The Songwriters Showcase, an "informal introduction to new musicals currently in development", will feature The Hunter and The Bear, the story of father who ventures into the woods daily in search of the monster who devoured his son (created by PigPen Theatre Co.); Mortality Play, the story of a 16-year-old trying to justify his desire to make music during a time of the plague (by Scotty Arnold and Alana Jacoby); Theory of Relativity, a song-cycle which tells the stories of millennials trying to find their place in the cosmos (by Neil Bartram and Brian Hill); and Zombies on Broadway, about a zombie apocalypse during which everyone--except the zombies--sing and dance (written by Marshall Pailet and Jason Michael Snow).
The Songwriter's Cabaret, which "gives songwriters the opportunity to highlight selections from their recent and in-progress shows," will feature selections by Brian Lowdermilk and Kait Kerrigan (The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown, Party Worth Crashing), Kim Sherman and Darrah Cloud (Heartland, Makeover), Douglas J. Cohen(Barnstormer, Glimmerglass, The Gig), and Ty Defoe and Tidtaya Sinutoke (Clouds Are Pillow for the Moon, In the Cards).
These two special programs will join the previously announced mainstage line-up, which includes Costs of Living (book, music, and lyrics by Timothy Huang), Imagine Harry (music and lyrics by Will Van Dyke, book and lyrics by Jeff Talbott), The Last Queen of Canaan (book by Harrison David Rivers, lyrics by Rebekah Greer Melocik, music by Jacob Yandura), Legendale(music by Andrea Daly, book & lyrics by Jeff Bienstock, story by Bienstock & Daly) lift (book and lyrics by Daryl Lisa Fazio, music by Aaron McAllister) Noir (music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik, book and lyrics by Kyle Jarrow) On the Eve (story by Michael Federico, Shawn Magill and Seth Magill, music and lyrics by Shawn Magill and Seth Magill, book by Michael Federico) and Othello: The Remix (by The Q Brothers).
In a statement, NAMT said,"NAMT's Festival of New Musicals is the cornerstone of NAMT's mission to nurture the creation, development and production of new musicals. The Festival presents eight musicals in 45-minute presentations before an audience of over 600 industry professionals. In the short run, the Festival's goal is to connect producers with writers, so that their shows can continue their development trajectory. The long-term goal is to expand the musical theatre repertoire, bringing new musical theatre to thousands of audience members around the world."
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