Theater News

Works by Kirshenbaum, Lippa, Norman, et al. Chosen for 17th Annual NAMT Festival

Andrew Lippa
Andrew Lippa

Musicals written by Pulitzer Prize winner Marsha Norman, Andrew Lippa, Brian Crawley, David Kirshenbaum, and Lee Summers are among the selections for the National Alliance of Musical Theater’s 17th Annual Festival of New Musicals, which will take place September 25-26 at Dodger Stages. The NAMT Festival is an invitation-only event.

In addition to 45-minute presentations of the eight selected musicals, the festival includes the annual Songwriter’s Showcase, which features the work of other emerging musical theater writers. That event will be hosted by Rachel Sheinkin, this year’s Tony Award winner for Best Book of a Musical for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Past NAMT Festival highlights have included presentations of Thoroughly Modern Millie, Princesses, Songs for a New World, and The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin. Three previous festival selections will be receiving commercial productions this fall: The Drowsy Chaperone (Ahmanson Theatre, November 2005); The Girl in the Frame (Goodspeed Musicals, November 2005); and Winesburg, OH (The Arden Theatre Company, October 2005). This year’s NAMT selections are as follows:

Ace
Book and lyrics by Robert Taylor and Richard Oberacker; music by Richard Oberacker

Caraboo, Princess of Javasu
Book by Marsha Norman, lyrics by Beth Blatt, music by Jenny Giering

The Funkentine Rapture

Book by Lee Summers and Ben Blake; music and lyrics by Lee Summers

I Love You Because
Book and lyrics by Ryan Cunningham, music by Joshua Salzman

A Little Princess
Book and lyrics by Brian Crawley, music by Andrew Lippa

Meet John Doe
Book by Andrew Gerle and Eddie Sugarman, lyrics by Eddie Sugarman, music by Andrew Gerle

Party Come Here
Book by Daniel Goldfarb, music and lyrics by David Kirshenbaum

River’s End
Book and lyrics by Cheri Coons, music by Chuck Larkin