It's Awards Season and The Table Read is bursting with news! But first, we're marching along to musical mom memories with NAMT Operations & Communications Associate Emily Vortherms. Get the latest updates from NAMT news around the country. Then, we're introducing the Official NAMT Spotify Playlists. Don't forget, submission listings and rehearsal space from Pearl Studios below.
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When I was a kid, my mom, me, my brother and my sister were in every summer musical at my community theater. We were even featured in the paper the year we were all in The Music Man. They didn’t actually use any quotes from us in the article, but there was a big picture of us, which was all I cared about. The four of us on stage, my family feigning theatrical excitement while I held the hem of my dress, as if about to twirl.
In the interest of full transparency, I must confess I wasn’t initially cast in that show. I was 10 and had played a dirty orphan so many times (Oliver!, Annie, A Christmas Carol) that I was devastated to be locked out of the chance to prove myself as a clean, family-having character. However, the rest of my family’s names were all on the cast list, which succeeded in fully breaking my already wounded heart.
“Well, that is just ridiculous!” she huffed as we stood outside the theater looking at the freshly printed cast list. My eyes widened and I craned my neck to check that this was, in fact, still my mother talking. I hadn’t heard her use that tone since my dad forgot to pick me up from kindergarten and I had to walk a harrowing two-and-a-half blocks home alone. She scribbled down the director’s phone number from the bottom of the page, loaded us back into the car, and drove us home while the iconic “duuuuuun dun dun dun dun dun!” at the top of Phantom of the Opera rang throughout the minivan… an omen.
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Once home, she plopped a turkey sandwich in front of each of us at the kitchen table, planted herself by the corded phone, dialed and politely gave Mr. Director™ the what-for, demanding I be allowed to be in the show. What was she supposed to do… just leave one child at home alone every night for six weeks? No. “Not only have you slighted my baby, but you’ve blown up my summer childcare plan, sir.”
I certainly don’t remember exactly what she said. But, whatever she said, it worked.
If you don’t take up space and don’t expect much, it’s easier to ignore that you exist in a world you don’t have much control over. So, whether we’re writing our first song or producing a $10 million Broadway show, my hope for all of us is that we examine the power we have and push ourselves and the field to advocate for stories and artists that don’t have the power that you do. It’s probably not going to be comfortable, but now that you know, you can decide to do it anyway.
I didn’t know at the time, but what my mother did for me in that moment was act as my advocate. She had power that I didn’t, and she used it to right a wrong, to balance the scales. It sticks with me because I know it must have made her uncomfortable. She was always quiet and agreeable, and this was just one of those loud and contradictory situations. But she did the scary, awkward thing, for me.
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Emily Vortherms
NAMT Operations & Communications Associate
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Stay in the loop! Check out announcements from the NAMT Network:
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IRVIN ON TOP: The Drama League announces NAMT Directing Observership Alum Irvin Mason Jr. (Fest '22) among winners selected for Drama League Stage Directing Fellowship. Follow Irvin's pathway to success in his Table Read article here.
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN: Drama League Nominations honor productions by NAMT Festival & Frank Young Fund Writers including David Yazbeck (FYFNM '17), Carson Kreitzer & Matt Gould (Fest '16), Bekah Brunstetter (Fest '18), Anna K. Jacobs & Michael R. Jackson (Fest '19), Shaina Taub (FYFNM '12).
PIPELINE POWER: The Pipeline Arts Foundation announces over $100,000 in 2024 Awards to winners for new musical development, including NAMT writers Alphonso Horne, Jesse L. Kearney Jr., Peter Mills & Cara Reichel for THE OSCAR MICHEAUX PROJECT (Fest '23) and Heather Christian & Shannon Burkett for THE FEMALE POPE (Fest '22).
AM I THE DRAMA?!: Drama Desk Nominations shine on NAMT Alumni & Grantees including Justin Huertas (Fest '20), Anna K. Jacobs & Michael R. Jackson (Fest '19), Jason Robert Brown (Fest '97), Shaina Taub (FYFNM '12), David Yazbeck (FYFNM '17), Michael John LaChiusa (FYFNM '11 & '12), Itamar Moses (Fest '12), Rebekah Greer Melocik (Fest '15), S T A R R Busby & JJJJJerome Ellis (FYFNM '23).
LOEWE AWARD: Dramatists Guild of America's annual awards ceremony presented Adam Guettel with the Frederick Loewe Award recognizing achievement in a theatrical score for DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES (FYFNM '23).
RHINEBECK'S DIVINE NINE: 24 Writers for nine new musicals selected for Rhinebeck Writers Retreat in record-breaking submission year including Festival Alumni & NAMT Grantees Jacinth Greywoode (Fest '19), The Q Brothers Collective (Fest '15), Brandy Collier, Erika Ji & Clare Bierman (Fest '23), Truth Bachman (FYFNM '23).
O'NEILL FINALISTS: The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center announces finalists & selectees for the National Music Theater Conference including Festival Alumni Faye Chiao & Tasha Gordon-Solmon (Fest '23) and Cheeyang Ng & Eric Sorrels (Fest '21).
TONY TRIUMPHS: 2024 Tony Award Nominations include NAMT writers Shaina Taub (FYFNM '12), Bekah Brunstetter (Fest '18), Adam Guettel (FYFNM '23), Tom Kitt (Fest '01).
WORLD PREMIERE: NAMT Member Olney Theatre Center, in association with TheaterWorksUSA and Edgewood Entertainment, will present the World Premiere of LONG WAY DOWN by Dahlak Brathwaite & Khiyon Hursey (FYFNM '24).
REMEMBERING TOM: NAMT staff joins the national theatre community in grieving the loss of beloved Festival Stage Manager Thomas J. Gates (Fest '22). 💜🩵
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Volume Up: Official NAMT Playlists
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NAMT Staff is thrilled to reveal the official NAMT Spotify Playlists. Be sure to click below or launch the Spotify app and follow the National Alliance for Musical Theatre for regular playlist updates to keep you entertained and inspired! Both playlists are curated by NAMT Staff for producers, artists and MT fans to bring new musical magic to life anytime you like!
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First up, check out NAMT+: New Musicals & More, an essential playlist that promises to redefine your listening experience. This is a vibrant, living showcase of the latest in musical theatre, featuring a regularly updated selection of works from some of the most talented and visionary NAMT Festival Artists and Grantee Writers. This playlist serves as a bridge connecting theatre lovers directly to the pulse of modern stage creativity, providing a platform where new compositions and the next big hits are always at your fingertips.
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Check out this month's mentions from playlist curator:
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NAMT's
New Works Director
Frankie Dailey
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"Albertine"
My Lovely Enemy
Grace McLean
This galactic ballad from Grace McLean & Justin Goldner has completely hit me like a thunderbolt. And to level up... the whole album was just released today.
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"Like You Don't Miss Me"
In Pieces: A New Musical
By Joey Contreras
Calling all Superfans of the SIX queens, this sassified bop from poppy prince Joey Contreras and friends is just for you. Press play, and please strut your stuff.
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"Ain't That the Way It Goes"
Dusk
Gaby Moreno
This is a tough-times favorite of mine by Festival Writer Gaby Moreno, winner of the 2024 Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album.
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Next, visit ELEVATE: New Musicals by Femme+ Voices, your direct line to the voices of women and non-binary artists in musical theatre. This playlist is not just a collection of songs, but a thrilling journey into the hearts and minds of creators who are shaping the future of the genre. We hope this can become a musical nexus that not only celebrates these artists but also supports their vital contributions to the art form. Each selection is a reflection of the passionate drive to tell stories that matter.
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Get the scoop on this month's highlights from playlist curator:
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NAMT's
New Works Associate
Skye Cone Ivey
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"My Days"
The Notebook Musical
(Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Joy Woods is truly a star and giving one of the best performances that I've ever seen on Broadway before. Full body chills. Every. Single. Time.
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"Backbone"
Songs from Built for This: A New Musical
Kira Stone
This project by Kira Stone & Lauren Gunderson is a Writers Residency Grant recipient at Olney Theatre Center and I am so excited to see what happens next.
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| "She Used to Be Mine"
Waitress: The Musical Cover by Florencia Cuenca
This Spanglish cover moves me to tears. Florencia Cuenca & Jaime Lozano are magical. I've shared this with my abuelitos, who connect with it too.
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Want to add to this listing? Spot an error or old info? Reach out to us at newworks@namt.org.
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Pearl Studios is the official rehearsal studio for the NAMT Festival of New Musicals, and we're excited to partner with them again this year for our 36th Anniversary. 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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You can purchase an ad in The Table Read like the ones above to promote your production, reading or other industry event. Click to find out more.
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