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Lynn Ahrens, Hinton Battle, Norbert Leo Butz , Michael Korie, Audra McDonald, Michael Mayer, Susan Stroman, and Elizabeth Williams will comprise the Grand Jury for this year's Next Link Project, the writer-service program whose 18 selections will comprise more than half of the musicals at the fifth annual New York Musical Theatre Festival, September 15-October 5.

"I'm completely honored -- and grateful -- that such respected pros are contributing their time to help us select this year's shows," said NYMF executive producer Isaac Robert Hurwitz. "Not only is this an astonishingly accomplished jury, but they also represent a broad spectrum of sensibilities and styles that is truly reflective of contemporary musical theater's vibrancy and diversity, something that we at NYMF are perpetually striving to highlight and to celebrate."

NYMF has been accepting submissions for the Next Link Project since January 1, and submissions will be accepted through March 1. Now in its fifth year, NYMF exists to provide a launching pad for emerging musical theater writers, composers, lyricists and performers, and to bring a new generation of work to new and diverse audiences. Each year, more than half of the festival's selections come from the open-submission Next Link Project.

To learn more about The Next Link Project, visit www.nymf.org.