NYMF Announces Special Events And Next Broadway Sensation Competition

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) is proud to announce several special events that will take place alongside the Festival's 30 new musical productions, including an opening night gala celebration and master class with Baz Luhrmann and the 2010 NYMF's Next Broadway Sensation Competition. NYMF will also present two special pre-Festival events: The ASCAP Foundation Songwriter Showcase and a Commercial Theater Institute producer's seminar. Tickets for all productions and events are currently on sale.

Without You, Anthony Rapp's one-man show, has sold out 9 of its 10 performances and an extra performance has been added on Friday, October 8th at 11:30pm and is currently on sale. Other musicals with sold out performances include Things As They Are and Therapy Rocks.

NYMF's Next Broadway Sensation
The singing competition returns for its fifth year and will take place at New World Stages (340 W. 50th Street) Sundays during the Festival (September 26th, October 3rd, and October 10th). Produced by NYMF and sponsored by Sh-k-Boom, TheaterMania and AP-Red.com in association with New World Stages, this talent competition seeks to find the newest musical theatre star.

The winner will receive a special solo concert, co-presented by NYMF and Grammy Award-winning producer Sh-K-Boom Records and a private coaching session by renowned vocal coach Liz Caplan, who will also serve as a mentor on our judges' panel for the entire competition.

Over three exciting weekly concerts, ten singers battle their way to the top and their fate will be decided by audience votes. A panel of industry pros will also be on hand each week to offer feedback and advice. Past celebrity commentators and judges have included Marc Kudish, Jonathan Groff, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Donna Lynne Champlin, and Tom Kitt. Contestants have gone on to appear in numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, including American Idiot, Hair, West Side Story, South Pacific, Women on the Verge, and many more. This year's competition will be musical directed by Alexander Rovang and directed by Eric Louie.

WHERE: New World Stages (340 W. 50th Street)
WHEN: Sept 26, Oct 3, and Oct 10; Doors open at 9pm, competition begins at 9:30pm
TICKETS: $10

Open auditions will be held on Saturday, September 11th at The Roy Arias Studios (300 West 43rd Street, 5th Floor) from 10am - 4pm. Callbacks will be held on Sunday, September 12th from 1pm-6pm. NYMF's Next Broadway Sensation is open to singers aged 18 and over who have Broadway flair but no Broadway credits. Potential "Broadway Sensations" should prepare 16 bars of the show tune that best demonstrates their vocal chops. An accompanist will be provided, but aspiring sensations need to bring sheet music, headshots and resumes.

ASCAP Foundation Songwriters Showcase
The next generation of musical theatre artists will be highlighted in this concert sponsored by The ASCAP Foundation. Showcasing songs by a group of the industry's brightest emerging writers, this one-night only event will also feature a master class with Theodore S. Chapin, president of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization. Writers Masi Asare, Daniel Maté, Chris Miller, and Nathan Tysen will participate.

The Songwriter Showcase is made possible through the generous support of The ASCAP Foundation Irving Caesar Fund.

WHERE: New World Stages
WHEN: Sept 20, 8pm
TICKETS: $20, limited number of free tickets available for students. Please visit www.nymf.org/songwritershowcase for ticketing details.

Commercial Theater Institute Seminar: "The Mating Game"
How do producers and writers find each other, particularly at the beginning of their careers? Hosted by NYMF and the Commercial Theatre Institute, this special one-day seminar brings together NYMF writers and emerging producers to share ideas, explore common interests, and learn the fundamentals of forming and maximizing creative relationships. In addition to lectures and panel discussions, participants will form producer-writer teams and to take on the task of developing pitch presentations.

WHERE: Theatre Row
WHEN: Sept 24, 10am - 5pm
TICKETS: $160 for participating producers (includes lunch), NYMF writers by invitation only

Seventh Annual Season Opening Night Celebration Hosted by NYMF 2010 Honorary Chairman Baz Luhrmann
As the lights come up on a new season of NYMF musicals, what better way to celebrate the start of the Festival than with an event to support and celebrate NYMF's mission. Meet the casts and creative teams of this year's shows at our glam opening night bash, mingle with Broadway's hottest stars, and dance the night away with the NYMF family. This exclusive red carpet event is only open to NYMF members and patrons.

WHEN: Sept 27, 9:30pm
WHERE: Hudson Terrace
TICKETS: Free for NYMF Members, Patrons and Participants

The NYMF 2010 Seminar Series presented by The ASCAP Foundation
Led by established theatre professionals, these seminars aim to give audience members a chance to learn about the inner-workings of musical theatre. All seminars will be held at Barnes and Noble at Lincoln Triangle (1972 Broadway at 66th Street). All seminars are free, with seating based on space and availability.

The Seminar Series is made possible through the generous support of The ASCAP Foundation Irving Caesar Fund.

Story of My Life: The Inspiration Behind Autobiographical Musicals
Moderator: Michael A. Kerker (Director of Musical Theatre, ASCAP)
Guests: Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen ([title of show]), Stephen Cole and David Krane (The Road to Qatar), and David Hein and Irene Carl Sankoff (My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding)
Writers draw inspiration from many different sources: pre-existing materials such as novels or films, or the real world around them. But what happens when they delve within to put their own lives onstage? Is it purgation, exhibitionism, or just the sheer fun of declaring, "You won't believe what happened to me!" How is the story affected by the truth behind the fiction? What are the challenges in placing your own life onstage? Examine the artistic impulse as writers discuss showcasing personal tragedies and triumphs as song and dance.
WHEN - Sept 28, 5pm

Our Turn: Women Who Write Musicals
Moderator: Peter Filichia (TheaterMania, The Newark Star Ledger)
Guests: Lynn Ahrens (Ragtime, Once Upon This Island), Susan Birkenhead (Jelly's Last Jam, Radio Girl), Deborah Abramson and Amanda Yesnowitz (The History of War)
In the 60-year history of the Tonys, only six women have won the awards for Best Book and Best Score. Yet the audience for musicals is predominantly female. Why is there such a discrepancy? Come hear our panel of composers, lyricists, and librettists as they share their thoughts and experiences as women in a field that is still male-dominated. Is there such thing as a "female?musical theatre writer"? Does it matter?
WHEN - Oct 5, 5pm

Showtunes for Today: Modern Musical Influences
Moderator: Isaac Robert Hurwitz
Guests: Zina Goldrich (Junie B. Jones, Dear Edwina), Andrew Lippa (The Addams Family, The Wild Party) and Jonathan Spottiswoode (Above Hell's Kitchen)
Over the last century, musical theatre scores have been rooted in everything from operetta to Tin Pan Alley to jazz to rock and pop. Now that we've reached the current era of musical mash-ups and vast iTunes libraries, how should we define the "modern" musical theatre sound? Join our panel of composers as they discuss their own musical influences ranging from contemporary pop, alt rock, hip-hop and other "non-theatre" sounds, and debate where musical theatre is headed next!
WHEN - Oct 12, 5pm

Musical Theatre on Film: A Master Class with Baz Luhrmann?
Through his work, Baz Luhrmann has had a direct effect on popular culture, fashion, design, music, graphics and cinematic innovation over the past twenty years. From the kaleidoscopic storytelling of the films in his Red Curtain Trilogy to the cinematic rapture of his Tony Award-winning production of La Boheme, Luhrmann's work has captivated audiences worldwide with an innovative approach to musical storytelling. In celebration of the upcoming Blu-ray release of Moulin Rouge! and William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, NYMF is proud to offer an exclusive master class with this legendary artist. Featuring clips from his most beloved works, this event will include a discussion about musical theatre performance for stage and screen, the challenges in making a "contemporary" adaptation, and other insights into Mr. Luhrmann's creative process.
WHEN: September 30th, time 7-9pm?
WHERE: Paley Center (25 W. 52nd Street)?
TICKETS: Free for all NYMF Patrons, Diamond and Platinum Members; free for high school and college students by invitation; limited public tickets available.

Cocaine: The Band - The Musical
Book by Maggie Levin, Colin Doyle and Celina Carvajal; Music and Lyrics by Colin Doyle;
Concept by Colin Doyle

Cocaine - the band - rocks your freakin' face off as part of the NYMF @ Nite special event series. This iconic ‘80s quartet is back and there's nothing Eddie Vedder can do about it. Brothers Husko and Jerko on the guitar and bass are backed by Cuban cupid Marco on the skins, exploding into a rad rhythm section. Fronted by the truly babeticious babe Coco Caine, rock's true Fab Four has re-emerged from a cryogenic slumber to save Rock N' Roll from certain death.

WHEN: Oct 1 and Oct 2, 11pm
WHERE: Urban Stages, 259 West 30th Street
TICKETS: $20

Choral Odes Workshop
Fulbright scholar and director Ioli Andreadi leads a one-day master class on the use of music and movement in Classical Greek tragedy, which will be offered to local college students during the festival. The class will focus on various approaches to choral odes in a new adaptation of The Bacchae, examining how body and voice can make even the most ancient texts evocative and exploring its relationship with modern musical theatre staging. The material features original music by composer Erato Kremmyda, which blend elements of classic choral odes with modern visceral undertones.

WHERE: City Center Rehearsal Studio
WHEN: Oct 9, 10am - 4pm
TICKETS: Free, participation by interview only, please visit www.nymf.org/choralodes for details

NYMF Closing Night Gala
Hoist a glass of Terra Fossil wine as NYMF toasts an unforgettable three weeks of new musicals at the 2010 closing night celebration with 360 degree views of Manhattan and the Hudson River from the city's highest rooftop lounge, The Sky Room. The festiVal May be ending but the fun lives on through the night as guests dance to Wii's highly popular Dance on Broadway.
WHEN: Oct 17, 9pm
WHERE: The Sky Room, 330 West 40th Street, 33rd Floor
TICKETS: Free for NYMF Members, Patrons and Participants