Submissions Open December 1st for Third Annual Atlanta Musical Theatre Festival

Founder and Executive Artistic Director Benjamin Davis announces today that submissions for the Third Annual Atlanta Musical Theatre Festival (AMTF), to be held in August in Atlanta, will open on December 1, 2017. The deadline to submit new works is February 1, 2018. Selections will be announced in April 2018, at the annual selections announcement event (details forthcoming).

Performances will be open to the artistic community, the public, and the press. The Festival will be held at Out Front Theatre, 99 Brady Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30318. Tickets to the Festival will go on sale in Spring 2018.

The inaugural Festival in 2016 was a huge success, and the 2017 Festival further proved the need for a project like this. Three productions were presented over three nights to full houses, exposing approximately 375 patrons to these new works. The organization expects to grow its audience again in 2018, with the expansion to a two-weekend run.

"The second annual festival delivered on many fronts. We had three totally diverse pieces and the audiences loved them all," said Executive Artistic Director Benjamin Davis. "I remain duly impressed by these playwrights who put their fresh work out in the universe, and open themselves up for feedback. With a two-weekend run in 2018, we hope to double the number of patrons, enhancing the experience for the playwright and the growth of each piece. We are all really looking forward to the submission and selection process, and to what the 2018 festival will bring. I know we will have more amazing musical theatre to watch and push to the next level."

The Atlanta Musical Theatre Festival was born out of a desire to motivate local artists to continue to write musical theatre. After participating as a Producer in the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2015, Founder Benjamin Davis saw an opportunity to nurture the local writing population. Once a show is selected, the goals are many: that the piece will grow and evolve in this process; that the artist might learn a new part of the creative process; that a producing theatre or director might become interested in the piece, or the playwright, or an actor; that there are new connections and networks formed. The mission of the AMTF is to "cultivate the next generation of theatre artists by mentoring talent, propelling new musicals forward, and celebrating the community in a supportive, nurturing, and creative environment."

In just two years, AMTF has connected more than 200 artists and provided them with the resources they need to develop new musicals here in Atlanta.

The Festival gratefully requests financial support and accepts donations and sponsorships. All donations are tax-deductible, and various levels of sponsorships and coordinating benefits will be available. Details on sponsorship levels are available at www.TheAMTF.com and www.C4Atlanta.org/AMTF.

Submissions deadline is February 1, 2018, and selections will be announced April 2018. Format and material requirements for submissions, and more information, can be found on the AMTF website: www.TheAMTF.com; select "Submissions."

The submissions will be reviewed by the Selections Committee, made up of veteran theatre professionals: Bill Newberry, Jeff McKerley, Juan Carlos Unzueta, and Theo Harness. Additional members of the selections committee will be announced soon.

ABOUT BENJAMIN DAVIS, Founder, Executive Artistic Director - Benjamin graduated cum laude from The University of Georgia with a B.A. in Theatre and a B.S. in Psychology. He is also a graduate of Aurora Theatre's Apprentice Company. In addition to Aurora, Ben has appeared on stages at ALLIANCE THEATRE, Actor's Express, Theatrical Outfit, Horizon Theatre, Arís Theatre, Dad's Garage, Stage Door Players, Warehouse Theatre, and Synchronicity. His Film & TV credits include The Fat Boy Chronicles, Fun World, The D.U.F.F., and "Dream Writers." He has also appeared in commercials for the Georgia Lottery, The DVI Group, Top Flite, Zaxby'S. Harvey's Groceries, North Carolina Education Lottery, and RaceTrac. Recently, Ben was seen in The Bridges of Madison County (Aurora Theatre) and Spring Awakening (Warehouse Theatre, Greenville, SC). Since 2008, Ben has been involved with the Broadway Dreams Foundation as a production assistant, lead intern, performer, and student under the direction of Annette Tanner, Nicholas Rodriguez, Matt Lenz, and Stafford Arima among others. Ben serves as the Head of Theatre Division for Phoenix 4 Productions where his credits include Associate Producer for Breathe: The Prequel and The Run Saga: Breathe. He was also an Associate Producer for The Last Time We Were Here, an official selection of the 2015 New York Musical Theatre Festival.