EXCLUSIVE: NAMT Names Directors for 2016 Festival of New Musicals

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre has announced the lineup of directors set for the 28th Annual Festival of New Musicals, taking place on October 27 and 28 at New World Stages. The festival will kick off on October 26 with its concert The 46th Minute, which features songs from festival shows you will not get to hear in the 45-minute presentations.

The directors set to participate in the festival include Jack Cummings III (Once Upon a Mattress), directing Benny & Joon; Marcia Milgrom Dodge (Ragtime), directing Soho Cinders; Christian Barillas (Modern Family), directing Joe Schmoe Saves the World; Michael Perlman (Noises Off), directing Mortality Play; Griffin Matthews (Invisible Thread), directing Lempicka; Portia Krieger (Eager to Lose), directing The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown; Michael Berresse ([title of show]), directing The Loneliest Girl in the World; and Kareem Fahmy (This Time), directing We Live in Cairo.

Now in its 28th year, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's Festival of New Musicals attracts theater producers from around the world for this industry-only event to discover eight new musicals presented in 45-minute concert presentations over two days. All production costs are underwritten by NAMT at no cost to the writing teams. As a nonprofit organization, NAMT funds the Festival entirely through donations, sponsorships, and contributions.

Registration for industry members is free and now open at www.namt.org/festival. The public can also receive passes to the festival through a donation to NAMT. A day-of stand-by line for the general public for free admission is based on availability.