TV: Get a Taste of What's to Come at NYMF 2018- Previews of INTERSTATE, SONATA 1962 and More!

Earlier this week, New York Musical Festival held a special, behind-the-scenes look at six brand new musicals. Join the cast and creative teams of EMOJILAND, INTERSTATE, THE GUNFIGHTER MEETS HIS MATCH, SONATA 1962, WHAT'S YOUR WISH?, and PEDRO PAN for a sneak peek at these New York Musical Festival productions below!

Lesli Margarita will star in EMOJILAND, with a book, music, and lyrics by Keith Harrison and Laura Nicole Harrison. Inspired by The Unicode® Standard, this electric ensemble piece explores the interconnected lives of two dozen emojis whose existence inside a smartphone becomes increasingly complicated after a software update. Driven by a thrilling, clever, heartfelt contemporary score, EMOJILAND transforms its telecommunicative, ubiquitous source material into an allegorical saga as open to interpretation as the iconic digital characters who inhabit its titular world. EMOJILAND begins performances on Tuesday, July 17 at The Acorn Theatre @ Theatre Row. Learn more: nymf.org/emojiland

Sushama Saha will star in INTERSTATE, with a book and lyrics by Kit Yan and Melissa Li and music by Melissa Li. An Asian-American pop-rock poetry musical that follows Dash, a transgender spoken-word performer as he goes on a cross-country tour with Adrian, a lesbian singer-songwriter. Together, they've formed Acupuncture for Fools, an activist band fueled by growing internet popularity, the allure of fame, and a desire to connect with the Queer Asian community. At its heart, INTERSTATE is about two transgender people at different stages of their journey and their parallel experiences with love, family, and finding a community. INTERSTATE begins performance July 9 at the Acorn Theatre @ Theatre Row. Learn more: nymf.org/interstate

Wilson Jermaine Heredia will star in PEDRO PAN, with a book by Rebecca Aparicio and music and lyrics by Stephen Anthony Elkins. Based on the real-life events of Operación Pedro Pan, a young boy is sent to the U.S. to escape the growing dangers of post-revolutionary Cuba. To survive, Pedro must learn a new language and a new culture - while hoping to one day be reunited with his parents. With a score featuring the percussive rhythms of Havana to '60s New York soul, Pedro Pan examines what it means to be a displaced immigrant in America. Named Top 10 Off-Off B'way Shows 2015 (MWAT) and Theatre Is Easy's Best Bet 2015. PEDRO PAN, the winner of the 2017 NYMF Developmental Reading Series Award, begins performances on July 10 at the Acorn Theatre @ Theatre Row. Learn more: nymf.org/pedropan18

Becca Ayers and Aaron Ramey will star in SONATA 1962, with a book by Patricia Loughrey, music by Thomas Hodges, and lyrics by Thomas Hodges and Patricia Loughrey. Raising a musically gifted child was a challenge that Margaret Evans cherished, and she devoted her life to her daughter. The world begins to open up for Laura when she gets a scholarship to study at a prestigious music school. But she falls in love with a girl at school. The lovers are caught, expelled, and charged with a crime. Margaret now faces a terrible choice: stand by as Laura destroys her future, or involuntarily commit her for a brutal treatment that might bring her daughter back. SONATA 1962 begins performances on August 1 at the Acorn Theatre @ Theatre Row. Learn more: nymf.org/sonata1962

THE GUNFIGHTER MEETS HIS MATCH, with a book, music, and lyrics by Abby Payne, is a contemporary wild West musical conceived and written by Brooklyn based singer songwriter Abby Payne. The universal love story, inspired by the New York City's eclectic music scene and the short stories of Louis L'Amour, is one of love, loss, and hope as a rugged gunfighter faces his ultimate high stakes battle for his truest love. With the creative direction and highly entertaining choreography of Glitter Kitty Productions, the Gunfighter will transport you to another world with a few familiar echoes of our own. THE GUNFIGHTER MEETS HIS MATCH begins performances on July 30 at the Acorn Theatre @ Theatre Row. Learn more: nymf.org/gunfighterhismatch

WHAT'S YOUR WISH? has a book by Thicket & Thistle and music and lyrics by Kyle Acheson, Sam De Roest, and Corley Pillsbury. When two teenage best friends get sucked into a magic storybook, they discover that getting home will take more than just a wish. With time running out, will Nicholas and Brian's friendship survive their perilous journey through Death Forest? Turn the page with Thicket & Thistle's What's Your Wish? and join an exuberant cast of actor-musicians for an evening of music, humor, and imagination. WHAT'S YOUR WISH? begins performances on July 16 at the Acorn Theatre @ Theatre Row. Learn more: nymf.org/whatswish

This year, the Festival will take place July 9 through August 5 at The Acorn Theatre @ Theatre Row (410 W. 42nd Street); The Studio Theatre @ Theatre Row (410 W. 42nd Street); and The Green Room 42 @ YOTEL (570 10th Avenue).