National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMTS) first virtual festival will make its annual showcase of new musicals available to UK audiences for the first time via streaming platform www.stream.theatre.
The Festival has been the starting point for over 268 musicals, including Broadway hits like Come From Away and The Drowsy Chaperone.
A committee of 20 theatre professionals chose eight musicals from 349 submissions for the festival. The festival presents eight musicals before an audience to connect producers with writers to help shows continue on a path to development. This year’s presentations are overseen by NAMT New Works Director Ciera Iveson and Festival General Manager Dailey-Monda Management.
“Celebrating new work and emerging voices feels even more significant and vital this year,” said NAMT executive director Betsy King Militello in a statement. “With a record-breaking year of submissions, we know there are countless stories to be told, reflecting a tremendous breadth of perspectives, ideas, and experiences. We are thrilled to share a reimagined festival digitally—we are shaping our fall events to be a place for the field to gather and experience new musicals in ways we never have before. We look forward to welcoming the industry to our full digital festival programming, and the general public to our online festival stream.”
The 8 new musicals are being showcased across two performances on www.stream.theatre
NAMT 32nd Annual Festival of New Musicals PART 1: Thursday 19th November 19:30
NAMT 32nd Annual Festival of New Musicals PART 2: Friday 20th November 19:30
Both events are then available on demand until November 29th 2020.
Tickets cost £15 plus transaction fee. For tickets, to stream and for more information visit stream.theatre.
The line up features:
Co-Founders, with book and lyrics by Beau Lewis, Adesha Adefela, and Ryan Nicole and music by Jodie Ellis, Brian Watters, and Budo. Two unlikely partners, a Black woman from Oakland and a small-town college dropout, take on the most competitive startup accelerator in Silicon Valley.
Cowboy Bob, co-created by Molly Beach Murphy, Jeanna Phillips, and Annie Tippe, with music and lyrics by Phillips, book and additional lyrics by Murphy, music direction and additional music by Alex Thrailkill, and Tippe directing. In this tuner, the small-town legend of a Texas bank robber spurs a waitress to take life by the reins.
The Consoling Mechanism, with book, music, and lyrics by Josh Franklin and music direction by Meg Zervoulis, follows a family struggling to recover from unexpected loss in a world increasingly intertwined with artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
Eastbound, with book and music by Cheeyang Ng, book and lyrics by Khiyon Hursey, and music direction by Nate Hopkins. Desdemona Chiang will direct this bilingual musical about two brothers from opposite sides of the world and their quest for survival.
Hart Island, with book and lyrics by Michelle Elliott, music and lyrics Danny Haengil Larsen, and music direction by Jason Yarcho, about an immigrant woman fighting for her child and the inmate who is the only person who can help her.
Lizard Boy, with book, music, and lyrics by Justin Huertas, is about a Trevor, who grew green lizard skin after a childhood accident, and the journey that makes Trevor decide if he’ll become the hero of his own story. Brandon Ivie will direct.
Obeah Opera, with book, music, and lyrics by Nicole Brooks. This a cappella opera featuring an all-female cast tells the story of the Salem witch trials from the perspective of a Caribbean slave woman.
On This Side of the World, with music and lyrics by Paulo K Tiról and music direction by Steven Cuevas. Developed and directed by Noam Shapiro, the musical gives voice to Filipino immigrants navigating new lives.
