Online Town Hall: NAMT Festival Announcement 2026

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre (Betsy King Militello, Executive Director) has revealed the roster of new musicals for their 38th Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS, which is slated to take place on Thursday, October 22 and Friday, October 23, 2026, at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). Betsy King Militello, Executive Director of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, stated, "The Festival of New Musicals has always been about discovering what's next, and this year's cohort will provide a remarkable glimpse of where musical theatre is headed. These eight shows explore an extraordinary range of stories, sounds and theatrical forms while sharing a fearless commitment to creativity and craft. We're thrilled to welcome these writers into the NAMT community and to introduce their work to the producers, presenters and industry leaders who gather at the Festival each fall. With more than 1,000 attendees expected this October, the excitement around new musicals continues to grow, proving there's never been a more vital time to invest in the future of our field." Registration for industry members is now open at www.namt.org/festival. All industry members must select a professional affiliation (e.g. NAMT, the Broadway League, TCG, many more) to register. Industry members may upgrade their Festival passes for priority admission and access to supplemental events, including the Festival Closing Night Party, through a donation to NAMT. Free passes are also available to industry members and the general public to provide seating at Festival presentations on a first come, first served basis as available after all other passholders have entered. Now in its 38th year, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS is an industry-only professional development event offering the chance to discover eight new musicals presented in 45-minute concert presentations over two days to hundreds of producers, presenters, artistic & executive directors, investors, donors, developers and creative administrators in Regional Theatre, Broadway, Music, Film & TV from all around the globe. As a non-profit organization, NAMT funds the Festival entirely through donations, sponsorships and contributions which underwrite all production costs. The FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS, which was created to celebrate the new musicals that were being produced and presented around the country, has introduced musical theatre producers to more than 300 musicals and 600 writers from around the world. Over 90% have gone on to subsequent readings, workshops, productions and tours; been licensed; and/or recorded on cast albums as a direct result of the Festival. Past Festival shows include Come From Away, Lempicka, The Drowsy Chaperone, Lizard Boy, Teeth, WANTED, King of Pangea, Benny & Joon, Darling Grenadine, Ordinary Days, It Shoulda Been You and Thoroughly Modern Millie, among many others. This year, a committee of 21 theatre professionals selected eight new musicals out of 518 submissions. The musicals chosen for 38th ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS are: Black Girl in Paris (Book & Lyrics by AriDy Nox, Music by Jacinth Greywoode); BLUDLINE: A Hip-Hop Odyssey (Book, Music & Lyrics by Fermin Suero, Jr. and Pete White); The (Disaster) Marathon of 1904 (Book by Tyler Joseph Ellis, Music & Lyrics by Jacob Ryan Smith & Dan Mertzlufft); Fouad of Nazareth (Book, Music & Lyrics by Fouad Dakwar); How to Play the Cello (Until You Don’t) (Book, Music & Lyrics by Benjamin Emory Larson); Love of a Lifetime (Book, Music & Lyrics by Lara Filip); The Ramayan (Book, Music & Lyrics by Manik Choksi); Sunwatcher (Book & Lyrics by Isabella Dawis, Music by Tidtaya Sinutoke, Additional Music by Isabella Dawis).