New York Musical Theatre Festival News

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) today announced that Jen Bender has been named as the new Director of Programming and Artist Services for the organization. Jen returns to NYMF after having served as a founding producer of the Festival in 2004.

During this year's Adelaide Fringe Festival the Bakehouse Theatre will be introduced to the magical world of the Broadway musical.

This February and March 54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond. Located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street. For a detailed schedule of upcoming performances at 54 Below and to purchase tickets, visit www.54Below.com.

Kari Lynn Hearn of CoolChic Productions and Executive Producer,Ken Davenport just announced that Clinton has its Hillary. Tony Award Nominated actress Kerry Butler will don the pantsuit and heels as she takes on the role of Hillary Rodham Clinton in Clinton The Musical.

11th Hour Theatre Company is heading back to the 80s this Spring with its first commission. The company is finalizing the World Premiere of Michael Ogborn's Field Hockey Hot - its first World Premiere and commission. This gender-bending field hockey musical will run March 5-22. Opening night is Monday, March 9 at 7 p.m.

An industry reading of the new musical MANUEL VERSUS THE STATUE OF LIBERTY, which debuted in concert form at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and won the 2014 NYMF Developmental Reading Series award, will be presented Jan. 28, 2015. The musical, directed by Jose Zayas, is an Official Grand Jury Selection of the 2015 New York Musical Theatre Festival.

If you're under the age of 26, and you're writing for musical theatre, Walt Disney Imagineering and New Musicals Inc. would love to hear from you. New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles is sponsoring its third annual New Voices Project, in which young playwrights, composers and lyricists receive workshops and concerts of their work, with feedback sessions from executives from Walt Disney Imagineering and New Musicals Inc.

The Peoples Improv Theater (The PIT) Melodion Theatre present an encore performance of Frankie and Sarah's Gone with the Wind Fever Dream. This added performance will take place tonight, January 24 at 9:30pm at The Peoples Improv Theater, 123 E. 24th St, New York, NY 10010. Tickets are $10.

4@15: Four New Fifteen-Minute Musicals, performed in conjunction with NYU Steinhardt, will commence performances this weekend, January 24 and 25, for five performances only at The Pless Hall Black Box Theatre, featuring new works from writers Lizzie Hagstedt & Alex Rubin, Daphny Maman & Sujin Kim, Benjamin Velez & Kathryn Hathaway, and Caleb Hoyer & Kevin Michael Murphy. Ben Baker serves as Music Director; Brian Blythe directs.

The FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training continues its 2014-15 season with the Tony-nominated and Obie-winning Broadway hit [TITLE OF SHOW], a witty and hip musical that replays the real-life story of its own creation. It was originally conceived, written and performed by writer Jeff Bowen and composer/lyricist Hunter Bell. Directed by New York-based artist Amanda Friou, the Conservatory's production will preview on Tuesday, February 17 at 7:30pm with a special 'Pay What You Can Performance,' allowing audience members who purchase their tickets that day to pay whatever they can afford to see the show. It will officially open on Wednesday, February 18 at 8pm and run through Sunday, March 8.

4@15: Four New Fifteen-Minute Musicals, performed in conjunction with NYU Steinhardt, will commence performances this weekend, January 24 and 25, for five performances only at The Pless Hall Black Box Theatre, featuring new works from writers Lizzie Hagstedt & Alex Rubin, Daphny Maman & Sujin Kim, Benjamin Velez & Kathryn Hathaway, and Caleb Hoyer & Kevin Michael Murphy. Ben Baker serves as Music Director; Brian Blythe directs.

Lincoln Center Education, the education cornerstone of Lincoln Center and a global leader in arts education and advocacy, announces the first event of the 2015 Next Stage series, a discussion series launched last year with high-profile artists exploring the role of arts education in their creative and commercial work. The first event, taking place February 19 at Lincoln Center's Clark Studio Theater, will focus on artists involved in the creation of works for the specific audience of people on the autism spectrum. The panel of directors will discuss the pathways and opportunities to creating performances for this audience, whether it be in the form of an adapted or modified work, or a wholly original work.

Paper Mill Playhouse presents its winter comedy, Christopher Durang's Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. This touching and wickedly hysterical Tony Award-winning best play features Broadway, television and film veterans: Philippe Bowgen (Spike), Gina Daniels (Cassandra), Carolyn McCormick (Masha), Mark Nelson (Vanya), Michele Pawk (Sonia) and Jamie Ann Romero (Nina). Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will be directed by Don Stephenson. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will run eight times a week at the Millburn, New Jersey, theater from tonight, January 21 through February 15, 2015. The official press opening night is Sunday, January 25, at 7:00pm.

This summer, Clinton The Musical, written by Paul and Michael Hodge premiered at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. The headline-making musical played to sold out houses and extended several times. The show was featured in such media outlets as Bloomberg Television, Mother Jones, Rolling Stone Magazine, MSNBC, CNN and BBC to name a few. This spring, Clinton The Musical will get its official Off-Broadway premiere directed by Tony nominated Dan Knechtges (Tail! Spin!, Lysistrata Jones, Xanadu). Performances will begin on March 26, and Opening Night will be on Thursday, April 9 at New World Stages (340 West 50 Street). Clinton The Musical is produced by Kari Lynn Hearn of CoolChic Productions and Executive Produced by Ken Davenport. Tickets are $77.50-$97.50 and can be purchased at Telecharge at ?212.239.6200 or at www.telecharge.com. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, January 20, 2015.

American Theater Group, New Jersey's newest professional theater company in residence at Hamilton Stage at Union County Performing Arts Center (360 Hamilton Street, Rahway), will present Jonathan Larson's rock musical tick, tick... BOOM!. The production will run January 28 through February 8 (Opening Night: Saturday, January 31 at 8PM). Directed by Igor Goldin, with music direction by Vince Di Mura, the cast will feature Nicholas Park, Shannon O'Boyle, and Michael Luwoye. Before he wrote the Broadway blockbuster RENT, Jonathan Larson had another story to tell...his own.

Eleven finalists took to the stage at the 2015 Your Theatrics International Cabaret Contest (YTICC) Grand Final at The Basement in Sydney on Saturday night. Heat winners from Adelaide, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Melbourne, Auckland, and Sydney came together to compete for the chance to win a career changing prize package.

Pride Films and Plays announces that Sam Button-Harrison* and Dan Gold join Libby Lane* as the cast of The Book of Merman, a new musical comedy by Jeff Award-winning playwright Leo Schwartz. The show opens tonight, January 17, 2015 at Mary's Attic, 5400 North Clark Street.

The Your Theatrics International Cabaret Contest (YTICC) wrapped this week after recently holding heats in Adelaide, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Melbourne, Auckland, and Sydney. Winners from every city are flown to Sydney to take part in the contest Grand Final, which will see ­­11 hopefuls take to the stage in what promises to be an exciting night of new talent from around Australia and New Zealand.

Capital Repertory Theatre welcomes Nisi Sturgis and Matt Mueller to lead the Equity cast for the world premiere of Sherry Kramer's new comedy, How Water Behaves, directed by Gordon Greenberg-at theREP today, Jan. 16, through Feb. 8, 2015.

Capital Repertory Theatre announces Nisi Sturgis and Matt Mueller will lead the Equity cast for the world premiere of Sherry Kramer's new comedy, How Water Behaves, directed by Gordon Greenberg-at theREP Jan. 16-Feb. 8, 2015.