"The establishment of this program at The 5th is an investment in the future of the American Musical Theater," said the company's Producing Director Bill Berry in a statement. "Few people realize how much time and support is absolutely necessary. Many musicals are in development phases for years before they are ready to be performed in a workshop setting, let alone be performed on the main stage. Our goal is to support and cultivate that development from the earliest phases of writing through to full-fledged productions."
The New Works Program, led by Resident Music Supervisor Ian Eisendrath, will facilitate a variety of activities, such as writers' residencies and retreats, table readings and workshops and even fully-staged productions.
