Cassie Wooley Pronounced NYMF's Next Broadway Sensation Winner

Cassie Wooley has won NYMF's 2009 Next Broadway Sensation in the final round that took place Sunday, October 4th at New World Stages. Wooley will receive a special solo concert, co-presented by NYMF and Sh-K-Boom Records, as well as a featured track on an upcoming Stage Stars accompaniment album.

This year's competition featured Christopher D. Littlefield as musical director with NYMF Senior Associate Producer Eric Louie as director. In previous years the competition has featured the talents of Jennifer Sanchez (West Side Story), George Psomas (South Pacific), Alysha Umphress (the upcoming American Idiot, Make Me a Song), Jeff McClean (Legally Blonde National Tour), and DeMond Nason (Walmartopia) amongst many others.

CASSIE WOOLEY began her career in Chicago playing Thea in Fiorello!, Sally in Cabaret, and Mary in Merrily We Roll Along (Jeff Award) among many others. She grew up in Sioux City, IA where her parents own Lamb Productions Theatre and she received her BFA from The Theatre School at Depaul. www.cassiewooley.com

New York Musical Theatre Festival's "Next Broadway Sensation," formerly known as "Broadway Idol," returned for its fourth year. Produced by NYMF and sponsored by TheaterMania and DFD TV in association with New World Stages and The Network, this talent competition seeks to find the newest musical theatre star.

In 2008, Shawna M. Hamic beat out the competition with her powerhouse voice, incredible charm and sass, and her incomparable strength. Backed by Ross Patterson and featuring direction by Broadway star and Obie award winner Donna Lynne Champlin, Shawna will take Joe's Pub by storm with her solo cabaret: OUTSIDE THE BOX, a musical journey full of pep, verve, courage, and determination on Monday, November 2nd at 11:30 pm. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door and can be purchased at joespub.com or by phone between the hours of 10am and 9pm at 212-967-7555.

NYMF is the flagship program of National Music Theater Network, Inc., a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization. NYMF 2009 is presented in association with BroadwayWorld.com, Production Resource Group and TheaterMania.com, and is supported by Back Stage, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, BroadwayBox.com, BroadwayInsider.com, Broadway.TV, Clear Channel Spectacolor, DFD-TV, Frank & Camille's Fine Pianos, King Displays, Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, New World Stages, NASDAQ OMX, Next Magazine, PMD Promotions, Queerty.com, Reuters, Sweet Caroline's, Tekserve, TheMenEvent.com, The Tank, and Times Square Squared. Major supporters include The ASCAP Foundation, BMI Foundation, Inc., The Broadway League, The BWF Foundation, The Nathan Cummings Foundation with the support and encouragement of Jamie Mayer, The Charlie & Jane Fink Charitable Fund, The Rodgers & Hammerstein Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and The Theater League. NYMF is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council. NYMF's programs are made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

Tickets to individual festival events are now on sale. NYMF Memberships, which combine charitable contributions with valuable, flexible ticket packages and perks like early seating, are also available for purchase at (212) 352-3101 or www.nymf.org.