New York Musical Theatre Festival To Host Student Talk Back 9/20

This year on September 20th, the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) Student Leader Program will host its free Student Talk Back. The talk back, hosted at the Glicker-Milstein Black Box Theatre at Barnard College (W. Broadway at 117th Street) encourages students in the New York City area to learn about the development of new musicals, meet peers who are interested in a similar field, and create interest for New York Musical Theatre Festival productions this year.

The NYMF Student Leadership Team will host the event, along with Jennifer Ashley Tepper (co-conceiver of the If It Only Even Runs a Minute concert series, Associate Producer of NYMF, and Director of Promotions at Davenport Theatricals) as the moderator. The panel will be composed of several industry professionals from different fields. This year's panel features Michael Cassara (Casting Director of The Big Bank, The Kid Who Would Be Pope, Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice and Les Enfants de Paris) Tony award-winner Daisy Egan (Performer in Ghostlight) Aaron Glick (Producer, This One Girl's Story) Joe Iconis (Composer, Three Rounds with Joe Iconis and Family) Megan Reinking (Performer, Les Enfants de Paris) Tanisha Scott (Choreographer, This One Girl's Story) Liz Ulmer (Producer, Date of a Lifetime) and Stacy Weingarten and David Levinson (Writers, Les Enfants de Paris).

About NYMF:

Inaugurated in 2004, NYMF's largest program is the annual festival that bears its name. Inspired by the independent film movement, the New York Musical Theatre Festival blends the economy of scale and grassroots mechanisms of film festivals with a professional support network and technical framework designed specifically for new musicals, to provide an unrivaled showcase of new musicals and emerging talent.

The Festival gives artists the crucial chance to hone their craft and their musicals, by realizing their shows in three dimensions before a live and responsive audience - and it delivers greater production value and promotional reach than its participants could otherwise afford. By consistently attracting the participation of well-known actors, directors and other established members of the theatre industry, the Festival has also created an environment rich with mentorship opportunities for newer artists, and made the festival a leading spot for the discovery of talented new performers, directors, choreographers, designers, and producers - as well as writers.

The largest annual musical theatre event in the world, the Festival presents 30 productions each fall in the heart of New York City's theatre district, alongside a dazzling array of readings, concerts, and other special events. It is attended by an audience of more than 30,000 theater lovers and by producers, talent scouts, and other industry insiders. Of the more than 270 new musicals presented at the Festival since its inception in 2004, more than 70 have gone on to successful productions on Broadway, off-Broadway, in almost every U.S. state and in more than a dozen countries around the world.

Hosted by the 2011NYMF SLP Team:
Rachel Sussman (Co-President), Lina Renzina (Co-President), Julie Balefsky (NYU Tisch), Dylan Bustamante (Pace), Alex James (Pace), Jessica Kent (Marymount), Lauren Lepow (Barnard/Columbia) Samantha Liebman (Barnard/Columbia), Kathleen McClure (NYU CAS), RoBert Robinson (Marymount), Alex Strycula (Barnard/Columbia), and Jackie Stuhl (Marymount).