news archive

(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.