2021 Winners Of 'Search For New Musicals' Announced

Winners of the prestigious international Search for New Musicals for 2021 were announced today at New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles.

First Prize goes to It's Always Off-Season at the Chalet Flamingo by Julia Sonya Koyfman and Dusty Sanders.

Second Prize goes to Abduction with book by T.J. Pieffer; music by Becki Toth and Brad Kemp; and lyrics by T.J. Pieffer and Becki Toth.

Third Prize goes to A Bridge to the Moon with book, music, and lyrics by Michael-Ellen Walden, Ruchir Khazanchi, and Emmet Smith.

The Search for New Musicals accepts entrants from around the globe; winners receive awards worth up to $25,000 in workshop productions, concert readings, feedback, and developmental support.

"We are thrilled to sponsor the Search," says Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of NMI. "We love seeing what writers are creating; and of course our mission is to nurture the folks who are writing musicals, so announcing the winners of the Search is one of my favorite things to do all year!"

It's Always Off-Season at the Chalet Flamingo is a wacky farce about a woman trying to get rid of a disaster-laden hotel without upsetting her wife who believes the hotel is inhabited by ghosts of her relatives. Complete with international jewel thieves, FBI agents, seances, explosions, and many many possums, this uplifting musical has a sassy score and a timeless message about the true meaning of love.

Abduction tells the story of high school senior Pippa Peterson who must convince her town of an impending extraterrestrial threat during their beloved Corn Fest. This snappy sci fi comedy is fast paced, but grounded with heart and community.

A Bridge to the Moon, set in the face of an environmental crisis, follows three grieving siblings who are tasked with holding their island and family together. Written in collaboration with the American Music Theatre Project, this lively eco-fable celebrates the power of a child's dreams and the risks we will take to care for our community. Instagram @abridgetothemoon

It's Always Off-Season at the Chalet Flamingo will receive a series of readings and workshops at NMI. Abduction will receive a virtual reading (with staff feedback). A Bridge tot he Moon will receive a Detailed Analysis from an NMI dramaturge.

NMI is committed to an ongoing search to find and nurture promising new musical theatre. If you've written a musical, and you would like some honest, constructive, detailed feedback on how to make your musical better, you can submit your musical to NMI for dramaturgical feedback at levels from evaluation to analysis to table reading to workshop to concert reading.

Past winners of the Search have included: The Water by Jeff Hylton, Tim Werenko, and Georgia Stitt (2008); Greenbrier Ghost by Susan Murray and Clay Zambo (2009); Gilbert & Sullivan on Wall Street by Charles Veley and Arthur Sullivan (2010); Emerald by Chris Burgess and Denise Wright (2011); Mad Bomber by Charles Monagan and Richard DeRosa (2012); It Happened in Roswell by Terrence Atkins and Jeffery Lyle Segal (2013); Off the Wall by Sarah Rebell and Danny Abosch (2014), Invisible by David Hollingsworth and David Orris (2015), Spellbound: A F@#$*d-Up Fairy Tale by Ben Boecker (2016), Bravo by Cristian Guerrero, Steven Schmidt, and Andrew Moorhead (2017), The Bully Problem by Michael Gordon Shapiro (2018); Entertaining Murder by Chris Burgess (2019); and The Foursight Saga with book by Wayne Self, lyrics by Wayne Self and Scott Wilkinson, and music by Scott Wilkinson (2020).

All musicals submitted (at any level) to NMI by July 15, 2022 will be automatically entered in the Search for New Musicals for this season. Winners of the 2022 Search will be announced by November 15, 2022.

Information on submitting to the Search is available by visiting www.nmi.org.

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