As another Spring semester comes to an end, NAMT Program Intern Michael Edwards reflects on his time at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre and his assignment with us as a member of the CUNY Cultural Corps. 

With little real-world experience of their own, college students are expected to make huge decisions about their futures and careers, choosing majors and industries to work in. But how am I supposed to know if a line of work suits me? Or if I’ll thrive in a given industry? This is the conundrum I found myself grappling with, and a big part of why I started college so late in my life. While my own passions and interests have certainly helped guide me in navigating these decisions, I still don’t have a clear picture of where I want to be after college. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned on this journey, it’s the value of keeping an open mind, and not being afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Which is why someone like myself, who has never seen a single musical in his life, chose to intern at NAMT this spring.

I’ve spent my whole life immersed in technology, video games, and animation, while also dedicating time to studying Japanese to better connect with the media I love. Working in these industries has long been a personal goal of mine. After attending a concert performance at Brooklyn’s gorgeous Kings Theatre, my curiosity was sparked in the field of production. So when I was offered the chance to intern at NAMT, I made the decision to step outside my usual world and learn something new. I knew that I’d need to challenge myself if I wanted to be successful on this path of self-discovery. As it turns out, NAMT offered exactly the kind of production experience I was looking for—practical, meaningful, and applicable no matter where I go in my career journey.

During my time at NAMT, I supported staff and observed projects that brought together established theater veterans and emerging writers. I got to see how thoughtfully each step was handled, and how seriously everyone involved treated the work—whether it was selecting new musicals, collaborating with students, or providing feedback that might shape the course of someone’s career. I was struck by how much trust was placed in NAMT’s programs—and how much trust NAMT, in turn, placed in the people they serve. If nothing else, my time at NAMT taught me that producing is about supporting those with passion and aspirations, bringing them together and helping them create something truly meaningful. That’s the kind of work I want to be a part of.

I came into this internship unsure of what kind of work would suit me. NAMT didn’t give me all the answers—but it helped me ask better questions, and showed me the kind of impact I want to have. For a college student still navigating big decisions, having that kind of clarity is a powerful step forward.

Michael Edwards
2025 NAMT Program Intern

Stay in the loop! Check out announcements from the NAMT Network:

TRIBECA FESTIVAL: Shannon Burkett (Fest '22) launches podcast LEAD featuring Merritt Weaver, Alessandro Nivola, Cynthia Nixon, to premiere as Tribeca Film Festival Official Audio Selection. 

WEST COAST SESSIONS: Martin Storrow (Fest '22) introduces KING OF PANGEA: West Coast Sessions EP, releases "Today I Am Here" featuring Gaby Moreno (Fest '23). 

A FEW SPOTS LEFT: More seats now available for NAMT's Spring New Works Summit "Finding Visibility During Creative Development." Limited space, registration required.  

RHINEBECK: Rhinebeck Writers Retreat announces nine new musicals for summer season including LEWIS LOVES CLARK by Mike Ross & Dylan MarcAurele (Fest '24), BARNSTORMER by Douglas Cohen & Cheryl L. Davis (Fest '08) and new musicals by Fest alumni Jared Corak & Christopher Anselmo (Fest '23), Tommy Newman (Fests '07, '09, '13), and Grantee writers Marcy Heisler & Zina Goldrich (FYFNM '16) and Jaime Lozano (FYFNM '24). 

IN CLAY IN SEASON: Signature Theatre (VA) announces IN CLAY by Rebecca Simmonds & Jack Miles (Fest '24) as part of 2025-2026 Season. 

Beau, Adesha, Ryan. Photo Credit: Michaela Schulz

Weeks away from their World Premiere at A.C.T. in San Francisco, and five years after the world shifted beneath their feet, the creative trio behind CO-FOUNDERS The Musical is still breaking rules, pushing boundaries and remixing the theatrical form. Beau Lewis, Adesha Adefela and Ryan Nicole Austin are living proof that misfits with a mission can change the game.

Pop in your headphones! Join us for a jam session and a journey through the heart of storytelling. Find out how CO-FOUNDERS became a love letter to the Bay, a triumph of collaboration during chaos and a new kind of musical built for the world we live in now.

"In 2020 the world changed. We were four years into writing CO-FOUNDERS The Musical, and we had our big break. Our show got accepted into NAMT’s Annual Festival of New Musicals. This was a catalyst for our show, an original story from and about the Bay Area, to be on a new trajectory to reach the rest of the country. 

Three California dreamers known as “BAR” (Beau Lewis, Adesha Adefela and Ryan Nicole Austin) now had an opportunity to take the show we had written — a love-letter to the Bay and its misfit culture of creativity born from the fertile grounds of Oakland and Silicon Valley — and bring it a step closer to the world’s biggest and brightest stages in New York." (Read More)

We are excited to announce the winners of the 2024-2025 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge for High School Students, a joint initiative by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT). This prestigious program provides high school students with an unparalleled opportunity to develop and showcase their musical compositions, that could potentially become part of full-scale original musical theatre productions.

Over the next several weeks, each of these songs will be professionally orchestrated. Winning students will come to New York City this June where they will work with mentors and musicians to hone their orchestrations while learning about process, technique and production. The final compositions will be performed by Broadway artists in a concert on Monday, June 16, at 7:30 p.m. ET, available to watch live and on-demand at namt.org/challenge. In addition, each winning student will receive a scholarship of $2,500, provided by the NMPA S.O.N.G.S. Foundation.

The 2024-2025 winners are:
(grades and schools are as of the 2024-2025 school year)

“Dancing Through a Dream” by Leela Kumar – 11th Grade from Marlboro, NJ
“Fall” by Sydney Gray – 12th Grade from Fairhope, AL
“Fool” by Judah Brown – 11th Grade from Tulsa, OK
“Hello World” by Karsten Wallace – 11th Grade from Madison, AL
“Older” by Gwendellyn Doerfler – 12th Grade from Dewitt, MI
“Second Chances” by Elaina Stuppler – 11th Grade from Portland, OR
“The Way Iamb” by Sadie Shapiro – 12th Grade from Scotch Plains, NJ
“Why Not?” by Ali Lewis – 12th Grade from Cincinnati, OH

The 2024-2025 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge is held in collaboration with Concord Theatricals, Disney Theatrical Group, NMPA S.O.N.G.S. Foundation and The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation.

Click here to learn about the Winning Students and hear more from their winning drafts!

We’re back with new updates to all three NAMT-curated Spotify playlists! Whether you're craving new music from NAMT alumni, femme+ trailblazers, or bold new voices just breaking onto the scene, we’ve got you covered. New releases from NAMT artists behind King of Pangea (Fest '22), CO-FOUNDERS (Fest '20), TLDR: Thelma Louise; Dyke Remix (Fest '21) and more! 

New@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre Writers is a bite-sized series dedicated to spotlighting the emerging voices in musical theatre.

New@NAMT is hosted by Jean-Paul Yovanoff in partnership with Musical Theatre Radio, and each episode features interviews with key figures at NAMT and provides a unique glimpse into the creative minds behind the next big musicals. Season 3 of New@NAMT turns the spotlight toward the decision-makers shaping the future of new musicals.

This season, we sit down with Artistic Leaders from NAMT’s Member Theatres across the country to uncover how new work gets chosen, developed and launched into the world. From regional powerhouses to incubators of innovation, each episode offers a candid look into the creative and curatorial philosophies of those championing the next generation of musical theatre writers.

Episodes out now! Listen to the first airing on Mondays at 7pm ET on Musical Theatre Radio and weekly on your favorite podcast platform. 

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.