Rapp, Rashad and More Make Up Grand Jury for NYMF Next Link Submissions; Deadline Extended

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF), a three-week celebration highlighting the next generation of musicals and the vibrant community of writers and artists working in musical theater today, has announced its seven-member Grand Jury for 2006 Next Link Project Submissions.

This year's NYMF Grand Jury will include Drama Desk nominee Anthony Rapp (Rent), three-time Tony winner Tom Meehan (Annie, The Producers), Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad (Gem of the Ocean, Bernarda Alba), Tony winner David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly), seven-time Joseph Jefferson Award winner Gary Griffin (The Color Purple), Pulitzer Prize winner and two-time Tony winner Marsha Norman (The Color Purple, The Secret Garden, 'night, Mother) and Tony-winning producer Michael Rego of The Araca Group.

Writers are invited to submit production-ready musicals to the Festival's Next Link Project, for which 18 shows will be chosen by the Grand Jury.

"We're thrilled that this amazing group of theater luminaries will serve as our Grand Jury this year," said NYMF Founder and Executive Director Kris Stewart. "The ever-growing interest in NYMF from young musical theater writers, composers and the industry as a whole has been truly remarkable, and I think one of the main benefits of NYMF has always been the opportunity for younger and more experienced artists to meet and interact – and it will be fantastic for the authors we're discovering to be seen by a jury with these credentials."

Stewart adds that due to a number of requests from potential applicants and the overwhelming number of submissions, NYMF has extended this year's deadline for submissions to Friday, March 17, 2006.

Visit www.nymf.org for more information or to begin the application process. This year's New York Musical Theatre Festival will run September 10 through October 1, 2006.

"Hailed as the theatre industry's rookie of the year by The New York Times, the 2005 Festival built on the achievements of its inaugural season. Turnout increased by more than 25% from the previous year, with attendance at NYMF 2005 at 90% of capacity. Over half of last years productions played to capacity houses for their entire runs, prompting NYMF to add performances for ten shows as early as three days into ticket sales," according to press notes.

Sold-out festival runs and strong reviews have led to commercial options and productions for many NYMF shows, including Altar Boyz, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Captain Louie and most recently [Title of Show].

In addition to The Next Link Project, the 2005 Festival included almost twenty additional productions invited from around the world; a series of panels and seminars featuring industry leaders; numerous readings, concerts, and cabaret performances; as well as an array of umbrella events co-presented with other musical theater organizations around the city.

Dedicated to discovering new work and new artists, The New York Musical Theatre Festival celebrates the diversity, creativity, and future of musical theatre. NYMF is a flagship program of the National Music Theater Network, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, and is America's largest annual musical theatre event.

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