Mission: The mission of The Festival of New American Musicals is to celebrate the renaissance of American Musical Theater throughout Southern California?s many diverse cities and communities by producing a comprehensive festival of new American musicals during the Spring and Summer of 2008 -- and subsequent festivals in 2009 and 2010.
The Festival of New American Musicals will bring new American musicals back into the mainstream through supportive collaborations with theaters, concert halls, schools, and universities that produce their own musical theater work and participate in a countywide celebration of a beloved American art form.
We want to identify Southern California as a capitol for the resurgence of new American Musical Theater.
The Festival of New American Musicals was established by a group of committed volunteer performance art professionals and veterans dedicated to the idea that there is a wealth of new musical theater talent in America. A team of "creative partners," including theaters, concert halls, schools, and universities have agreed to produce their own musical theater work to participate in the city-wide festival showcasing the work of this new generation of creators. The festival will include a variety of events, from full theater productions, to readings, workshops, concerts, seminars and master classes. The festival will also offer an opportunity for multi-cultural local talent to stage new works for an ethnically, culturally, and geographically diverse audience. The requested funds will support the Festival's 2005 4th Quarter Planning Process including creating informational presentations packages, gathering and convening the creative partners, creating the selection criteria, conducting the selection process, finalizing the festival plan, marketing, webdesign, and a portion of support staff salaries.
I am a big musical theater geek and my friend told me about this amazing group. I emailed them asking for volunteer work and they asked me to help at an event they had with Darren Criss! OMG- I got to meet Darren, watch him perform and help them out all at once. They are amazing and dedicated to musical theater in LA and helping students get ahead in musical theater.
I am the parent of two sons now in college (both theatre majors). Over the past few years we have followed this organization and attended several events (including a few workshops). In every case, I was very impressed with the professionalism and care given to the participants and the audience. Most recently we attended the finals in Los Angeles for the 10 minute musicals by high school and college aged students. What a fabulous opportunity for young artists to see their work realized!
I have only good things to say about this organization and dearly hope to see it prosper so that more young people will have opportunities and will continue to bring to this marvelous art form to the American culture.
C Jay C.
Professional with expertise in this field
10/08/2013
Rating: 5
10/08/2013
This organization does really great work! One of their very best programs provides opportunities for high school and college students who are interested in composing musicals. While there are lots of training programs for performing in musical theater, programs for composing musicals are very rare and badly needed.
This organization is unique in its efforts to promote and support the musical arts and young musician's. They do it with great care and affection and their organization is run efficiently with a minimum of overhead. Good job!
Loverofmusicals
Professional with expertise in this field
10/08/2013
Rating: 5
10/08/2013
I don't think anyone is doing what this Organization is doing. Showcasing new musicals around LA- supporting students in advances in musical theater- offering opportunities to write and perform. Amazing group of people with a passion for this unique art form. I applaud them.
rothmanclaire2
Professional with expertise in this field
10/08/2013
Rating: 5
10/08/2013
I find Festival of New American Musical Theater Foundation. innovative, exciting and filling my needs for theater. New work is featured giving me an opportunity to see and hear before it goes forward, hopefully to become hits. A great public service for the arts. It encourages youth to enter their work for a chance to be performed. Not to be missed.
They are doing a fantastic job of supporting and promoting this wonderful art form, creating opportunities for young people and new artists to contribute to the field and develop new work. Musical theater is my high school age daughter's passion, and I appreciate what they are doing to keep musical theater alive and vital!
FNAM provided a platform and exposure for my new children's musical, as well as a practical deadline for production, which is exceedingly valuable for an artist with a new work. What had previously been a labor of love in a slow tinkering cycle became a show in need of immediate completion, which was subsequently delivered to audiences under FNAM's banner. The show went on to several Fringe productions and was recently signed with a well-known theatrical publisher, embodying our highest hopes for the piece. Though the responsibility of producing and revising (and re-revising!) the show lay with my co-writer and myself, FNAM provided a framework and immediate timeframe for these efforts; they were the proverbial push that got the ball rolling, and the ramp as well. The organizers are enthusiastic, kind, and sincere in their love of theater; their organization an invaluable resource for the aspiring or up-and-coming show writer.
Unbelievable group that is single handedly coordinating the resurgence of musical theater through Los Angeles by a festival that runs from May-July and also a huge educational component working with grade schools, high schools and colleges as well as ASCAP, Stephen Schwartz and many others.
