 The 23rd annual Festival of New Musicals was held in New York City on Thursday, October 27 and Friday, October 28, 2011 for a select audience of NAMT members, producers and other musical theatre industry professionals. NAMT's Festival is the premiere industry event, which brings together theatre industry leaders to discover eight new musicals in 45-minute staged readings. According to American Theatre Magazine, “It's an industry-only event, and it happens for only two days, but it makes a major impact in the world of musical theatre. ”
The Festival is only open to theatre industry professionals and major donors to NAMT. We define an industry member as anyone currently working professionally in the theatre who can aid in the development of the shows or writers we present. If you have any questions about this policy, please email branden@namt.org.
NAMT was honored to return to New World Stages for our 8th consecutive year to present this year's Festival.
 BERNICE BOBS HER HAIR
Book by Julia Jordan
Music by Adam Gwon
Lyrics by Julia Jordan and Adam Gwon
Directed by Joe Calarco
Ideal Cast Size: 13
Ideal Band Size: Piano + TBD
Style:
Musical Comedy
Synopsis (click to expand)
Bernice Bobs Her Hair is based on the classic short story of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald as well as letters he wrote to his sister. It is a story of "the shifting, semi-cruel world of adolescence" set in a time of transformation for American women. Young men and women dance and flirt and engage in character assassination in the time honored pursuit of romance and status. The story is retold with an eye to the future which Fitzgerald anticipates but could not have predicted.
Development History (click to expand)
Bernice Bobs Her Hair has had readings at Primary Stages in NYC 2008, American University in DC 2009, the University of Nebraska in 2010 and The Irish Rep in NYC 2010.
5 Things You Should Know (click to expand)
- Bernice Bobs Her Hair is the original mean girls story with historical importance to boot.
- Bernice is ready for production.
- Bernice has a period influenced score but we intend for it to be sung with contemporary style voices.
- Bernice is a dance show!
- We intend Bernice to be produced with an impressionistic, rather than naturalistic, set.
"NAMT continues to be unique in that no other festival brings together such a wide range of theaters and producers to see new work. It's such a targeted audience that a writer can't help but benefit from being there. "
-Adam Gwon, Composer/Lyricist, Bernice Bobs Her Hair |
Kate Wetherhead in rehearsal for Bernice Bobs Her Hair. |
 BLOODSONG OF LOVE
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Joe Iconis
Directed by John Simpkins
Ideal Cast Size: 4 Fellas, 2 Ladies
Ideal Band Size: 5 Musicians
Style: Rock 'n' Roll Spaghetti Western
Synopsis (click to expand)
Bloodsong of Love is a musical theater interpretation of the Spaghetti Western film genre. It follows the story of a wandering guitarist known only as The Musician who is on a journey to reclaim his bride from the evil clutches of Lo Cocodrilo. The Musician navigates his way through a bizarre and hyper-stylized world of maimed prostitutes, one-eyed bartenders, shoot ‘em ups, midnight hallucinations, and lots and lots of blood.
Development History (click to expand)
Bloodsong of Love was commissioned by Ars Nova, and was produced there in the spring of 2010 for a limited run. It was nominated for three Drama Desk Awards: Best Music, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Featured Actor in a Musical.
5 Things You Should Know (click to expand)
- spa•ghet•ti West•ern n :a Western made in Europe, usually Spain, by an Italian film company, characterized by melodrama and violence.
- Hot doggie! This is a versatile show that could work just as well in an intimate venue as it could in a grand, ol' show palace. Traditional proscenium or in-your-face environmental, anywhere Bloodsong hangs its hat is home
- Some of Joe's inspirations while creating the show were Sergio Leone, Shel Silverstein, Quentin Tarantino, Giallo Horror Movies, The White Stripes, Johnny Cash, Kander & Ebb, and The Country Bear Jamboree.
- The hearts-on-fire score of the show is a combination of Rock 'n' Roll, Country Western, Mariachi, Punk, Spaghetti Western Film Score, and a more traditional Musical Theater sound. The unique instrumentation includes guitar, piano, glockenspiel, trumpet, harmonica, concertina, and even kazoo!
- Bloodsong is a perfect excuse for a full-immersion theatrical experience. Plunge yer patrons into the wild world of Spaghetti Westerns by theming the whole dang theater to look like The Town With No Name. As the characters in our story are quite fond of neck oil, show specific cocktails are a must. How's about implementing a Splatter Zone and providing ponchos at all Bloodsong performances?! This will protect patrons from blood, guts, and good old fashioned heartfelt musical theater
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The cast of Bloodsong of Love in rehearsal (writer Joe Iconis, front right). |
 DANI GIRL
Music by Michael Kooman
Book & Lyrics by Christopher Dimond
Directed by Scott Schwartz
Ideal Cast Size: 4
Ideal Band Size: 3
Style: Dark Musical Comedy
Synopsis (click to expand)
Dani Girl is the inspiring and humorous story of a young girl's battle with a life-threatening disease. Far from sitting back and accepting her condition, Dani transforms her struggle into a fantastical adventure. Together with her teddy bear, imaginary guardian angel, and movie-obsessed hospital roommate, she battles a personified Cancer across the realms of fantasy and reality as she attempts to get her beloved hair back. Told from a child's perspective, this provocative musical explores the universal themes of life in the face of death, hope in the face of despair, and the indomitable power of imagination.
Development History (click to expand)
Originally workshopped at Carnegie Mellon University, Dani Girl has since been developed at American Conservatory Theatre, the Kennedy Center, the ASCAP/Disney Workshop, Penn State University, Millikin University, and CAP21. The show received its world premiere at Canada's Talk is Free Theatre, where it will be remounted for a Toronto run in early 2012. Additional productions have been seen in Australia, Great Britain, and Dallas. Dani Girl was the recipient of the 2008 KC/ACTF Musical Theatre Award.
5 Things You Should Know (click to expand)
- Dani Girl is an original, unexpected, and often humorous take on a dark but universal subject matter
- 4 actors, unit set, minimal technical requirements
- The roles of Dani and Marty can be played by children or young adults
- 2 separate international productions have been remounted following successful runs
- Orchestrated for solo piano or piano/cello/percussion
"NAMT was one of the best experiences of my career. I met so many people who are the biggest supporters of new musical theater, and those connections are ones that might have taken years to make without the festival. I'm so thankful for being a part of the festival. I had an overwhelmingly positive experience and the festival is already starting to help my career as a writer of musical theater. "
-Michael Kooman,
Composer, Dani Girl |
Rozi Baker, Composer Michael Kooman and Librettist/Lyricsist Christopher Dimond in rehearsal for Dani Girl. |
 THE DOGS OF PRIPYAT
Book by Leah Napolin & Jill Abramovitz
Music by Aron Accurso
Lyrics by Jill Abramovitz
Directed by Peter Flynn
Ideal Cast Size: 8 or 10
Ideal Band Size: 1-6
Style: A fable for adults
Synopsis (click to expand)
USSR, 1986. As all humans are evacuated from Chernobyl, their pets are left behind to fend for themselves. This is the story of those animals. Boychik is a gentle mutt who pines for his masters' return. But when a corrupt Rottweiler takes control, Boychik learns how to hunt, kill and ultimately form a new kind of family. Based on true events, The Dogs of Pripyat asks what it means to be a family, a friend, and, ultimately, what it means to be a dog in our increasingly frightening post-Katrina, post-Fukushima world. It's a story about hope and survival when they seem least possible.
Development History (click to expand)
The Dogs of Pripyat began as a play by Leah Napolin. Jill and Aron began work on the musical adaptation in the BMI workshop, where they each won a Jerry Harrington Award. Material from the show has been showcased at the Manhattan Theatre Club, Musical Mondays, and a master class led by Stephen Schwartz. The show was developed further in the Dramatists Guild Fellowship program led by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. The Dogs of Pripyat won the Weston Playhouse New Musical Theatre Award, which included a concert at the Weston Playhouse and a demo produced by Kurt Deutch and Sh-K-Boom Records.
5 Things You Should Know (click to expand)
- This is the story of the dogs left behind in Pripyat after the Chernobyl meltdown.
- The show is for adults; it's not cutesy and cartoony. It gets darker as the dogs become more wild. Still, we do hope to highlight that it is a show about hope and survival—not death and demise.
- It is based on true events. The dogs in our show don't die of radiation poisoning. Many animals truly did survive and learn how to adapt. The gigantic catfish was REAL.
- Paralleling the story of the dogs is the story of two human peasants who defy government orders and stay in Pripyat. They become a family with our protagonist, Boychik, at the end of the show.
- The show is in its infancy, having been developed and mentored in several professional workshops. It has yet to have a complete public reading but there is a full score and draft.
"The NAMT experience was an incredible way to be ushered into the world of theatres and producers. I felt completely supported and sanctioned by a large network that I really trusted and still do trust moving forward. It's so hard to put yourself out there all alone, financially as well as professionally. When you've got a larger system like this endorsing you, it's a million times easier. It felt like a giant professional mentorship program. "
-Jill Abramovitz, Book & Lyrics,
The Dogs of Pripyat
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Kerry Butler and Alex Brightman in The Digs of Pripyat. |
 GOLDEN BOY OF THE BLUE RIDGE
Book by Peter Mills & Cara Reichel
Music & Lyrics by Peter Mills
Adapted from J.M. Synge's The Playboy of the Western World
Directed by Gordon Greenberg
Ideal Cast/Band Size: 11 (6 actors, 4 actor/musicians, 1 music director)
Style: Black Comedy
Synopsis (click to expand)
A pitch-dark comedy with the kick of moonshine, Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge transplants J.M. Synge's classic The Playboy of the Western World to 1930s Appalachia. Bluegrass music and backwoods mayhem abound in this coming-of-age story about a slapdash murder, a whirlwind romance, and a most unlikely hero.
Development History (click to expand)
Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge was originally developed and produced by the Prospect Theater Company of New York City. A developmental reading of the first act was held at the Hudson Guild Theater in September 2008. Subsequently, a full production was mounted at 59E59 Theatres in May 2009.
5 Things You Should Know (click to expand)
- As in the original play, the language is written in heavy dialect. This is not intended as caricature. The characters are colorful, but never cartoonish.
- And despite some outrageous plot twists, the tone of the piece is meant to be darkly comic, rather than broadly campy. We aspire to the kind of black humor found in the plays of Martin McDonagh…
- The show was written for 11 performers—cast and band included. Four performers double as both musicians and ensemble members in the cast.
- Golden Boy's premiere at 59E59 Theatres was hailed by the New York Times as “highly entertaining… with an unlikely blend of smart, dark comedy and foot-stomping country music. ”
- An original cast recording was released in June 2010 and is available on iTunes.
"NAMT brought our bluegrass musical, born in New York City, to the attention of regional theaters where we always thought it might find a natural home. "
-Peter Mills, Composer, Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge |
Matthew Dure, Anika Larsen, Dennis Michael Keefe and Dan Sharkey in rehearsal for Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge. |
 NOTES TO MARIANNE
By David Rossmer & Dan Lipton
Directed by Jeremy Dobrish
Ideal Cast Size: 8
Ideal Band Size: 6
Style: American Family Drama
Synopsis (click to expand)
Sometimes we leave someone we love. At 12 years old, Johnny ran away from home, leaving behind his sister MariAnne -- a regret he can't shake. That was in 1952. Ten years later, the estranged pair are swept into a series of extraordinary events that will bring them to a pivotal reunion The set is sparse yet the story stretches from Brooklyn to Kansas. The cross-country journey rides a wave of American pop music, from early '60s rock to '30s saloon songs to contemporary beats and melody. A modern fairy tale, notes to MariAnne explores the consequences of leaving those we love and finding new hope in the most unexpected places.
Development History (click to expand)
notes to MariAnne was seen in concert at Joe's Pub and had several closed readings before 2007, when the show was welcomed to the O'Neill Center's National Music Theatre Conference, where Rossmer & Lipton received the Holof Award for their lyrics. In 2008, the show was seen at New York Stage and Film's Martel Musicals series as part of the Powerhouse Theater season at Vassar.
5 Things You Should Know (click to expand)
- The show tells a simple story of emotional complexity, exploring the consequences of leaving someone you love.
- After being developed at NY Stage and Film and The O'Neill, notes to MariAnne is ready to be realized on stage.
- notes to MariAnne belongs on the continuum of modern contemporary pop/rock musicals that feel larger than their small cast and minimal set (Next to Normal, Spring Awakening).
- The central character of MariAnne exudes an honesty and optimism consistent with the early 1960s setting. This bright optimism is reflected in the score, which captures that time but also reaches back to saloon songs and dustbowl folk, and forward to arena rock and modern grooves.
- It's not your grandma's musical. . .but she'll still love it. Through its development, the show has proven to appeal to both young fans of Twilight as well as older theatergoers who find the original story compelling. Both audiences appreciate that a gritty tale is presented with unexpected humor, that poetic lyrics are delivered without sentimentality, that the plot unfolds in non-linear fashion.
"NAMT is an amazing opportunity to get to showcase your work for so many industry members at once. And because it's run so smoothly, writers can just be writers. "
-Dan Lipton and David Rossmer, notes to MariAnne |
The cast of notes to MariAnne in rehearsal. |
 PREGNANCY PACT
Book & Lyrics by Gordon Leary
Music by Julia Meinwald
Directed by Mark Brokaw
Ideal Cast Size: 7-8
Ideal Band Size: 6
Style: Pop/Rock-infused Teen Drama
Synopsis (click to expand)
Pregnancy Pact is a pop-rock musical about a group of teens who make a pact to become single mothers together. 15-year-old Maddie is devoted to her three best friends and they are to her. So when Brynn gets pregnant, the friends all plan to have children, raising them together in a dream of a perfect life. Their pact grows as other girls find out and want in. The bubble finally bursts when their secret is revealed, leaving each of the girls to face the hard realities of love, responsibility and growing up.
Development History (click to expand)
Pregnancy Pact was originally developed in the Dramatists Guild Fellows program, under the guidance of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. As the recipient of the Weston Playhouse's 2011 New Musical Award, selections were performed in Weston, VT and recorded with Kurt Deutsch of Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records. The score was showcased as part of Ars Nova's Uncharted series in March 2011. Most recently, the show received a workshop in the 2011 Yale Institute for Music Theatre in New Haven, CT.
5 Things You Should Know (click to expand)
- Though the story of the show is entirely original, it is inspired by the June 2008 new story, first nationally reported in Time magazine, about a surge in pregnancies at Gloucester High School in MA. Seventeen girls got pregnant during the 2007-2008 school year, and faced with questions, the principal alleged that the girls had made a pact to all get pregnant together—an allegation all of the girls deny.
- The show is populated only with characters aged 15 to 17. There is a cast of 7-8, with 6 women and 1-2 men. No adults allowed.
- These girls behave badly. (Even by teenage standards). Crude language and frank sexuality are featured throughout the show.
- The score is written for a six-piece band—piano, electric guitar, electric bass, drums, violin and cello—but can be performed with a four-piece band, without the strings.
- Pregnancy Pact is slated to have its world premiere at the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company in the summer of 2012. We are seeking co-productions and second productions on the horizon!
"The NAMT festival was an invaluable experience for us both creatively and professionally. Being welcomed into such an exciting group of writers was in itself wonderful for us. The hours we spent in rehearsal for our NAMT presentation taught us a ton about our material. We were honored to work with a cast and creative team of such high caliber, and the support NAMT gave us meant that my writing partner and I were free to act solely as writers, concentrating on how to improve our show. At the festival itself we met a large group of people we might not otherwise cross paths with. We feel like we've joined a community of artists and theatre professionals to which we'll belong for the rest of our careers. "
-Julia Meinwald, Composer, Pregnancy Pact |
Emily Walton, Emma Hunton and Phoebe Strole in Pregancy Pact. |
 WATT?!?
Book and Lyrics by David Javerbaum
Music by Brendan Milburn
Directed by Steve Cosson
Ideal Cast Size: 7-10
Ideal Band Size: 4
Style: Satirical Rock Comedy
Synopsis (click to expand)
Watt?!? is a balls-out rock musical telling the heroic true story of James Watt, Ronald Reagan's Secretary of the Interior, who opened millions of acres of federal land for exploitation, banned the Beach Boys from July 4th festivities, and was ultimately fired for referring to a five-person panel as “a black, two Jews, a woman and a cripple. ”
Development History (click to expand)
Here is the production history of Watt?!?. Much of Watt?!? was written during a one-week writers' retreat in 2007 at the Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA, under the guidance of Julianne Boyd. BSC then staged a reading of the show, under the direction of Jonathan Bernstein, in spring 2008. Thank you for reading this production history of Watt?!?.
5 Things You Should Know (click to expand)
- All major and most minor incidents and details in the show are entirely true. They are based largely on newspaper accounts, Ron Arnold's James Watt and the Environmentalists, and Caught in the Crossfire, a memoir written by James's wife Leilani in 1984, shortly after his resignation
- The show is not dependent on any prior familiarity with the career of James Watt, as the authors were determined to make theatergoers of all generations equally uncomfortable.
- The subject of this musical is alive and well and only 71 years old. He lives in Arizona and Wyoming. It is unclear whether or not he is spending his retirement filing unfounded but publicity-generating lawsuits against musicals written about him.
- Brendan Milburn is not currently involved in this presentation of WATT?!? due to other priorities.
- The capital of Honduras is Tegucigalpa.
"Watt?!? Is a strange, wry, satirical show that was sitting on my metaphorical shelf for five years before NAMT said 'yes. ' As a direct result of its being staged, it is now looking likely to have productions next year at major theaters in both the U.S. and the U.K. At no point during the entire process did I feel I had to make any compromises whatsoever in terms of my vision for the piece. There is little doubt in my mind that Watt?!? would remain on that metaphorical shelf for years, and possibly forever, without the Festival. It is a rainstorm in the desert of musical-theater development. "
-David Javerbaum, Book & Lyrics,
Watt?!?
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Ken Marks and Liz Callaway in Watt?I? |
See our press archives for articles about the Festival and other NAMT programming.
For more information about these shows, please contact info@namt.org.
Photos by Ric Kallaher.
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The Festival of New Musicals has received a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. |
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The Festival of New Musicals is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, celebrating 50 years of building strong, creative communities in New York State's 62 counties. |
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The Festival is also supported in part by the Dramatists Guild Fund. |
We are very pleased to thank the following sponsors of the 2011 Festival of New Musicals and Fall Conference. For information on supporting NAMT and the benefits of becoming a sponsor, please visit the Sponsorship section of our website.
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
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Tams-Witmark Music Library, Inc. |
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