it again next year.’

Guy explains that the ANMT development process is fairly simple: the producer generates or approves an idea; the creative team creates a paragraph-sized version, then a half-dozen-page version, and eventually a 15-minute first pass. At this point, the producer either shuts down the project, or agrees to produce a public reading of the work. If a producer approves of the project after the first 15-minute pass, the Academy supports table readings and workshops of the work, nurturing it through first draft. Then, the producer produces a public reading of the work at his expense. After the producer has fulfilled his obligation by producing the reading, he is under no obligation to produce the musical; but if he does produce the musical, the Academy expects the producer to do so under terms approved by the Dramatists Guild.
‘We’ve found this to be a win-win situation for the writer and for the producer,’ says Associate Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry, ‘and we’re excited to share this funny, artful and stimulating evening and showing off our innovative business model for developing new musicals for independent producers and theatre companies.’

Got Musical! takes place at 7:30pm on Monday, February 9th at the Colony Theatre in Burbank. Tickets are $10. For more information, and to make a reservation, please visit www.anmt.org and click on Got Musical!

(Los Angeles, January 29, 2009)  

Friday evening, February 6, Richard Sherman will host an informal salon at the Academy for New Musical Theatre. Richard will talk about his creative process and share some inside stories about the creation of some of his shows and songs.
The Salon is the latest in the Academy’s prestigious series featuring such musical theatre luminaries as Stephen Sondheim, Jason Robert Brown, Jeff Marx, Winnie Holzman, Arthur Kopit and Marty Panzer.

‘We’re honored to host one of the greatest and most beloved songwriters of all time,’ says Executive Director Scott Guy, ‘I mean — Richard Sherman wrote Mary Poppins — how supercalifraglistic is that!’

Richard will speak a little about his creative process, and show some private behind-the-scenes DVD footage of Mary Poppins, and then he’ll open up the salon for questions from the audience. Generally, the Q&A section of the Academy’s salons are allotted a generous hour, so many audience members get a chance to talk directly to Mr. Sherman.

‘The Q&A is my favorite part of the salons,’ says Associate Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry, ‘Because the salons are so intimate, we’ve found that our guests share ideas and stories with us they might not share in a more public setting. And Richard has already been so warm and wonderful and generous to us. We can’t wait!’

Richard and his brother Robert began their songwriting career at Disney, where they wrote what is perhaps their most well loved song: It’s A Small World (After All), for the New York World’s Fair in 1964. Since then, Small World has become the most translated and performed song on earth.

In 1965, the Sherman Brothers won 2 Academy Awards for Mary Poppins, which includes the songs Feed The Birds, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and the Oscar winner, Chim Chim Cher-Ee. Since Mary Poppins’ motion picture premiere, the Sherman Brothers have subsequently earned 9 Academy Award nominations, 2 Grammy Awards, 4 Grammy Award nominations and an incredible 23 gold and platinum albums.

Robert and Richard’s first non-Disney assignment came with Albert R. Broccoli’s motion picture production Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which garnered the brothers their third Academy Award Nomination.

Their numerous other Disney and Non-Disney top box office film credits include The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, The Parent Trap, Charlotte’s Web, The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh, Snoopy Come Home, Bedknobs And Broomsticks and Little Nemo: Adventures In Slumberland.

Outside of the motion picture realm, their Tony nominated smash hit, Over Here! (1974) was the biggest grossing original Broadway Musical of that year. The Sherman Brothers have also written numerous top selling songs including You’re Sixteen which holds the distinction of reaching Billboard’s #1 spot twice; first with Johnny Burnette in 1960 and then with Ringo Starr fourteen years later. Other top-ten hits include, Pineapple Princess, Let’s Get Together and more.

In 2000 the Sherman Brothers wrote the song score for Disney’s blockbuster film: The Tigger Movie. This film marked the brother’s first major motion picture for the Disney company in over twenty eight years.

In 2002, Chitty hit the London stage and received rave revues. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Stage Musical as the most successful stage show ever produced at the London Palladium. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang opened on Broadway in 2005. The Sherman Brothers wrote an additional six songs specifically for the new stage productions.
The second half of the salon will be a question and answer session. The salon is limited to 80 participants.

The salon will take place at ANMT, 5628 Vineland Avenue, North Hollywood, on Friday, February 6 at 8:00pm. Tickets are $35. For more information, and to make reservations, visit the ANMT website at www.anmt.org.

(Los Angeles, January 21, 2009)  

On Sunday, February 1st, international musical theatre producer Michael Blaha is hosting a one-day seminar entitled How to Produce Your Musical at the Edinburgh Fringe. This information-packed seminar with producer/attorney Michael Blaha will focus on what writers and producers need to know to produce a show at the infamous Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.

Michael Blaha, the founder of Fringe Management, LLC, has produced over 20 shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe over the past eight years, including the Fringe First Award winner runt, the Perrier Best New Comedy nominee Sabotage, and Harry Shearer of The Simpsons and This Is Spinal Tap fame. Mr. Blaha will offer practical advice about producing shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, including a discussion of the best venues, budgets, and marketing strategies.

‘Location, location, location!’ says Blaha, ‘That’s the key to success at the Festival. Some wonderful shows shoot themselves in the foot by producing in the wrong theatre. You can make a huge splash with your show and sometimes even make some money and launch a franchise at Edinburgh, but it all starts with knowing how to make sure the crowd can find you.’

The Edinburgh Festival has grown in the past two decades from a small fringe festival to an enormous international event with over 2000 performances. The Festival has launched many many shows and many more careers, and Mr. Blaha can guide an enterprising producer to increase the chances for success.

‘There’s always going to be some luck involved,’ says Blaha, ‘But you can help things along with some savvy marketing and smart planning…and booking the right venue.’

The seminar will take place Sunday, February 1 from 4-6pm at the Academy for New Musical Theatre, 5628 Vineland Avenue, North Hollywood. $10. Tickets are now on sale - to make a reservation, visit www.anmt.org and click on the link for EDINBURGH FRINGE SEMINAR.