Welcome to "30 Days of NYMF" By Isaac Robert Hurwitz
Executive Director and Producer, NYMF
It's hard to believe it's been eight years since we announced our first festival - a group of directors, producers, writers, actors, and others who shared the dream of getting new musicals in front of an audience. We didn't quite know how we'd make it happen - but with passion, determination and an outpouring of support, happen it did.
This year's festival starts in just two weeks, and I'm stunned to see how far we've come. All though NYMF's relatively young, we've seen alumni shows play on and off-Broadway, winning OBIE Awards, Drama Desk Awards, Tony Awards, and even a Pulitzer Prize. NYMF shows have left their mark on 45 of 50 states, plus the District of Columbia (if you run a theater in Wyoming, West Virginia or Idaho, call us!) and over 18 countries worldwide.
I'm thrilled to kick off the "30 Days of NYMF" series on BroadwayWorld.com this year and to hand things off to folks from each of the different projects premiering this season. I hope you'll come back for the next 29 days to get an insider's perspective on the festival as some of the shows' creators, writers, and composers blog about their experiences. This year we've got a little bit of everything in our line up, from magic tricks and paper costumes to the retelling of long lost stories. We've got adaptations of plays (Man of Rock), movies (Brain That Wouldn't Die In 3D!!!), novels (Gatsby: The Songs In Concert,
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, A Musical, Kiki Baby) and more. We also have biographical musicals, such as Blanche: The Bittersweet Life of a Prairie Dame, stories about the famous Follies Girl,
Olive Thomas, in Ghostlight, and the story of Billy the Kid in Outlaws. And for the third straight year, NYMF includes a special presentation of some of the most unique Korean musical theatre talent.
Some things don't change, of course: It takes over 1,000 talented artists to bring you the shows in this year's festival and nearly 100 volunteers to make NYMF itself run - not to mention numerous devoted sponsors and donors to keep it an affordable place where participants and audiences alike can take the risks that allow new musicals to flourish. NYMF remains a feat of passion, creativity, and willpower, even after eight years.
So thank you to
BroadwayWorld.com for providing an outlet for voices from the incredible Festival community that makes this all possible. We're blessed with a dizzying array of talented actors, directors, designers, and producers who are dedicated to keeping musical theatre fresh and vibrant -- here in New York as well as across the US and around the world.
Enjoy the series -- and see you at the Festival!
Isaac Robert Hurwitz Executive Director and Producer
