NYMF's ACADEMY Wins Best Musical at The Daegu Int'l Musical Fest in South Korea

Academy, the 2009 New York Musical Theatre (NYMF) selection to The 2010 Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF) in Daegu, South Korea has been awarded The Best Musical Prize at The Festival. The award, which was decided by a panel of theater journalists and critics, came with a $2500 cash prize. The Best Musical Award was presented by Chief Chairman of DIMF and legendary Korean film star Sung Yill Shin and was accepted by NYMF Executive Director and Producer Isaac Robert Hurwitz. The DIMF Awards Gala was shown on national Korean television. In addition, Corey Boardman, who played Amory in the production, won the award for Best Supporting Actor for the festival.

Academy has book, music and lyrics by John Mercurio and was conceived and developed by Andrew Kato. Academy won The 2009 NYMF Awards for Excellence for Best Ensemble and Best Music.

John Carrafa directed the DIMF production with musical direction by Alexander Rovang.

The Korean run of Academy was the second part of NYMF's inaugural production exchange with DIMF, the only theatre event of its kind in Asia. The DIMF cast of Academy included: Alex Wyse (Benji), Corey Boardman (Amory), Wilson Bridges (Michael), Antonio Addeo (Gert), Matthew F. Johnson (Regan), Andy Mientus (Conrad) and Aaron Riesebeck (Pete).

The NYMF / DIMF production exchange will continue with Korea's homegrown musical Special Letter at the 2010 New York Musical Theater Festival. Written by Book and Lyrics by In Seon Park, Music by Chang Wook Ma, Special Letter is a rambunctious comedy about a soldier whose pen pal is not who she seem.

NYMF and DIMF share a dedication to ensuring that musical theater stays vibrant as both an art form and an industry while celebrating the important role musical theater plays in their respective communities. As a joint initiative to support and promote the next generation of musical theater writers, the partnership will consist of a production exchange between the two festivals. This provides NYMF and DIMF with the exciting ability to introduce fresh American talent to Korea's passionate theater fan base and burgeoning musical theater industry, as well as the tremendous opportunity to introduce Korea's best new musicals to New York audiences.
The Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF) is the only exclusive international musical festival in Korea. Established in 2007, DIMF's mission is to share the beauty and joy of musicals with interNational Theatre-lovers, as well as local residents. Packed with top-notch productions and exciting events, DIMF has firmly established itself as a showcase for gifted artists, an amusement ground for audiences, and a diverse market for the musical theatre industry. DIMF's programming is divided into several categories, including: Official Invitational Musicals, Homegrown Musicals, College Students' Musical Festival, and DIMFringe Festival.
This year's 2010 New York Musical Theater Festival will take place from September 27 - October 17.

Now entering its seventh year, The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) exists to revitalize musical theater culture by discovering and promoting new musical theater artists, producers and projects; nurturing a vibrant and innovative artistic community; and connecting one of America's greatest art forms with a diverse, contemporary audience.

Since its inception in 2004, NYMF has premiered more than 200 new musicals - more than 60 of which have gone on to award-winning productions in New York, in regional theaters and in almost every state and more than a dozen countries worldwide. Two of the ten new musicals to open on Broadway in the 2009 season were NYMF alums, including [title of show], which enjoyed an acclaimed run at the Lyceum Theater, Next to Normal, which won three Tony awards and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. This year's Festival will run September 28th through October 18th.

The 2009 New York Musical Theater Festival enjoyed record ticket sales, up by 20% over last year. Attendance was at an all-time high, with the majority of festival productions playing to over 90% capacity. 87% of festival events sold out most or all of their performances. Due to audience demand, 15 productions received a total of 22 extension performances, twice as many as in 2008.

Hailed as "the Sundance of Musical Theatre," NYMF exists to revitalize one of America's greatest art forms by discovering, supporting and promoting new musical theater artists, producers, and projects, and by introducing a diverse audience to the vibrancy of contemporary musical theater. Widely regarded as the essential source for new material and talent discovery, NYMF is the flagship program of The National Music Theater Network, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, and is presented in association with BroadwayWorld.com, Production Resource Group and TheaterMania.com. NYMF is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

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