Submissions Now Open For the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's 33rd Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS

National Alliance for Musical Theatre is now accepting submissions for the 2021 Festival of New Musicals, which will take place on Thursday, October 21 and Friday, October 22, 2021.

In order for a musical to be eligible for the Festival, the musical must...

Be complete and ready for readings, workshops and/or productions.

Have a demo that is an accurate representation of the music and style of the show.

Have full underlying rights clearance of any pre-existing material used (music, source material, etc.) in the script.

Be ready for readings, workshops and/or productions at the time of submission and available for performance in October 2021 at the Festival.

The musical cannot...

Already be licensed through a professional licensing house.

Have been produced on Broadway. [Shows that have had readings, workshops and/or productions (including regional or Off Broadway) are still eligible.]

Have already been submitted to the Festival three times.

All writers can submit a free application for Festival consideration if submitted by December 21, 2020. Late submissions will be accepted with a fee until January 8, 2021. Head over to http://www.namt.org/newmusicals/festival-submissions/ to learn more about how to submit your show. All applications will require an endorsement from an industry professional, but if you do not have an endorser, please review the NAMT website for additional options.

NAMT has been keeping a close eye on COVID-19 and will continue to do so in 2021. The Festival of New Musicals was re-imagined in 2020 and presented online in November. The Festival will remain online until it is safe to go back into theatres. If permitted, the Festival will return to an in-person event next fall, with the potential of an in-person/virtual hybrid.

As a direct result of the FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS, 85% of the writers featured have seen further development of their musicals, found agents, secured licensing agreements or been commissioned. Recent musicals from past Festivals that have gone on to further development include Gun & Powder (Festival 2018), which had its world premiere at the Signature Theatre (DC) in January of 2020; The Ballad of Klook and Vinette (Festival 2017), which had its US premiere at the Horizon Theatre (GA) in January of 2018, a production at ZACH Theatre (TX) in April 2019, and has been licensed by Samuel French; Darling Grenadine (Festival 2017), which had a sold-out production at the Roundabout Underground (NY) in February 2020 following a July 2019 production at The Marriott Theatre (IL); Benny & Joon (Festival 2016), which received its world premiere at The Old Globe (CA) in 2017 and was produced at the Paper Mill Playhouse (NJ); Lempicka (Festival 2016), which world-premiered at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in July 2018 with director Rachel Chavkin and is in talks for an upcoming Broadway run; Come From Away (Festival 2013), which had its world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse (CA) in 2015 followed by productions across the country and in Canada, opened on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in February of 2017, and has since toured North America and opened more productions in Canada, Ireland, the West End and Australia. In addition to these, a great many shows that have become staples of the musical theatre canon received their start at the NAMT Festival of New Musicals, including It Shoulda Been You (Festival 2009), Ordinary Days (Festival 2008), The Drowsy Chaperone (Festival 2004), Honk! (Festival 1999), Songs for a New World (Festival 1997), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Festival 1996) and Children of Eden (Festival 1996).

NAMT's FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS is the cornerstone of NAMT's mission to nurture the development and production of new musicals. The Festival presents eight musicals in 45-minute presentations before an audience of over 800 industry professionals. In the short run, the Festival's goal is to connect writers with producers, so that their shows can continue their development trajectory. The long-term goal is to expand the musical theatre repertoire, bringing new musical theatre to thousands of audience members around the world.

NAMT assumes the costs of producing and marketing the Festival, handles all administration and logistics and takes no royalty stake in future productions to give participating writers a creative development experience free from financial and administrative burdens. Writers featured in the Festival focus on writing, which allows them to showcase their best work to the 750+ experts who attend the Festival and who can help them further their careers. Since 1989, the Festival has showcased 526 writers and 276 new musicals, which cumulatively have reached millions of audience members worldwide.

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