The National Alliance for Musical Theatre (Betsy King Militello, Executive Director) is thrilled to announce that the public can attend NAMT’s 32nd Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS by making a donation to NAMT ($30 donation for one day / $50 donation for both days). Passes are available after making a free account on Broadway on Demand. NAMT’s FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS will take place on Thursday, November 19 and Friday, November 20, 2020, with the opportunity to view the Festival through November 29.

Selected from 349 submissions, this year’s Festival of New Musicals includes: Co-Founders (Book & Lyrics by Beau Lewis, Adesha Adefela & Ryan Nicole Austin, Music by Jodie Ellis, Brian Watters & Budo), Cowboy Bob (Co-Created by Molly Beach Murphy, Jeanna Phillips & Annie Tippe, Music & Lyrics by Phillips, Book & Additional Lyrics by Murphy, Additional Music by Alex Thrailkill), The Consoling Mechanism (Book, Music & Lyrics by Josh Franklin), Eastbound (Book & Music by Cheeyang Ng, Book & Lyrics by Khiyon Hursey), Hart Island (Book & Lyrics by Michelle Elliott, Music & Lyrics by Danny Haengil Larsen), Lizard Boy (Book, Music & Lyrics by Justin Huertas), Obeah Opera (Book, Music & Lyrics by Nicole Brooks) and On This Side of the World (Music and Lyrics by Paulo K Tiról, developed with Noam Shapiro).

This year’s NAMT Festival of New Musicals features an impressive line-up of directors and musical directors including: Nicole Brooks (Film: The Orisha Suite, A Linc In Time), Marc Bruni (Broadway: Beautiful The Carole King Musical), Desdemona Chiang (Regional: Hold These Truths), Steven Cuevas (Broadway: Once on This Island), Melanie DeMore (Music: Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir), Andrea Grody (Broadway: The Band’s Visit), James Nathan Hopkins (Broadway: Bandstand), Brandon Ivie (Regional: A Christmas Story, The Musical), Jamil Jude (Regional: Skeleton Crew), Raja Feather Kelly (NY: UGLY (Black Queer Zoo)), Jonathan McCrory (NY: Dead and Breathing), Noam Shapiro (Off-Broadway: On This Side of the World), Annie Tippe (Off-Broadway: Octet), Alex Thrailkill (NY: The Living Record Collection), Steven Tran (NY: Crazy Fierce Asians), P. Jason Yarcho (Broadway: Falsettos) and Meg Zervoulis (Broadway: The Prom). 

This year’s performers include Austin Dean Ashford (International: (I)sland T(rap)), Ryan Nicole Austin (Off-Broadway: #BARS), Cheo Bourne (NY: Church of Holy Glory), Karen Burthwright (Broadway: Jesus Christ Superstar), Nicole Brooks (Canada: Obeah Opera), Jeb Brown (Broadway: Beautiful The Carole King Musical), Gerard Canonico (Broadway: Be More Chill), Krystle Chance (North American Tour: We Will Rock You), Ya Han Chang (Off-Broadway: Sayonara), John Clay III (Broadway: Choir Boy), Carrie Compere (Broadway: The Color Purple), Marc delaCruz (Broadway: Hamilton), Amanda DeFreitas (Broadway: Hairspray), Saphire Demitro (Canada: Into the Woods), Natascia Diaz (Broadway: Man of La Mancha), Ashley Pérez Flanagan (Broadway: Freestyle Love Supreme), Deidrey Francois (Music: Spirit in Bloom), Nickeshia Garrick (Dance: No Woman’s Land), Kirsten deLohr Helland (Regional: The Sound of Music), Arinea Hermans (Canada: The Adventures of Pinocchio), Rodney Hicks (Broadway: Come from Away), Justin Huertas (Regional: Howl’s Moving Castle), Amber Iman (Broadway: Shuffle Along), Jawan M. Jackson (Broadway: Ain’t Too Proud), Gizel Jiménez (Broadway: Wicked), Raymond J. Lee (Broadway: Groundhog Day), Simon Longnight (National Tour: Hamilton), Jaygee Macapugay (Broadway: School of Rock), Aline Mayagoitia (Off-Broadway: Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation), Grace McLean (Broadway: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet Of 1812), Cheeyang Ng (Music: Vocalosity), Tu Nokwe (TV: Ifalahke), Diane Phelan (Broadway: The King and I), Dana Jean Phoenix (Music: Pixeldust), Zachary Noah Piser (Broadway: Dear Evan Hansen), Michelle Polak (Canada: Avaricious), Michael Protacio (Regional: West Side Story), Tanner Quirk (National Tour: Matilda), Tringa Rexhepi (Canada: Ring of Fire), Vincent Rodriguez III (TV: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Bronwyn Tarboton (Broadway: Frozen), Ryan Gregory Thurman (NY: Disney’s The Little Mermaid), Daryl Tofa (Broadway: Mean Girls), Kay Trinidad (Broadway: Hadestown), William A. Williams (Regional: Of Mice and Men), Joy Nicole Woods (Off-Broadway: Little Shop of Horrors), Jessica Tyler Wright (Broadway: War Horse), Shuyan Yang (Off-Broadway: Comfort Women) and Jessy Yates (TV: Speechless). The casting director for the Festival is Michael Cassara, CSA.

This year’s class of observers for the Festival Observership for Early-Career Directors are Karishma Bhagani, J Travis Cooper, Miranda J. Cornell, Tamanya Garza, Zhiyi Vanna Han, Emmanuel Kikoni, Lamar Perry and Leah Vicencio.

For the industry, the NAMT Fall events will kick off on Tuesday, November 17, with the Fall Conference, followed by the Festival of New Musicals on November 19 & 20. Festival registration for industry members is free and is open at www.namt.org/festival.

Now in its 32^nd year, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS attracts theatre producers from around the world to discover eight new musicals over two days. Production costs are underwritten by NAMT. As a non-profit organization, NAMT funds the Festival entirely through donations and sponsorships.

The Festival has introduced musical theatre producers to 268 musicals and 512 writers from around the world. As a direct result of the FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS, more than 85% of the musicals presented have gone on to subsequent readings, workshops, productions, tours, been licensed, and/or recorded on cast albums. Some past Festival shows include Klook and Vinette, Benny & Joon, Come From Away, Darling Grenadine, The Drowsy Chaperone, Gun & Powder, Interstate, It Shoulda Been You, Lempicka, Ordinary Days, Striking 12 and Thoroughly Modern Millie, among many others.