30 Days of NYMF: DAY 1 Eric Louie

Eric Louie
NNBS Producer

Wow. NYMF's Next Broadway Sensation is now in its fifth year!

Over the past four years, it's been amazing to watch an idea that was born over drinks with now NYMF Programming Director Lily Hung grow into an exciting showcase for undiscovered musical theater talent. Some of our past 40 contestants have gone on to make their Broadway debuts in South Pacific, West Side Story, Mary Poppins, American Idiot, head on tour with countless musicals including the upcoming national tour of Les Miserables (with 2008's winner Shawna Hamic starring as Madame Thenardier!), and open countless Off-Broadway and regional productions including the upcoming Papermill Playhouse production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (with last year's finalist Lyle Colby as Leaf Coneybear)

While we've had many changes over the last five years, from name (Remember BROADWAY IDOL?) to creative team (Our immense gratitude to past directors Jess McLeod and David F. Chapman and our four time musical director Christopher Littlefield, who's going on tour with 9 to 5) to voting (last year we introduced voting to our online audiences who saved one contestant each week AND our wonderful judges who received a weighted vote every week too), we have always been guided by one simple rule: Find the best musical storytellers out there who have no Broadway credits; performers who can bring a character to life with subtlety and vitality.

This year we were fortunate to have a wonderful turnout at open call and had a really difficult time narrowing the field down to ten contestants. We've found an amazing batch of artists.
I hope you'll join me and the team, including our amazing musical director Xander Rovang and our producing duo of Jason Haft (back for another year) and Zachary Baer as we introduce to the world our ten stellar contestants: Sally Eidman, Rony Lee Goffer, Brooke Ishibashi, Travis Moran, Samara Oster, Jon-Michael Reese, Aaron Riesebeck, Jonathan Shew, Tonette Smith, and Hannah Whitney.

Come on out to New World Stages (340 West 50th Street) on Sundays (September 26th, October 3rd, and October 10th) at 9:30pm, so you can say YOU discovered Broadway's next sensation.

For more information, check out: www.nymf.org <http://www.nymf.org/> and to watch coverage of the contest and vote for your favorite singer, visit: www.theatermania.com <http://www.theatermania.com/>