2014 NYMF'S NEXT BROADWAY SENSATION Competition Returns Today

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) has announced details for the 2014 NYMF'S NEXT BROADWAY SENSATION competition. A perennial fan-favorite, the competition will return in December with an impressive new list of celebrity mentors.

Produced by NYMF in association with New World Stages, with support from the ASCAP Foundation's Irving Caesar Trust, this talent competition seeks to find the newest musical theatre star. The winner of the competition will receive a special solo concert presented by NYMF as part of its 2015 Festival.

A panel of industry professionals will preside over two days of auditions to select 20 entrants to take part in the competition. Ten contestants will perform at each of two competition heats, with four performers selected from each evening to move on to the Grand Finale. Two finalists from each night will be selected by a panel of industry judges, with two additional finalists chosen from live audience votes and from online votes at NYMF.org.

This year's judges include NYMF resident casting director Michael Cassara, Tony nominee Michael Cerveris, Tony nominee Jeremy Jordan, Drama Desk nominated director Scott Schwartz, Tony nominee J. Robert Spencer, and others still to be announced. In addition to casting votes, the judging panel will offer live performance advice to the contestants.

As a highlight of the competition, NYMF will once again partner with the ASCAP Foundation to present "SINGERS & SONGWRITERS: A NYMF/ASCAP CONCERT EVENT" featuring the elite eight NNBS finalists performing the works of prolific musical theatre composers. Composers appearing at the concert will include Andrew Lippa, Adam Gwon, Ryan Scott Oliver, Anna Jacobs, John Bucchino, Michael Patrick Walker and Laurence O'Keefe. The concert will be hosted by Michael John LaChiusa.

All performances will take place at New World Stages (340 W. 50th St.).

NYMF's Next Broadway Sensation 2014: Heat 1
Friday, December 5, 2014 at 11:00 pm - doors open at 10:30 pm ($10 in advance, $15 at the door)

NYMF's Next Broadway Sensation 2014: Heat 2
Saturday, December 6, 2014 at 11:00 pm - doors open at 10:30 pm ($10 in advance, $15 at the door)

SINGERS & SONGWRITERS: A NYMF/ASCAP CONCERT EVENT
Wednesday, December 17, 2014 at 7:00 pm ($20)

NYMF partners with The ASCAP Foundation to present a concert featuring all eight Next Broadway Sensation finalists for 2014, performing the works of some of the hottest contemporary ASCAP musical theatre composers.

NYMF's Next Broadway Sensation 2014: Grand Finale
Friday, December 19, 2014 at 11:00 pm - doors open at 10:30 pm ($10 in advance, $15 at the door)

This is it! See who will be crowned the 2014 Next Broadway Sensation! The winner of the competition will receive a special solo concert presented by NYMF!

After auditions, the contestants for Heat 1 are: Jillian Gottlieb, Mara Jill Herman, Paul Ianniello, Hannah Kiem, Chris Pappas, Jose Ramos, Barry Shafrin, Darius Wright, Gretchen Wylder, and Rachel Zatcoff. The contestants for Heat 2 are: Kathryn Allison, Bentley Black, Melanie Burg, Nicholas Carroll, Corey Desjardins, Janet Dunn, Stefanie Izzo, David LaMarr, Magnus Tonning Riise, and Chloe Tucker.

"NYMF'S NEXT BROADWAY SENSATION is a unique experience. It combines a rare opportunity along with a fun competition in an entertaining and truly rewarding way," said NYMFMarExecutive Director & Producer, Dan Markley. "It is produced with the love and the spirit of Broadway at its heart. We are extremely proud to bring it back for another year of competition."

"We are thrilled to once again partner with the ASCAP Foundation for this year's newly named SINGERS & SONGWRITERS concert," said General Manager Jeremy Youett. "This incredible partnership provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our contestants, and a not-to-be-missed evening of entertainment for anyone who loves musical theatre."

Past contestants have gone on to appear in numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, including Newsies, The Last Ship, Violet, American Idiot, Dogfight, F#%king Up Everything, Hair, Les Miserables, South Pacific, West Side Story, and more.

Tickets for each stage of the competition, including SINGERS & SONGWRITERS: A NYMF/ASCAP CONCERT EVENT are now on sale at nymf.org/nnbs.

ABOUT THE NEW YORK MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL - The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) exists to revitalize musical theatre culture by discovering and promoting new musical theatre artists, producers and projects; nurturing a vibrant and innovative artistic community; and connecting one of America's greatest art forms with a diverse, contemporary audience.

Now in its eleventh year, the Festival is the largest musical theatre event in America. The preeminent site for launching new musicals and discovering new talent, the Festival provides an affordable platform for artists to mount professional productions that reach their peers, industry leaders, and musical theatre fans. Festival alumni have received a wide array of awards including the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize. In 2013, NYMF received a special Drama Desk Award in recognition of its work "creating and nurturing new musical theatre, ensuring the future of this essential art form."