New York Musical Theatre Festival Announces Dates and Submissions for 2005

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF), a three-week celebration highlighting the next generation of musicals and the vibrant community of writers and artists working in musical theater today, will begin accepting submissions for its 2005 season on January 10. This year's festival will run from September 12 through October 2, 2005.

The 2004 festival surpassed all expectations in its inaugural season, becoming the largest musical theatre event in American history. With over 23,000 people attending 141 different events in 26 performance venues across the city, NYMF 2004 premiered more musicals in three weeks than can be seen on Broadway in a year. Sold-out houses and strong reviews have led to commercial options for at least seven festival shows, including Altar Boyz, which opens at off-Broadway's Dodger Stages in March.

Writers are invited to submit "production-ready" musicals to the Festival's NEXT LINK PROJECT, for which 18 shows will be chosen by a jury of theater luminaries. The 2005 jury includes Kevin McCollum, producer of Avenue Q and Rent, and Jack Viertel, Creative Director of Jujamcyn Theaters, among others. Selected shows will be presented in repertory over the three-week festival in key venues in the theater district.

"Great stage musicals are not polished on computers and legal pads," said Jeff Marx, Tony-Award-winning author of Avenue Q, who served on the 2004 Next Link jury. "It's essential that they're put up on their feet in front of live audiences, so they can be observed and then developed in response to how they actually play. NYMF provides an essential part of the creative process."

Applications for the Next Link Project will be available beginning January 10 from the Festival website, www.nymf.org. Submissions will be accepted until March 11, 2005.

Through the Next Link Project and other Festival events, NYMF provides a platform to introduce and showcase new work to audiences, commercial producers and regional theaters. "At NYMF, I saw fresh, funny, vibrant theater of the highest caliber – some of the smartest work I've seen in a long time," said Steve Fickinger, Vice President of Disney Studios. "It's a perfect opportunity to hear tomorrow's most exciting voices, and simply not to be missed."

In addition to the Next Link Project, the 2004 Festival included almost twenty additional productions invited from around the world; a series of PANELS AND SEMINARS featuring industry leaders; a series of IMPROVISED MUSICALS; numerous READINGS, CONCERTS, and CABARET PERFORMANCES; as well as an array of umbrella events co-presented with other musical theater organizations around the city. The festival also celebrated the resurgence of music-driven films, with a four-day MOVIE MUSICAL SCREENING SERIES at the AMC Empire Theaters in Times Square.

For more information, please visit the Festival website at www.nymf.org.