Submissions Open for The PiTCH 2020

On November 1st, The Rev Theatre Company (formerly Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival/MGR Playhouse), headquartered in Auburn, N.Y., will begin accepting submissions for new musicals in all stages of development to be considered for the 2020 season of The PiTCH. The PiTCH is a new works series offering residency and retreat for creative teams, and the opportunity to develop and "pitch" their new musical to engaged and enthusiastic audiences. Teams benefit from dialogue and feedback immediately following their "pitch." Submission deadline is Nov. 30, 2019.

For submission requirements and details on how you can be part of the 2020 season of The PiTCH, visit fingerlakesmtf.com/the-pitch/writers and follow @ThePitchREV on Twitter.

The PiTCH 2020 season runs from July 15 - August 14 in the elegant and intimate Carriage House Theater, an 80-seat cabaret-style venue in a converted carriage house behind the Cayuga Museum in downtown Auburn. On three evenings, at the conclusion of their week-long residency, creative teams present 45-60 minutes of material from their new musical in development. Each presentation is then followed by a moderated discussion between creative team and audience.

Creative teams chosen to participate are provided roundtrip travel, housing, dedicated staff, marketing, an intimate venue, and the beautiful backdrop of the Finger Lakes to immerse in their writing and development process.

Producing Artistic Director, Brett Smock, states, "Here at The Rev Theatre Company, we are immensely proud of our dedication to new works. The talented, committed and brave musical theatre writers who contribute to this art form are our heroes. We're thrilled to be a showcase for their ideas, talent and developing work."

In its first eight seasons, The PiTCH has been a development platform for the creative teams of 69 new musicals. Many PiTCH alumni have moved on to have their works presented and produced on Broadway and at a wide variety of theatres and festivals around the country, including The Rev Theatre Company itself.

Irene Sankoff and David Hein, Tony-nominated writers of the Broadway hit Come From Away, participated in 2013 (Mitzvah) and said the audience feedback gave them "more than we could have ever hoped for." Country songwriter JT Harding ("Smile" by Uncle Kracker, "Sangria" by Blake Shelton, "Different For Girls" by Dierks Bentley and more) wrote the music and lyrics for Music City, USA, which was part of the 2016 season. He echoed these sentiments stating The PiTCH was, "Better than I imagined....Having an audience was invaluable." Matte O'Brien (Book & Lyrics, Anne of Green Gables: A New Folk Rock Musical, 2017) said, "The opportunity to work in such an artistically nurturing environment and with a creative staff that was so supportive and kind was really special." 2018/19 Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellow Zack Zadek (Deathless, 2016 & [Untitled War of the Worlds Project], 2018) said, "Having had the opportunity twice now, I can't imagine not developing a new musical at The PiTCH."

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