New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza
Don’t miss the most important musical theatre networking event of the year! At the 2025 Fall Conference, we’ll explore the most pressing issues around new work production and development, as well as the state of the industry more broadly. Just as importantly, it provides a community for leaders of theatres from all over the country and the world to share best practices, brainstorm and support one another.
Mark your calendar for the 2026 Spring Conference, our first-ever NAMT event in Oregon! You don’t want to miss the musical theatre fundraising event of the year!
October 23-24See eight exciting new musicals in 45-minute staged reading presentations in front of a industry-only audience. This must-attend event brings together theatre producers, presenters and developers from around the world to celebrate the future of these promising new musicals! Register now!More
Fall Conference
2025 Fall Conference
October 21-22NAMT members, don't miss the most important musical theatre networking event of the year! The 2025 Fall Conference will explore the most pressing issues around new work production and development, as well as the state of the industry more broadly. Register now!More
What Is NAMT?
What Is NAMT?
NAMT is a not-for-profit organization serving the musical theatre community. We strive every day to nurture a musical theatre canon that reflects and celebrates the rich diversity of our nation and the world.More
Become A Member
Become A Member
Join NAMT and get valuable tools to help your organization collaborate, innovate, produce new musicals and save money!More
Members at the 2017 Spring Conference in Los Angeles
NAMT News
NAMT News
Blog posts and highlights of press and news about our members and Festival alumni.More
James Moye and the cast of Meet John Doe (Festival 2005) at Goodspeed Musicals. Photo by Diane Sobolewski.
Stand With NAMT!
Support NAMT
Learn about the many ways to support NAMT's mission to nurture the creation, development and production of new musicals, including our newly launched Resiliency Fund.More
Performers at the 2024 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge Winners Weekend Challenge Accepted! concert. Photo credit: Rebecca J. Michelson
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza
Don’t miss the most important musical theatre networking event of the year! At the 2025 Fall Conference, we’ll explore the most pressing issues around new work production and development, as well as the state of the industry more broadly. Just as importantly, it provides a community for leaders of theatres from all over the country and the world to share best practices, brainstorm and support one another.
Mark your calendar for the 2026 Spring Conference, our first-ever NAMT event in Oregon! You don’t want to miss the musical theatre fundraising event of the year!
NAMT, as a member of the Cultural Advocacy Group (CAG), is joining dozens of national partners in urging Congress to protect and strengthen federal investment in the arts and humanities. These funds—through the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)—are not abstract line items. They are direct investments in our communities, our theatres and the ecosystems where new musicals are born. This summer and fall, Congress will decide the FY26 budgets for these agencies. The message we need to send is simple and urgent: maintain bipartisan support and allocate $209 million each for the NEA and NEH, and $294.8 million for IMLS. These investments keep programming accessible, affordable and alive in communities nationwide—including the developmental spaces where tomorrow’s musicals take shape.
NAMT has announced the 11 Award Recipients for the 2025/2026 Frank Young Fund for New Musicals Project Development & Production Grants and the 7 Award Recipients for the 2025/2026 Impact & Exploration Fund. The Frank Young Fund for New Musicals (FYFNM) is a major funding program to support NAMT member not-for-profit theatres in their collaborations with writers to create, develop and produce new musicals. The Impact & Exploration Fund (I&EF) is designed to help NAMT member theatres pilot new capacity-building programs to advance their missions and build a library of practices and procedures from which other members can learn. During the 2025/2026 season, the Funds are awarding over $100,000 in grants to NAMT member organizations.
The FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS, which was created to celebrate the new musicals that were being produced and presented around the country, has introduced musical theatre producers to 300 musicals and 575 writers from around the world. More than 85% have gone on to subsequent readings, workshops, productions and tours; been licensed; and/or recorded on cast albums as a direct result of the Festival. Past Festival shows include Come From Away, Lempicka, The Drowsy Chaperone, Lizard Boy, Teeth, Gun & Powder, King of Pangea, Benny & Joon, Darling Grenadine, Ordinary Days, It Shoulda Been You and Thoroughly Modern Millie, among many others.
The Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge, presented by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT), is an opportunity for high school students all across the country to develop and showcase musical compositions that could be part of a musical theater production.
Member Theatres
NAMT's members are located in 33 U.S. states and 6 other countries
New Musicals: Festival of New Musicals
Since 1989, the Festival of New Musicals has introduced musical theatre producers to almost 300 musicals and over 500 writers from around the world.
Interstate at the 2019 Festival of New Musicals. Photo by Ric Kallaher.
Networking & Learning: Management Roundtables
NAMT leads educational roundtables on a variety of management and community engagement topics, hosted by our member theatres around the country.
The 2016 Education and Community Engagement Roundtable at Theatreworks Silicon Valley, which was also streamed as a Knowledge Exchange Webinar.
Access
In 2020, NAMT's programming moved online, bringing over 1,000 attendees to the Festival of New Musicals and Fall Conference. We are continuing to explore new hybrid in-person/online models to provide greater access to members, writers and the industry at large.
Obeah Opera "Meet the Writers" panel at the 32nd Annual Festival of New Musicals
New Musicals: Festival of New Musicals
More than 85% of shows featured in the Festival of New Musicals have gone on to subsequent readings, workshops, productions and tours, been licensed, and/or recorded on cast albums.
Lizzie (Festival 2010) at Theatre Under the Stars (Houston, TX), Fredericia Theatre (Fredercia, Denmark), Greenwich Theatre (London, UK), 11th Hour Theatre Company (Philadelphia, PA) and Baldwin Wallace University (Berea, OH)
Networking & Learning: Conferences
NAMT hosts conferences and roundtables with our member theatres around the country
The 2017 Spring Conference at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. Photo by Chelsea Lauren.
New Musicals: Festival of New Musicals
Since 1989, the Festival of New Musicals has introduced musical theatre producers to almost 300 musicals and over 500 writers from around the world.
Cowboy Bob at the 2020 Festival of New Musicals, which was held online.
Networking & Learning: New Works Roundtables
NAMT hosts intimate, informal events in conjunction with our member theatres' new work festivals or productions to explore issues around new musical production and development, often through a local lens.
The 2019 New Works Roundtable at Goodspeed Musicals in Chester, CT.
Broadway Bounty Hunter at Barrington Stage Company. Photo by Scott Barrow.
Impact & Exploration Fund
Since 2018 the Impact and Exploration Fund has awarded over $100,000 in grants to our member theatres to support projects and sharing knowledge across the NAMT community.
Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma produced Fun Home with Sandra Mae Frank, a Deaf actor, in the role of Joan, and created a guide on Integrating Deaf Performers into Live Musical Theatre performances.
New Musicals: Festival of New Musicals
Since 1989, the Festival of New Musicals has introduced musical theatre producers to almost 300 musicals and over 500 writers from around the world.
String in rehearsal for the 2014 Festival of New Musicals. Photo by Ric Kallaher.
Connection: Online Town Halls
In 2020, NAMT started weekly town halls to allow members to connect and share strategies for working through the unprecedented crisis in our industry. These have continued to be a valuable resource even as we move toward brighter times.
Introducing the 2020 Festival of New Musicals writers to the membership.
Networking & Learning: Writers' Roundtables
NAMT hosts Writers Roundtables for our Festival Alumni to build connections and explore models of collaboration with member producers.
The 2019 Writers' Roundtable
New Musicals: Festival of New Musicals
Since 1989, the Festival of New Musicals has introduced musical theatre producers to almost 300 musicals and over 500 writers from around the world.
Come From Away (Festival 2013) in its pre-Broadway run at La Jolla Playhouse
New Musicals & Networking: Festival of New Musicals
The Festival brings together over 700 industry professionals every year to see eight new works and move them forward
The industry audience at the Festival of New Musicals in New York City. Photo by Ric Kallaher.
Networking & Learning: Conferences
The first NAMT Conference was held in 1985 to bring musical theatre producers together to share ideas and best practices.
Hal Prince receives an honorary membership at the 1987 Fall Conference
Sign up to receive occasional emails from NAMT, including our brand new newsletter, The Table Read, and news about the Musical Theatre Songwriting Challenge for High Schoolers!
NAMT’s members make a vital impact in their communities — economically, in education, and by entertaining millions of people.
Last season, the NAMT members collectively…
Provided education programs for half a million students and teachers
Staged more than 13,000 performances attended by over 5 million people.
Entertained over 400,000 loyal subscribers
Performed in 270 venues with a total of 140,000 seats
Had operating budgets totaling $650 million
Employed nearly 30,000 administrators and artists
Foundation Support
NAMT thanks the following foundations, government agencies and organizations for their ongoing support of our programs: The Alhadeff Family Charitable Fund, ASCAP Foundation Irving Caesar Fund, The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation, BMI Foundation, Wendy Gillespie (Capdevilla Gillespie Foundation), The Giving Bee Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, The Hollywood Pantages, Lucille Lortel Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, Rodgers and Hammerstein Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Ted Snowdon Foundation, and Anonymous donors.
