Skye Cone Ivey here, NAMT’s New Works Associate and one of the Festival Producers for the 37th Annual Festival of New Musicals. I’m excited to share that applications are open for this year’s Festival Emerging Artists Program.

Through the Line Producer Residency and Creative Assistantship programs, we invite early-career directors, music directors and producers to immerse themselves in the new musical development process.

Some of the most meaningful moments I’ve had at NAMT have come from watching these artists connect with directors, writers, music directors, producers and with each other. I’ve seen those connections grow into long-term relationships that lead to jobs, creative partnerships and lasting friendships. Our alumni have gone on to make waves across the field, on Broadway, in regional theaters and sometimes right back here at the Festival of New Musicals.

What makes this program truly special is the space it creates for learning, for community-building and for momentum. And every year, I’m reminded of the kind of space I want to help build, one that is inclusive, intentional and collaborative.

We’re especially focused on making space for artists who haven’t always been invited to the table. As one of my personal icons, Shirley Chisholm once said, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”

If you’ve ever felt like you’ve had to carry your own chair into the room, this program is here to meet you where you are, support you and remind you that you belong at the table. The Festival of New Musicals is about what’s next, and not just in the work itself, but in who’s making it.

Applications are open through July 30. I can’t wait to see what you bring to the table.

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

THEATER LATTÉ DA NEXT FEST LINEUP: Theater Latté Da’s NEXT Festival 2025 will present new musicals including The Homefront by Sam Salmond & Jenny Stafford (both FYFNM '21) and Okuni by Naomi Iizuka & Paul Hodge (both FYFNM '25). 

STRING IN SCHOOLS: The Educational Theatre Foundation has announced the five high schools awarded the 2025 String Grant for free performance rights and materials to produce their newly expanded edition String by Adam Gwon & Sarah Hammond (both Fest '14).

ORCHARD PROJECT: The Orchard Project 2025 Arts Festival features NAMT musicals LIGHTHOUSE by Veronica Mansour & abs wilson (both Fest '24), The Pheonix by Desdemona Chiang (all FYFNM '25), Cheeyang Ng (Fests '20 & '21) & Eric Sorrels (Fest '21), Built for This by Kira Stone & Lauren Gunderson (both FYFNM '24).

VILLAGE FEST: Village Theatre announced lineup for 22nd Annual Festival of New Musicals including Lewis Loves Clark by Mike Ross & Dylan MarcAurele (both Fest '24) and Legendale by Andrea Daly & Jeff Bienstock (both Fest '15). 

NATIONAL CENTRE: Theatre Aquarius announces dates for National Centre for New Musicals Summit for January 25, 26, 27, 2026 in Hamilton, Ontario, featuring a new musical by Anton Lipovetsky & Steven Gallagher (both Fest '22). 

We are thrilled to announce the 37th Annual Festival of New Musicals, returning to New World Stages on October 23 & 24—and it’s stacked. The eight shows and seventeen writers selected this season represent the bold, brilliant future of the form, brought to life by some of the most thrilling voices in the field. 

Now in its 37th year, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS is an industry-only professional development event offering the chance to discover eight new musicals presented in 45-minute concert presentations over two days to hundreds of producers, presenters, artistic & executive directors, investors, donors, developers and creative administrators in Regional Theatre, Broadway, Music, Film & TV from all around the globe. As a non-profit organization, NAMT funds the Festival entirely through donations, sponsorships and contributions which underwrite all production costs.

Click below to read more about each musical and writing team, and watch a clip from NAMT's Fest Announcement Town Hall!

ALICE BLISS
Book by Karen Hartman
Music by Jenny Giering
Lyrics by Adam Gwon
Based on Laura Harrington's novel

FINN
Created by Chris Nee, Michael Kooman & Chris Dimond
Book and Lyrics by Chris Dimond & Chris Nee
Music by Michael Kooman

THE KING OF HARLEM
Book, Music & Lyrics by John-Michael Lyles & David Gomez

LOVE IS DEAD
Book & Music by Brett Ryback
Book & Lyrics by Jeff Luppino-Esposito

PARTICLE
Book by Selda Sahin, Autumn Reeser & Derek Gregor
Music by Derek Gregor
Lyrics by Selda Sahin

ROJA
Book, Music & Lyrics by Jaime Lozano & Tommy Newman

SOFT MAGICAL TOFU BOY(S)
Book, Music & Lyrics by Kevin Wong

WAKEMAN
Book, Music & Lyrics by Jenn Grinels

Registration for industry members is now open at www.namt.org/festival. All industry members must select a professional affiliation (e.g. NAMT, the Broadway League, TCG, many more) to register. Industry members may upgrade their Festival passes for priority admission and access to supplemental events, including the Festival Closing Night Party, through a donation to NAMT. Free Industry Standby passes are available to industry members only and may provide seating at Festival presentations on a first come, first served basis as available after all other passholders have entered. The general public may also receive passes to the Festival through a donation to NAMT.

Did you miss the NAMT Town Hall Festival Announcement? Check out the recording to meet the 37th Annual Festival of New Musicals writing teams. Hear more from the writers about the inspiration behind their musicals and their hopes for the upcoming Festival Season!

As we bring the submission & selection season to a close, we are excited to introduce the Festival Finalists and NAMT-Recommended Musicals! These exceptional projects, carefully reviewed by the Festival Selection Committee, represent the future of musical theatre. If you’re developing new work or have a keen interest in the evolution of new musicals, these are the projects you need to know about. 

20 musicals were selected as finalists for the 37th Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS. This season’s finalists also included Black Girl in Paris (Book & Lyrics by AriDy Nox, Music by Jacinth Greywoode); Black-Eyed Susan (Book, Music & Lyrics by Matthew McCollum, Book by Crystal Skillman); COAL (Book, Music & Lyrics by Nicholas Connors); Gravity: A New(tonian) Musical (Book by Jessia Hoffman, Lyrics by Weston Gaylord, Music by Joel Chapman & Matt Herrero, Dramaturgy/Story by Ken Savage); HALF MAN || HALF BULL (Written and Created by Phil Grainger, Oliver Tilney & Alexander Wright); Next Year in Connecticut! (Book & Lyrics by Sarah Rossman, Music by Sequoia Sellinger); Sunwatcher (Music by Tidtaya Sinutoke, Book & Lyrics by Isabella Dawis); The Carol of the Bells (Book, Music & Lyrics by Nevada Lozano); The Dark Lady (Music by Veronica Mansour, Book & Lyrics by Sophie Boyce); The Mountain Digby (Book & Lyrics by Cassie Ahiers, Anthony Lombard, John Lombard, Alex Kliner, Music by Brad Kemp); The Ramayan, A Trilogy of Concept Records (Book, Music & Lyrics by Manik Choksi); WIDOWS (Music & Lyrics by Kira Stone, Book by Matthew Greene). CONGRATS ALL! 

17 more exceptional projects have been carefully highlighted by the Festival Selection Committee, including Big Quarterly (Book, Music & Lyrics by S. Todd Townsend, Luke Mclemore & Kim Kilby); Borderline (Book by Aryanna Garber, Music & Lyrics by Benjamin Velez); The Bubble (Book, Music & Lyrics by Janine Mcguire & Arri Lawton Simon, Based Upon the Motion Picture The Bubble, Written by Eytan Fox And Gal Uchovsky, Directed by Eytan Fox); Dear Mr. C (Book, Music & Additional Lyrics by Tidtaya Sinutoke, Lyrics by Lily Ali-Oshatz & Naomi Matlow); Elysian Fields (Book by David Emerson Toney, Music by Christopher Youstra, Lyrics by David Emerson Toney & Christopher Youstra); FIRSTBORNS (Music & Lyrics by Matthew Lee Robinson, Book by Ken Cerniglia, Matthew Lee Robinson & Scott Morris); FUSONG (Book & Lyrics by Christine Toy Johnson, Music By Cecilia Lin, Based On “The Lost Daughter Of Happiness” by Geling Yan, Conceived & Directed by Gabriel Barre); GROW (Book by Matt Murray, Music by Colleen Dauncey, Lyrics by Akiva Romer Segal); Happy Pleasant Valley Senior Sex Scandal (Music, Book, & Lyrics by Min Kahng); In Pieces (Book, Music & Lyrics by Joey Contreras); The Last Party (Book & Lyrics by Steven Gallagher, Music & Additional Lyrics by Nicky Phillips); Maiden Voyage (Book & Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, Music by Carmel Dean); Olivia O, The Musical (Book by Diane Currie Sam & Jessica Carmona, Lyrics By Jessica Carmona, Additional Lyrics By Diane Currie Sam, Music by Gil Yaron, Additional Music by Angela Ortiz); The Real Kyle Mccarren (Music & Lyrics by Andy Roninson & Sean Mcverry, Book by Andy Roninson); Regretting Almost Everything (Music by Danny Ursetti, Book & Lyrics by Lauren Taslitz); this old haunt (Music & Lyrics & Co-Creator Maggie Kane, Music & Vocal Arrangements Dillon Feldman, Book & Co-Creator SMJ, Co-Creator Rebecca Wahls); The Unsolved & Forgotten Crimes Of Sullivan County (And Surrounding Municipalities) (Book, Music & Lyrics by Allison Light & Andrew Underberg). Keep an eye out for these exciting new musicals! 

THANK YOU to our Festival Committee, which is co-chaired by Matt Morrow of Center Repertory Company (CA) and Kathleen Wrinn of Syracuse University (NY) with Chair Emerita Sharon Fallon of Sharon Fallon Productions, Inc. (NY). The 2025 Festival Committee members include Elissa Adams, Theater Latté Da (MN); Michael Baxter, The Muny (MO);  Dev Bondarin, Prospect Musicals (NY); Fred Carl, NYU Tisch Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program (NY); Anika Chapin, Signature Theatre (VA); Maggie-Kate Coleman, Director, Dramaturg, Writer (NY); Sonia Desai, Center Theatre Group (CA); Rick Edinger, Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama (PA); Michael Fling, Goodspeed Musicals (CT); Pablo Hernandez Basulto, The Public Theater (NY); Branden Huldeen, Barrington Stage Company (MA); Adam Immerwahr, Village Theatre (WA); Kian Kline-Chilton, Diversionary Theatre (CA); Tom Morrissey, Theatre Now New York (NY); Alexander Tom, Montclair State University (NJ); Liz Ulmer, Sony Music Publishing (NY); Emily Wells, Human Race Theatre Company (OH); Neen Williams-Teramachi, Independent Producer (WA); Samantha Estrella (Alumni Emerging Artist Programs Representative, Fest ‘23); and EllaRose Chary (Alumni Writer Representative, Fest ’21).

We had a record-breaking number of Festival Screeners this year! THANK YOU to this incredible team of 85 NAMT Members, Alumni Artists and Guest Professionals who brought their insight, passion and care to every submission in the first round of our selection process. The Festival wouldn’t be what it is without you! Click here to meet the 2025 Festival Screening Committee.

We are still celebrating the winning student songwriters 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). With over 100 students submitting this year, we're thrilled to introduce the 2025 Finalists & Honorable Mentions, as well as the Challenge Feedback Team & Selection Committee. 

The Winning Student Songwriters and program participants for the 2025 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge.
Photo Credit: Addie Symonds

Meet the Finalists for the 2025 Songwriting Challenge for High School Students! The following students were selected as Finalists this year, with their original compositions showcasing remarkable talent in music, lyrics, style, tone & character: “52” (Music & Lyrics by Victoria Griffin); “Antigone’s Choice” (Music & Lyrics by Sheila Awasthi and Neil Awasthi); “Do I Know You?” (Music & Lyrics by Andreina Navon Branger);  “Everything I Ever Wanted” (Music & Lyrics by Scarlett Harper); “Golden Fields” (Music & Lyrics by Abigail Jimenez); “Greed” (Music & Lyrics by Jenna Zueno); “Here For You” (Music & Lyrics by Lila Johnson); “I Think You Should Know Something” (Music & Lyrics by Alex Sheinkin); “In Another World” (Music & Lyrics by Aiden Obando); “Kindness Isn’t Free” (Music & Lyrics by Peri Gordon); “Looking for the Light” (Music & Lyrics by Caelyn Osbern); “Michigan” (Music & Lyrics by Evieanna Fall); “More Than This” (Music & Lyrics by Eliana Rosner); “New Age” (Music & Lyrics by Carly Berndt); “Out of the Dark” (Music & Lyrics by Isabella Silva); “Picture-Perfect” (Music & Lyrics by Stefan Herrera & Anna Parker); “Statue” (Music & Lyrics by Charlie Mandigo).

The following students are recognized with Honorable Mentions for their growth and songwriting success in the areas of Music, Lyrics, Character, Tone or Style: “(I’ve Discovered) Empathy” Music & Lyrics by Damaris Benzar, Max Schwartz & Carter Poskozim “A Matter of Being Good” (Music & Lyrics by Isa Diaz); “Bestest Best Friends” (Music & Lyrics by Seamus Schwaba & Isobel Kunschek); “Destiny Decides” (Music & Lyrics by Elaine Xu); “Goodbye, My Old Friend” (Music & Lyrics by Jeffrey Gerald); “He’s Not to Blame” (Music & Lyrics by Bee Kanofsky & Emery Ware); “I Can’t Do This” (Music & Lyrics by Weston Powell); “I Need to Choose” (Music & Lyrics by Jacyana Santiago); “Twenty-Four Hours (I Wish Myself A Hero)” (Music & Lyrics by Jacob Teri); “Kill The Witch” (Music & Lyrics by Audrey Cymone); “Ladies and Gentlemen” (Music & Lyrics by Mia Canavan Shaefer); “Lights Out” (Music & Lyrics by James Pumphrey & Henry Fetsch); “Paranoia” (Music & Lyrics by Annabel Barra); “Tomorrow’s Me” (Music & Lyrics by Colin Albrecht); “Walkin’ Out That Door” (Music & Lyrics by Henry Glore).

THANK YOU to our 2025 Challenge Selection Committee of leaders in the musical theater field: Avi Amon, Larson Grant Winning Composer (NY); Geri Auriemma, The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation (WA); Caley Beretta, Disney Theatrical Group (NY); Jim Colleran, Concord Theatricals (NY); Dylan Glatthorn, NAMT Festival Alumni Writer and MTSC Music Supervisor (NY); Lauren Grajewski, Harper Collins Productions (NY); Timothy Huang, NAMT Festival Alumni Writer and MTSC Mentor (NY); Terrance Jackson, Asolo Repertory Theatre (FL); Susan Lee, Broadway Education Alliance (NY); Cathy Masie, Masie Productions (NY); Irvin Mason Jr., NAMT Festival Emerging Artists Alumni and Director (NY); Henry Platt, Warner Chappell Music (NY); Kalani Queypo, NAMT Festival Alumni Writer (CA); Anessa Marie Scolpini, MTSC Music Director (NY); Brad Willcuts, Michigan State University (MI); Jacob Yandura, NAMT Festival Alumni Writer (NY); Jean-Paul Yovanoff, Musical Theatre Radio (ON).

THANK YOU to the Challenge Feedback Team, who sent nearly 500 feedback letters to this years' Student Songwriters. They include Simone Allen, Music Director (NY); Brooke Boertzel, McCarter Theater (NJ); Xander Browne, Alumni Emerging Artist Programs Fest ‘24 (NY); Mikayla Coxe, Alumni Emerging Artist Programs Fest ‘24 (NY); Obed De La Cruz, Alumni Emerging Artist Programs Fest ‘22 (NY); Jess Ellison, The 5th Avenue Theatre (WA); Anthony Fedorov, Alumni Writer Fest ‘24 (CA); Bradford Forehand, Red Mountain Theatre Company (AL); Héctor Flores Jr., Theatre Barn Records (NY); Dylan Glatthorn, Alumni Writer Fest ‘22 (NY); Alisa Hauser, Florida State University (FL); Katie Holmes, Red Mountain Theatre Company (AL); Christian Jimenez, Alumni Emerging Artist Programs Fest ‘24 (NY); Amberlee Joers, The 5th Avenue Theatre (WA); Theo Karras, NAMT Line Producer (NY); Yvette Kojic, Asolo Rep (FL); Julia Sonya Koyfman, Alumni Emerging Artist Programs Fest ‘24 (NY); Will Lacker, Alumni Writer Fest ‘22 (NY); Kevin Long, Millikin University (IL); Dylan Marcaurele, Alumni Writer Fest ‘24 (NY); Karen Mason, Writer, Performer (NY); Shannon Morrison, Drama Club Productions (NY); Charlie Mueller, The Muny (MO); Matthew Nassida, Writer, Music Director (NY); Jennifer Paz, Alumni Writer Fest ‘24 (CA); Jesus Reyes, Center Theatre Group (CA); Morgan Rodgers, Maine State Musical Theatre (ME); Be Steadwell, Alumni Writer Fest ‘24 (VA); Chris Youstra, Olney Theater Center (MD).

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.