Clark, Wong, Sheinkin Among NYMF Grand Jury Panel

By: Feb. 14, 2007
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The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) has announced the Grand Jury panelists - 5 Tony Award winners and a 2-time Tony nominee, as it happens - will select 18 musicals to be featured in the 4th annual Festival, scheduled this year from September 17 through October 7 in New York City.

The Tony winners, actress Victoria Clark (Encores Follies, The Light in the Piazza), actor B.D. Wong (M. Butterfly and Law & Order: SVU), librettist Rachel Sheinkin (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), producers Margo Lion and Adam Epstein (Hairspray), and Tony-nominated director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw (Encores! Follies, The Drowsy Chaperone and Spamalot) comprise the Grand Jury that will select 18 musicals for this year's NYMF.  The Grand Jury's selections are made through a blind evaluation process, and the 18 musicals the panel chooses comprise two-thirds of the musicals presented during the Festival. 

The judges will make their selections from an anticipated 400 candidates, submitted to NYMF through its annual open submissions program, the Next Link Project.  The deadline for submissions to NYMF's 2007 Next Link has been extended to March 8 – less than four weeks away. 
 
Regarding the length of time remaining before the submission deadline for 2007, Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell, who created the NYMF/Off-Broadway hit musical [title of show] in three weeks under the pressure of the NYMF's impending 2004 deadline, state, "If you have a show and are thinking about submitting it...submit it. If you are midway through writing a piece...finish it...then submit it. And if you haven't started but want to start...Start...and then submit it.   Maybe you don't finish, but you'll be ready in '08.  Just start. Use this deadline to get rid of whatever is keeping you from creating."
 
As well, Messrs. Bowen and Bell offer this advice to writers about their submissions…
 
"1. Remember you may have to carry all your own props on the subway, so think twice about submitting your musical about a famous bricklayer.

2. Be sure to mention some of the judges in your musical. It's flattering and it lets them know you've done your NYMF homework.

3. Make up a pen name like Scott Menzel or Jacques Mazzie and NYMF will think you're related to a famous Broadway fancy and help your show get through because it means more press for them."

Now entering its 4th year, the New York Musical Theatre Festival is the largest musical theatre event in America.   Hailed as "the Sundance of Musical Theatre,"  NYMF is widely-regarded as an essential source for new material and talent discovery, and has presented over 90 musicals in its first three years - including the hit shows Altar Boyz, [title of show], and The Great American Trailer Park Musical.  In 2007, it will present its 100th musical production.

Already this season in New York, two musicals from past Festivals – The Big Voice God or Merman (NYMF '04) and Gutenberg! The Musical (NYMF '06) – have launched successful runs Off-Broadway, with a third – Nerds://A Musical Software Satire - enjoying a successful run at Philadelphia Theatre Company.

All submitted shows should be considered ready for production as well as for the widespread exposure to the New York theatre community NYMF provides. The submission process involves completing our online submission form, paying the application fee and mailing in your materials (synopsis, 15-page script sample, demo CD of any quality, complete script and any applicable proof of rights or notice of reviews, awards, grants or letters of recommendation).   Applicants are welcome to submit more than one show; each show requires a separate application and fee.  Please visit www.nymf.org for more information to begin the submission process today.

Photo of Victoria Clark by Ben Strothmann

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