Michael Cerveris, Marsha Norman and More Set for NYMF's Next Link Project Jury

NYMF today announced the Grand Jury for the Next Link Project. Submissions for The Next Link Project, which guarantees production slots in the 2013 Festival, continue through November 2nd. The 2013 New York Musical Theatre Festival, NYMF's tenth season, will run July 8 – July 28, 2013. For more Next Link Project info and submission guidelines, visit www.nymf.org.

The 2013 Next Link Jury:

• choreographer Josh Bergasse (2012 Emmy® winner for NBC's "Smash")
• OBIE Award winning composer-lyricist Jeff Bowen ([title of show])
• two-time Tony®-winning actor Michael Cerveris (Tommy, Assassins, Evita)
• two-time Tony®-winning playwright Marsha Norman (The Secret Garden, The Color Purple)
• producer Joey Parnes (Tony® winner for Hair, former Public Theater Executive
Producer)
• Tony®-winning actress Tonya Pinkins (Caroline or Change, Jelly's Last Jam)
• director Scott Schwartz (Rooms, Golda's Balcony, Bat Boy)
• Grammy®-winning and Tony®-nominated composer Lucy Simon (The Secret
Garden, "In Harmony")
• Tony® nominated actor Tony Sheldon (Priscilla Queen of the Desert)

Ten of the 2012 Festival's full production slots are reserved for participants in the Next Link Project, NYMF's primary writer service program. The Next Link Project empowers emerging musical theatre writing teams as both artists and entrepreneurs by providing the training and relationships needed to help them move their musicals from mere readings to fully-realized productions and to advance their careers by maximizing the exposure they receive in the Festival.

Authors submitting to The Next Link Project will need to provide a demo recording of their songs, a detailed synopsis of their show, a 15-page script sample (15 consecutive pages representing the heart of the show and including lyrics for at least one of the songs), a complete script, and, if applicable, proof of rights to adapt underlying material.