Meet the Stars of NYMF: India Carney of HELD MOMENTARILY

New York Musical Theatre Festival is in full swing and BroadwayWorld has taken the time to sit down with some of the stars of this years NYMF musicals.

Like any great art form, musical theatre is shaped by the events and philosophies of the day. The strength and vitality of musical theatre lie in its ability to stay fresh and relevant. It was with that idea in mind, ten years ago, that the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) was created - to provide an effective platform to introduce new shows, new perspectives, and new blood into the musical theatre canon.

MEET THE STARS OF NYMF sits down with India Carney of HELD MOMENTARILY

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What's your favorite thing about performing as part of NYMF?

My favorite thing about performing as part of NYMF is that I get to reunite on stage with my LaGuardia Arts alumni, doing what we love the most: Musical Theater! Performing at NYMF is important because it facilitates the discovery of new theater work and encourages budding composers and lyricists, and actors/actresses to pursue their visions on a bigger scale. The musical theater world, just like any other industry, looks for new, innovative productions that will help advance and maintain the integrity and beauty of that genre. NYMF is the place where people can go to experience that growth and professional development. I am excited to contribute to NYMF's mission to nurture the creation, production, and public presentation of new musicals, and ensure the future vitality of musical theatre. I have dreamt of becoming a musical theater professional. This experience will help me get one step closer to achieving my dream!

Have you participated in NYMF before? If so, what's your favorite part and what drew you back to the festival?

Actually, Held Momentarily will be my first NYMF production and I am excited for this new experience! With that said, I have known about NYMF for many years, and what drew me into this festival was the chance to contribute to the creation and development of new musicals. It's an honor to be part of this process!

What other NYMF show are you most intrigued by or excited to see?

Actually, there are quite a few NYMF shows that I am excited to see! I read that Producer, Ken Davenport, is excited about Claudio Quest, The Calico Buffalo, Tonya & Nancy: A Rock Opera, and What Do Critics Know? For starters, I would love to check those out, in addition to a few more!

Tell us about your show/your character?

Held Momentarily is a musical about 6 strangers, and a permanent resident, stuck underground on a NYC train, telling their story of coping with the situation, and coming together as a result of it. In the process, a woman goes into labor! I think that the simplest description for my character, Asherah, is that she is, simultaneously, a homeless woman living on the trains of New York City, and a spiritual-like symbolic figure of wisdom and knowledge. As a homeless woman, she is confronted daily by people, mostly passengers, who shun her, often keeping their distance and not noticing that she, too, is a person with feelings. No one had ever taken the time to talk to Asherah or get to know the real story behind her homelessness until one day a crisis happens on the train she was riding. As the story unfolds, we learn that Asherah was not always homeless. In fact, she was an average middle-class American woman who tragically lost her son some years earlier. The traumatic experience surrounding his death threw her into deep depression which eventually led her to homelessness. This musical is able to show the beauty in Asherah, a woman who passersby would otherwise never take the time to meet.