Atlanta Music Theatre Festival Returns For 2019

Founder and Executive Artistic Director Benjamin Taylor Davis announces today that submissions for the Fourth Annual Atlanta Musical Theatre Festival (AMTF), to be held in the summer in Atlanta, are officially open. The deadline to submit new works is February 1, 2019. Selections will be announced in April 2019, at the annual selections announcement event (details forthcoming).

Performances will be open to the artistic community, the public, and the press. Partner venues, along with Festival dates, will be announced shortly. Tickets to the Festival will go on sale in Spring 2019.

The inaugural Festival in 2016 was a huge success, and the Festival has grown in each subsequent year. In total, AMTF has showcased 11 brand new musicals, over 9 days, exposing more than 1,200 patrons to these new works. The organization expects to grow its audience again in 2019, as it continues to gain national exposure.

"The third annual festival was a big step forward for us. We had four totally diverse pieces, from both local and national writers," said Executive Artistic Director Benjamin Taylor Davis. "I continue to be impressed by the amount of artists we get to impact. We're living in a time period where the recipe for the new Broadway musical is changing, and we love being a part of that new process. We are really looking forward to the submission and selection process this year, and to what the 2019 festival will bring. Atlanta has proven for three years now, that the community is craving an event like ours. I can't wait to see what happens in year four."

The Atlanta Musical Theatre Festival was born out of a desire to motivate local artists to continue to write musical theatre. After participating as a Producer in the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2015, Founder Benjamin Taylor Davis saw an opportunity to nurture the local writing population. Once a show is selected, the goals are many: that the piece will grow and evolve in this process; that the artist might learn a new part of the creative process; that a producing theatre or director might become interested in the piece, or the playwright, or an actor; that there are new connections and networks formed. The mission of the AMTF is to "cultivate the next generation of theatre artists by mentoring talent, propelling new musicals forward, and celebrating the community in a supportive, nurturing, and creative environment."

In just 3 years, AMTF has connected more than 250 artists and provided them with the resources they need to develop new musicals here in Atlanta.

The Festival gratefully requests financial support and accepts donations and sponsorships. All donations are tax-deductible, and various levels of sponsorships and coordinating benefits will be available. Details on sponsorship levels are available at www.TheAMTF.com and www.C4Atlanta.org/AMTF.

Submissions deadline is February 1, 2019, and selections will be announced April 2019. Format and material requirements for submissions, and more information, can be found on the AMTF website: www.TheAMTF.com; select "Submissions".

The submissions will be reviewed by the Selections Committee, made up of Atlanta theatre professionals:

Alexander Greenfield, Justin Anderson, Amanda Wansa Morgans, Amber Bradshaw, Bill Newberry, Jeff McKerley, Theo Harness, Christian Albright, and Juan Carlos Unzueta.

Benjamin graduated cum laude from The University of Georgia with a B.A. in Theatre and a B.S. in Psychology. He is also a graduate of Aurora Theatre's Apprentice Company. In addition to Aurora, Benjamin has appeared on stages at Alliance Theatre, Actor's Express, Theatrical Outfit, Horizon Theatre, City Springs Theatre, Arís Theatre, Dad's Garage, Stage Door Players, Warehouse Theatre, Synchronicity, and TheatreZone. His Film & TV credits include The Fat Boy Chronicles, Fun World, The D.U.F.F., and "Dream Writers." He has also appeared in commercials for the Georgia Lottery, The DVI Group, Top Flite, Zaxby's, Harvey's Groceries, North Carolina Education Lottery, and RaceTrac. Recently, Benjamin was seen in 42nd Street (City Springs Theatre) and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Warehouse Theatre, Greenville, SC). For seven years, Benjamin was involved with the Broadway Dreams Foundation as a production assistant, executive intern, performer, and student under the direction of Annette Tanner, Nicholas Rodriguez, Matt Lenz, and Stafford Arima among others. Benjamin was an Associate Producer for The Last Time We Were Here, an official selection of the 2015 New York Musical Theatre Festival. He is a proud member of Actors' Equity. www.BenjaminTaylorDavis.com

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