The New York Musical Festival Announces Scott Pyne As New Executive Director

The New York Musical Festival (NYMF) announced today that Scott Pyne will become Executive Director at NYMF beginning this September. Pyne succeeds current Executive Director Dan Markley, who has been with NYMF since 2013 and will depart the company following this year's festival. Under its new structure, Scott will be co-leading NYMF with Producing Artistic Director Rachel Sussman.

Scott Pyne previously served as the Director of Development of the Festival at NYMF from 2010 to 2013. Bringing 17 years of experience as a non-profit arts administrator and fundraiser, he has worked at several of New York City's most prominent theater organizations including TheaterWorksUSA, Vineyard Theater, and Manhattan Theatre Club. Scott holds a Bachelor of Science in Theatre Arts Management from Ithaca College.

"There is nothing more exciting than seeing a brand-new musical unfold on the stage," said Pyne. "I am thrilled to be returning to the New York Musical Festival, and proud to lead such a talented community working to cultivate and nurture the creative teams who add to the vibrant landscape of this art form."

"We are so excited to welcome Scott back to NYMF. His extensive background in development and his passion for the arts will help us continue to provide the resources new artists need to develop new work, and we are confident that he and Rachel Sussman will not only continue NYMF's mission, but expand it as we move forward together," said Frank Troutman, NYMF Board Chair. "We are incredibly grateful for the remarkable work Dan Markley has done over the last five years as Executive Director."

"It's been a pleasure to serve with the dedicated and talented team at NYMF for the past five Festivals," said outgoing Executive Director Dan Markley. "I'm very proud of the work that has been created during my tenure and I'm grateful for the many wonderful relationships that have grown from this experience. Given Rachel and Scott's shared passion for new musicals, and the people who write them, I know the future of NYMF is in excellent hands."

New York Musical Festival (NYMF) nurtures the creation, production, and public presentation of stylistically, thematically, and culturally diverse new musicals to ensure the future vitality of musical theater.

With the fifteenth annual festival currently underway, NYMF is the premier musical theater event in the world. The preeminent site for launching new musicals and discovering new talent, the Festival provides an affordable platform for artists to mount professional productions that reach their peers, industry leaders, and musical theater fans. More than 90 Festival shows have gone on to productions on and Off-Broadway, in regional theaters in all 50 states, and in more than 20 countries worldwide. Festival alumni have received a wide array of awards including the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize. In 2013, NYMF received a special Drama Desk Award in recognition of its work "creating and nurturing new musical theater, ensuring the future of this essential art form."

The lineup for NYMF 2018 includes An American Hero: A WWII Musical; Bad Ass Beauty - A Rock Opera; Between The Sea And Sky; Brad Knows Nothing; The Civility Of Albert Cashier; Defy Your Expectations; Fatty Fatty No Friends; Girl From Nowhere; The Gunfighter Meets His Match; Emojiland; Healing Retreat: A Life Of Joy; Held: A Musical Fantasy; If Sand Were Stone; Illuminati Lizards From Outer Space; Interstate; Legacy The Musical; Living History: An Inside Look At Show Time! The First 100 Years Of The American Musical; Mythos: The Crimson Chorus; Pedro Pan; Peter, Who?; Saturdays; Sonata 1962; Storming Heaven: The Musical; Victory Train; Wonder Boi; And What's Your Wish?

For a full list of productions, readings, events, and concerts, plus ticketing info, please visit NYMF.org.

New York Musical Festival is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization. NYMF is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.