This is a pretty familiar feeling, isn’t it?
The thunder of the audience around you is the only proof necessary to know that you have finally caught lightning in your bare hands. You are reaching creative heights no one, except you, ever before thought possible. You can see deeply into the future and past at the same time from one single seat in the orchestra, but before you can even feel the sting of that opening night success, they are dragging pulled-apart pieces of your set up the aisle to the dumpster on 45th street. The curtain comes down. Now, you have an anxious ache. The spotlights fade, the actors go home, the theater doors close, and that sudden unceremonious, unexpected loss shakes you to the core.
It’s the post-show blues.
As a theatre artist and worker, you know the script. When the devastating arrives, that is the universal cue for new renditions of the same, old call to “create.” And sure, sometimes our pain is a creative gasoline for the good of the human heart… and that’s showbiz. But in the end, making art through a moment of existential dread isn’t a requirement, it’s a choice you make when you’re ready to move on.
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Photo from the 36th Annual Festival of New Musicals. Credit: Ric Kallaher
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And as a theatre artist and worker, you know the moves. But it’s not always so easy to come back, rally the team and march into the rehearsal room. Sometimes, the show doesn’t just go on. What if finishing the hat is saying goodbye to an entire idea, or experiment? If it is sweetly, sadly, savagely letting go of someone’s story, of which you have become a thread pulled incredibly tight in its fabric just by being its teller during a pivotal moment of human history? In that case, feel it release fully, and rediscover the fabric inside of you that can resist the encore of a groaning creative drain found in all of the seams and folds of the real world.
We can rely on what we have learned from the creative process to help us navigate our crisis-bearing question, what next?
When you step back, you can see more of what’s ahead.
Get a view of the stage from every angle and see beyond the scene in front of you. A step backward doesn’t always mean a shift in focus, sometimes it instead shows a new way forward.
Resilience & power draw from the same well.
Coordination, tension and perseverance pull from the same willpower as rage, force and determination. Waiting builds strength to wield.
Healing is not linear, but gratitude towards community creates comfort during every step.
There will be ups and downs, but your awareness, attention and kindness to those around you that need it will be the in-betweens. Theirs are the stories to tell.
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Artists from the 36th Annual Festival of New Musicals. Credit: Ric Kallaher
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At NAMT, we will soon wrap up 2024 and turn our gaze into the unknown next year.
And isn’t that a familiar feeling?
The threat to our creative expression, and lately to our opportunity, is not a new one for us theatre people… it’s one of our unique, enduring constants. Here we are, only a month after a record-breaking 875 producers, artists and guests from around the globe joined us to celebrate the joyful future of the musical storyteller, once again unsure of the promise made for them ahead. But I can tell you, for whatever projects 2025 has waiting, we at NAMT are still making plans for new works.
You should too.
So, take care during your post-show blues, and do not be afraid. Remember that you are not alone, even if what you really want right now is just a little bit of alone time.
🩵💜
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Frankie Dailey
NAMT New Works Director
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Stay in the loop! Check out announcements from the NAMT Network:
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Follow Nikki's journey to a Broadway option in the series above!
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It's time for theatre to start calling in new audiences. I believe they've been waiting for us.
When I attended the Cove Park Musical Theatre Writing Residency earlier this year, I met a brilliant woman named Jeanie O'Hare. Until I met her, I'd never cared much about works that are considered the "classics" in theatre. I felt no connection to it. The 1978 film The Wiz is classic musical theatre to me. While leading a group session one day at the Scotland residency, Jeanie acknowledged that many new playwrights push back against the idea of studying old ones because they reject the idea that those writers should be the gold standard for new works. But Jeanie insisted we consider why the work of those writers was revolutionary during their time. I was surprised to learn that, back in the day, William Shakespeare was considered controversial! Partly because there were rumors that he had a ghostwriter, and partly because he ignored the traditional rules of theatre at the time. But a big reason Shakespeare's work was controversial was because it allowed people to debate issues of their time without fear of offending others. He created opportunities for sharing ideas about politics, death, gender, sexuality and religion. And that made a lot of folks mad because they feared his work would be a "corrupting influence."
I had no idea William was out here pissing people off! And just like that, I had a reason to get into Shakespeare. Read More.
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Songwriting Lab: Character Case Study | Works-in-Progress with the Pros
December 16th, 7:00pm to 8:30pm ET (Zoom)
Welcome to the Songwriting Lab, where students will get to hear upcoming works-in-progress from professional musical theatre writers—including Joey Contreras, Anthony Fedorov, Jennifer Paz and Kira Stone—and analyze how their songs portray character through tone, style, music and lyrics. Students will get to choose which special guest to learn from, and offer thoughts to the writers on their songs. This event is for High School Students interested in the Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge.
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January Office Hours: Festival of New Musicals
January 6th, 6:00pm to 8:00pm ET (Zoom)
Submitting a show to the 37th Annual Festival of New Musicals? Do you have specific questions not covered during our info session or on our website? Drop in during our Submission Office Hours, where you can address any outstanding submission questions one-on-one with a NAMT staff member. Sign in to our digital waiting room, and someone will be with you asap! Registration advised.
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A hub for everything above and more, NAMT Staff are excited to announce a new page on our website at namt.org/recommended. We hope this becomes a useful and fun resource for discovering new musicals and a means of creating awareness for successes in all corners of NAMT’s New Works community.
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Pearl Studios is the official rehearsal studio for the NAMT Festival of New Musicals. Pearl Studios is conveniently located in Midtown Manhattan on 8th Avenue between 35th & 36th Streets, and offers two floors of clean, bright and flexible rooms fit for all your rehearsal needs. For bookings, call 212-904-1850 or email contactus@pearlstudiosnyc.com.
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