2016 NYMF Reveals Initial Lineup

The New York Musical Festival (NYMF), previously known as The New York Musical Theatre Festival, announced today the initial lineup for NYMF 2016. Among the shows announced in the lineup are the Next Link Project musical selections, as well as invited production selections, developmental reading selections, and concerts. Now in its thirteenth year, the 2016 Festival will take place in July at locations around midtown Manhattan in New York City.

NYMF Passes are now on sale and offer discounted tickets, early ticket booking, and priority seating. Individual tickets for NYMF 2016 go on sale in June. Visit nymf.org/tickets for more information.

NYMF is also proud to announce that the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment will be joining as an Elite Level Festival sponsor.

"We are delighted to sponsor this year's New York Musical Festival, and applaud the organization's dedication to the creation and staging of new musical theater works," said Julie Menin, Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment. "The Festival's mission to transition early works to theater-ready festival presentations for audience members to enjoy is a winning formula, furthering musical theater production in New York City and employing over one thousand people within the industry."

"The addition of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment as an Elite Level Sponsor is indicative of NYMF's importance in the landscape of New York City arts and culture," says NYMF Executive Director & Producer, Dan Markley. "With additional support from our longtime corporate partners Fuzzrocket, PRG, TheaterMania, Clear Channel Spectacolor, and The Village Voice, we are again able to bring the best experience possible to the artists we support and to our audiences at affordable ticket prices."

This year's initial musical selections include a huge array of diverse works, taking audience members to Berlin and Alaska and Neverland; into the worlds of Edgar Allan Poe, competitive Scrabble, and the Dust Bowl; with music that ranges from folk to 60s pop to gospel to rock.

Curation of the 2016 Festival is led by Rachel Sussman, who joins NYMF this year as Director of Programming & Artist Services. A Grand Jury panel of industry experts helped to determine the musical lineup of the Festival.

This year's Grand Jury included Tony Award-winning actor Michael Cerveris, OBIE and Drama Desk Award-winning actress Donna Lynne Champlin, Two River Theater Literary Manager Anika Chapin, Creative Director, Fox Stage Productions Isaac Robert Hurwitz, Tony Award-winning producer Jane Dubin, Director of Theatre Arts Program at The National Black Theatre Jonathan McCrory, Tony Award and Drama Desk Award-nominated actor and writer Tony Sheldon, playwright, lyricist, and actress Gretchen Cryer, Drama Desk Award-winning actor Santino Fontana, Tony Award-nominated Broadway actress Montego Glover, Broadway director West Hyler, Tony Award-nominated director Leigh Silverman, and Laurence Olivier Award-winning choreographer Sergio Trujillo.

NYMF 2016 NEXT LINK PROJECT SELECTIONS:

One of NYMF's flagship programs, the Next Link Project, is open to any writer - produced or unproduced, with or without agency representation. The program receives hundreds of submissions from all over the world each fall, and every script and demo recording is reviewed by numerous members of NYMF's Reading Committee, and then by a Grand Jury of leading musical theater artists and producers. Ultimately, shows are awarded production spots in the Festival.

The 2016 Next Link Project selections come from all over the globe, and many will be making their New York premieres.

"The Next Link Project is the foundation of the New York Musical Festival", said Sussman. "The submission process this year was extremely competitive and we are deeply proud of the artists and work we have selected to participate. The 2016 Next Link Projects are bold, dynamic, and thematically relevant. These shows represent our commitment to diversifying and expanding the perspectives in our theatrical storytelling - for example, seven of our Next Link Projects include a female author on the team."

This weekend (March 5-6), the selected Next Link Project show teams will gather for the first time at NYMF in New York City to begin preparing their shows for the 2016 Festival.

NYMF 2016 Next Link Project selections include:

DUST CAN'T KILL ME

Book by Abigail Carney; Music and Lyrics by Elliah Heifetz

Drought, desperation, and a prophet's promise of Paradise set a ragtag group of wayward souls on a Dust Bowl journey into the desert. When they arrive, their promised land is unlike anything they ever imagined, or anything they ever desired. Driven by a spirited band of actor-musicians and directed by SPRING AWAKENING's Srda Vasiljevic, the new folk musical DUST CAN'T KILL ME asks what's worth fighting for when all you've got is dust.

Learn more: nymf.org/dustcantkillme

FOREST BOY

Book and Lyrics by Scott Gilmour; Music by Claire McKenzie

On September 5, 2011, a boy appeared in Berlin claiming to have lived in the forest with his father for the past five years. He had no memory of his past - only that his name was Ray and he traveled to Berlin following the death of his father in the woods. What followed were nine months of speculation, police inquiry and a global media frenzy, as the mystery of the Forest Boy slowly unravelled. Based on an incredible true story, FOREST BOY is a modern-day fairytale of growing up and, above all, imagination.

Learn more: nymf.org/forestboy

NEWTON'S CRADLE

Book, Music and Lyrics by Heath Saunders and Kim Saunders

Evan is determined to marry his girlfriend Charlie, but his father and brother don't want him to. Or his father doesn't think he can. Or his brother doesn't think he will. And his mother won't tell them otherwise. They're all so concerned with what autistic Evan might do, but he knows he is more than just his needs, and he's going to prove it. NEWTON'S CRADLE seamlessly integrates a fast-paced non-linear story with a hypnotic electronic score to create a musical unlike anything you've ever seen before: a melodic picture of a very special brain.

Learn more: nymf.org/newtonscradle

NICKEL MINES

Book by Andrew Palermo & Shannon Stoeke; Music and Lyrics by Dan Dyer

NICKEL MINES interprets a 2006 Lancaster, PA Amish schoolhouse shooting in which a lone gunman shot 10 girls, 5 fatally, before taking his own life. This unique work fuses movement, music and text to explore multiple viewpoints of what the Amish call 'The Happening'. Making no judgments, imposing no morals, NICKEL MINES is a living memorial to the young girls who lost their lives that day. It is also an entry point to a conversation on how violence, faith, forgiveness and justice speak to and interact with one another.

Learn more: nymf.org/nickelmines

NORMATIVITY

Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jaime Jarrett

High schooler Taylor's life is changed forever when she meets Emily, a fellow lesbian on a mission to literally rewrite her own story. But the two soon learn the path to a happy ending isn't easy, and it might even mean losing each other.

Learn more: nymf.org/normativity

LISA AND LEONARDO

Book by Ed McNamee, Donya Lane & Michael Unger; Music by Donya Lane; Lyrics by Ed McNamee

Leonardo's evermore intimate sketches of Lisa derail both her marriage and his relationship with his boy lover and protégé, causing him to become delinquent with far more lucrative commissions from both state and crown, bringing both of their lives - and the city of Florence - to the brink of disaster! It's a true story of political intrigue, love and passion, with a host of comic characters and a lush, romantic score that answers, once and for all, that 500 year old question: "Who is she?"

Learn more: nymf.org/lisaandleonardo

THE FIRST CHURCH OF MARY, THE REPENTANT PROSTITUTE'S FIFTH ANNUAL BENEFIT CONCERT, REVIVAL, AND POT LUCK DINNER

Book by Geoff Davin; Music by Geoff Davin; Lyrics by Geoff Davin; additional Music and Lyrics by Nicole Boggs, KelleyAnn Hocter and David Mescon

MESSAGE FROM THE PREACHER: Hey y'all. It's me...Adamenses Huckster...your beloved and fearless Preacher. It's that time of year again! Time for our FIFTH ANNUAL benefit concert, revival, and potluck dinner. If you think last year rocked...you ain't seen nothin' yet! You know we've got the best band in town. And we've got some killer new songs for you. Plus of course the always popular potluck dinner. And a few other surprises up our sleeves as well!! So come on y'all. Come to the revival and GET YOURSELVES SAVED! You KNOW you need it!

Learn more: nymf.org/firstchurchofmary

THE LAST WORD

Book, Music, and Lyrics by Brett Sullivan; Additional Lyrics by Ryan Cunningham

East Cleveland, 1976. Jay is a charismatic slacker living above Paradise, the restaurant his father left him. But Jay has accumulated a trail of debt which includes Earlene Floyd, a local parking lot mogul, who wants to bulldoze Paradise and put up a parking lot. Jay enlists his old school gang of misfits with plans to raise cash by hustling across America - one game of Scrabble at a time. But old factions and Earlene's offensive to crush them threaten Paradise forever. Who will have the last word?

Learn more: nymf.org/lastword

TINK

Book by Anthony Marino; Music by Lena Gabrielle; Lyrics by Greg Kerestan & Lena Gabrielle

In a time before time was important, there was an island full of music and magic, where pirates, natives, fairies and other mysterious folk lived, loved and fought together- until one young fairy and one young pirate crossed paths. When first mate James of the Jolly Roger meets the yearning, idealistic young fairy Tinkerbell, their star-crossed romance brings together the entire population of Neverland, from the mischievous Dream Weaver fairies to the mighty Natives, and even a colony of scavenging boys whose leader fell from the sky.

Learn more: nymf.org/tink

NYMF 2016 INVITED PRODUCTION SELECTIONS:

A SCYTHE OF TIME

Book by Alan Harris; Music and Lyrics by Mark Alan Swanson

It's Philadelphia, 1881, and writers are dying to pen one of the wildly sensational Blackwood Articles. Signora Zenobia, whose own publication is going down the pan, sets off to discover Blackwood's secret, only to find herself in a predicament of her own. Meanwhile, loyal Pompey is trying to stop her from literally losing her head. As the sun rises over Philly, can anyone break free from the past? Based on the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, A SCYTHE OF TIME is a brilliantly bizarre tale of love, hope, and bloody revenge.

Learn more: nymf.org/scytheoftime

CHILDREN OF SALT

Music by Jaime Lozano; Book and Lyrics by Lauren Epsenhart

CHILDREN OF SALT focuses on Raúl, an entrepreneur who infrequently returns home, avoiding people, and situations, which sent him packing twenty years prior. Upon learning of his estranged grandmother's illness, Raúl again returns home to the beach, in hopes of leaving as quickly as possible. The day brings a series of unexpected meetings, unleashing an array memories. Raúl must learn from these memories, and people, in order to accept his present and move into his future. CHILDREN OF SALT is the timeless tale of love, loss and hope.

Learn more: nymf.org/childrenofsalt

ICON

Book by Sebastian Michael; Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Kaldor

1928. The world is enthralled as American debutante, Constance Nielsen, marries into one of Europe's ancient Royal Families. But when an impassioned affair with her music teacher sparks uproar, news of her tragic death turns her from living legend into timeless icon. 40 years later, a young man in search of his grandfather's past finds more than he's bargained for...

Learn more: nymf.org/icon

SITTING REGAL BY THE WINDOW

Book, Music, and Lyrics by Aya Aziz

Aya Aziz grew up between social worlds, some across the ocean, some across the street. SITTING REGAL BY THE WINDOW is a performance of exaggerated memories and original songs from her life as a Ghetto-Hippie-Arab-Commie-China Doll. Aya tells her stories as a way of reclaiming history and fighting the erasure of the communities that shaped her.

Learn more: nymf.org/sittingregal

NYMF 2016 DEVELOPMENTAL READING SELECTIONS:

PLAY LIKE A WINNER

Book and Lyrics by Erik Johnke; Music by David Wolfson

In the fiercely competitive world of girls' soccer, how far would you go for your child? PLAY LIKE A WINNER is a satire of the soccer mom world based upon the award-winning play, "All About the Kids." At curtain, Coach Nick lies dead on center stage, impaled by a corner flag, while a chorus of soccer players sings in his honor. Kathy, a soccer mom, steps forward to tell us the story of how all this began...

Learn more: nymf.org/playlikeawinner

COOKIES

Book, Music, and Lyrics by David Christensen and Michael Shapiro

New-Pine-Cone-Scout Katie arrives during Cookie Season with the hopes of continuing her legacy as overachiever and perpetual do-gooder. Chaos ensues under the helm of Troop Leader Q'Diva as Katie, her wide-eyed new best friend Jenny, and the other adorably-sailor-tongued Scouts do whatever it takes to sell the most cookies...Whatever. It. Takes. COOKIES is a side-splitting razor-sharp-witted musical comedy that will make you ask yourself: How far are you willing to go to do what's best - or be the best?

Learn more: nymf.org/cookies

REMISSION

Book, Music, and Lyrics by Rebekah Allen

Davy is a college junior who dives into storytelling and fantasy to escape a life weighed down by stress, family dysfunction, and a flighty roommate. When blindsided by an unexpected cancer diagnosis, Davy pours herself into the search for connection through the stories of others, leaving her own disease untreated and unknown to everyone around her. Davy must find her own path through life or death decisions, and learn how to tell her own story.

Learn more: nymf.org/remission

TOUCHÉ

Book and Lyrics by Susan Blair Ross; Music by Randy Redd

TOUCHÉ is a madcap musical farce inspired by classic comedies like One Two Three, It's A Mad Mad Mad World and The Pink Panther. The melodic score is an intoxicating cocktail of 60s pop, jazz and folk - fizzy, sweet and sophisticated. 1964. Post-Ike. Pre-miniskirt. The world is rocketing into the Space Age. Bob Lang, a rookie Madison Avenue advertising exec, is sent to Moscow to launch Touché, a new men's aftershave. Instead, he reveals NASA's top secret rocket designs by mistake. A world-famous movie star, a lovestruck secretary, a bitter shepherd, banjo-picking Marxists, the CIA, the KGB, a fat ballerina, Russian rocket scientists, and Golda Meir mix it up to make this the musical comedy to end all musical comedy!

Learn more: nymf.org/touche

BREAD AND ROSES

Book and Lyrics by Jill Abramovitz; Music by Brad Alexander

Maya is a 25-year old Mexican woman who illegally crosses the U.S. border to work with her sister Rosa cleaning Office Building 646 in downtown LA. Witnessing firsthand the corruption and abusive working conditions, Maya joins Sam from Justice for Janitors in an attempt to unionize the workers. Alliances are formed, backs are stabbed, and the sisters' relationship is brought to the brink. Inspired by true events, BREAD AND ROSES asks: must the American dream come at the cost of human dignity?

Learn more: nymf.org/breadandroses

NYMF 2016 CONCERT SERIES SELECTIONS:

WOMEN OF NOTE

Join us for a special one-night-only concert event as we celebrate the women writers who are changing the landscape of musical theater. Featuring dynamic sounds and incredible performers, don't miss this one-of-a-kind annual NYMF event as we honor the ladies who are making theater sing!

Learn more: nymf.org/womenofnote

STUDENT LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

The NYMF Student Leadership Program (SLP) provides training and mentoring to students interested in careers in musical theater. This original concert is devised, assembled, and staffed entirely by the SLP team. In addition to the students serving on the creative team, the concert is entirely written and performed by their fellow students.

Learn more: nymf.org/slpconcert

NEXT BROADWAY SENSATION

NYMF's Next Broadway Sensation (NNBS) combines singing competition and master class to discover the stars of tomorrow and give them their big break today. The concert will feature 2016 NNBS winner, Jessica Crouch in her own cabaret style showcase.

Learn more: nymf.org/nnbsconcert

* * *

An additional slate of productions, special events, free events, developmental readings and educational panel discussions will be announced at a future date.

For the first time, Show-Score.com, a new website for audiences to discover live theater in New York City, will partner with NYMF to present the Show-Score "Best of Fest" Audience Prize, an award determined by audience vote. Show-Score joins returning award sponsors Play-By-Play and Stage Rights.

For people who enjoy live theater, Show-Score.com simplifies the theater landscape to help you discover shows you'll love, from people you trust, at the right price for you. Inspired by how Rotten Tomatoes covers movies, Show-Score.com uses simple numeric rankings and useful categories to organize a powerful mix of theater reviews from our vibrant user community, all of the professional reviews for a given show, and direct links to ticket deals.

In addition, global brand experience agency Jack Morton Worldwide has partnered with NYMF this year to provide pro bono branding support for the organization.

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