30 Days of NYMF on BroadwayWorld Day 1: Bye, Bye Maria Von Trapp! Hello Monica! The Musical!

September may mean the end of summer, but NYC theatre promises to be red hot this month with the return of The New York Musical Theatre Festival, a three-week celebration dedicated to bringing audiences a new brand of music theatre entertainment inspired by contemporary music, current events and shifting cultural attitudes. NYMF is not your grandmother's musical theatre. The 34 original full-length musicals premiering at this year's festival run the gamut thematically, from The Banger's Flopera, a counter-culture rock musical inspired by the Brechtian classic The Beggar's Opera, to Monica! The Musical, a parody piece that offers a humorous take on the infamous Clinton-Lewinski scandal.

NYMF was founded on the principle that musical theatre is a living art form with infinite possibilities and since its inception the organization has worked to create a viable launching ground for original material. With nearly a quarter of the shows from the 2004 festival moving on to off-Broadway runs, including ALTAR BOYZ, CAPTAIN LOUIS, and THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL, no one can deny the immediate sensation that was NYMF 2004 and all signs point towards even greater success for this year. To get the insider scoop on NYMF visit Broadwayworld.com over the coming weeks to read articles written by the writers, directors, producers and staff that make NYMF possible. The festival runs September 12th - October 2, to buy tickets visit www.nymf.org.

The 2005 NYMF Slate

THE NEXT LINK SERIES— 17 new musicals selected by a panel of industry professionals from over 400 submissions sent in from across the country.

The Banger's Flopera
But I'm a Cheerleader!
Don Imbroglio
It Came from Beyond
The Mistress Cycle
Monica! The Musical
No Boundaries
Orphan Train
Plane Crazy
The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World
Tom Jones
Uncle Jed's Barbershop
The Unknown
Wild Women of Planet Wongo
Yank!
You Might As Well Live

THE INVITED SHOWS SERIES— A dozen new musicals handpicked by the NYMF artistic team from the diverse array of projects being developed across the nation and around the globe.

The Ballad of Bonnie & Clyde
The Big Time
Feeling Electric
Nerds:// A Musical Software Satire
People Like Us
Reluctant Pilgrim
Richard Cory
Rooms
Serenade the World
6 Women with Brain Death
Soon of a Mornin'
The View From Here

THE NYMF-UCBT MUSICAL COMEDY SERIES— If you like your musicals fast and funny, don't miss out on this series, produced in association with the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre.

SEMINARS PANEL DISCUSSIONS & MASTERCLASSES— Industry leaders offer the inside scoop on today's and tomorrow's musical theatre.

CONCERTS, READINGS & OTHER SPECIAL EVENTS

Celebrating everything that makes musical theatre vibrant, NYMD offer you sneak previews of new works in all stages of development, unique opportunities to hear writers perform their own songs, and concerts showcasing the communities that make NYC the world-recognized home of musical theatre.

MUSICALS IN OTHER MEDIA— Attend special presentations at the Makor Screening Room and The Museum of Television & Radio, and celebrate musicals on the big and small screens!

PARTNER EVENTS— NYC is the international capital for musical theatre, and during NYMF many of the city's resident companies and artists join with us to bring out their best. Check out many of the great events that NYMF is co-presenting between September 12 and October 2.