As we cozy up for the winter season, we’re thrilled to present our special End-of-Year edition of The Table Read. This month, we’ve wrapped up our favorite projects of the year into a delightful "Winter Wish-List" — your perfect companion for the upcoming season. Whether you’re looking to discover fresh talent, explore new musicals or dive into behind-the-scenes stories, we’ve got you covered with a mix of heart, humor and, of course, musical theatre magic! Check out more below about the NAMT Network to watch, listen and read over your winter break! 

A hub for everything below and more, NAMT Staff are excited to announce 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.

Missed an issue of The Table Read? Catch up on the latest professional development resources and stories from NAMT's vibrant community. This year's highlights include "How Writers Fight Forward" by Nikki Lynette (Fest '22) and "For the Early Careers: An Observer’s Overture with Irvin Mason Jr."

Click here for all editions of The Table Read. 

The committee for the annual Festival of New Musicals has the challenging task of selecting only eight musicals for the Festival. However, there are a number of other submissions they feel should be shared with you. Check out some of the superstar shows from the selection process that you might not have seen on stage in October. 

Discover and follow new musicals in development worldwide! From early-stage readings to full productions, explore what’s new and happening in musical theatre. NAMT Members can also add their projects as well, tracking the development of a musical all around the globe. 

Take a front-row seat to witness the remarkable talent of the 2024 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge for High School Students. These young creatives are ready to take on Broadway—one song at a time! NAMT has been excited and honored to partner with the National Endowment for the Arts on the Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge for High School Students. This unique opportunity gives high schoolers across the United States the chance to submit, workshop, revise and re-submit original musical theatre compositions.

Craft the perfect song with insights from NAMT Festival & Grantee Alumni. The ultimate playlist of songwriting tips is a must-watch for creators and dreamers alike. Also, Songwriting 101 & 201 take students behind the songwriting process with exercises from the experts. 

New@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre Writers is a bite-sized series dedicated to spotlighting the emerging voices in musical theatre. Hosted by Jean-Paul Yovanoff in partnership with Musical Theatre Radio and a rotating cast of NAMT alumni writers, each 20- to 30-minute episode features quick interviews providing a unique glimpse into the creative minds behind the next big musicals. Whether you’re a producer, theatre lover or even simply curious about the future of musical theatre, NEW@NAMT offers a front-row seat to a new generation of writers.

The Muse Podcast (2020) gives you a front-row seat to groundbreaking new musicals in development. This podcast spotlighted a wide range of musicals, bringing the stories, songs and characters to life with the help of the shows’ writers. Muse was a behind-the-scenes showcase of some of musical theatre’s most compelling and daring new voices, featuring in-studio performances of original songs, table reads and interviews. Muse was produced by the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) and One Foot Productions, and hosted by Ciera Iveson and Kevin Merritt.

Don't miss Season 2 of New@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre Writers. This time, we'll check in with the winning songwriters of the 2024 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge for High School Students as they take us behind the scenes for what it was like to write and rewrite their winning submission and travel to New York City to hear it performed live by professionals for the first time! Hosted by Jean-Paul Yovanoff in partnership with Musical Theatre Radio and this year's Songwriting Challenge Program Mentor Artists, Season 2 will also feature exclusive insights from industry professionals who helped shape these young writers' journeys. Get ready for heartfelt interviews, behind-the-scenes stories, and a firsthand look at how the next generation of musical theatre creators are making their mark. Tune in to follow their creative process, hear their winning songs and celebrate the future of musical theatre! Don’t miss it—find it on musicaltheatreradio.com at 7pm ET on Mondays beginning January 13th and streaming soon on all major podcast platforms and at namt.org.

Discover the future of musical theatre with NAMT+ and Elevate, two dynamic playlists from the National Alliance for Musical Theatre. NAMT+ features a rotating selection of new and innovative works by NAMT Festival Alumni and Grantee Writers, while Elevate spotlights femme voices leading the way in the industry. Both playlists are regularly updated, offering fresh music that showcases the next wave of musical talent.

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.