NAMT Announces Grants, Helping Five Theatres Develop New Musicals

By Kenneth Jones
26 Mar 2007

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) and its executive director Kathy Evans announced the grant recipients for the 2007 Producer-Writer Initiative (PWI).

The Producer-Writer Initiative is a program that awards five grants to NAMT member theatres, who apply on behalf of their organization and a musical theatre writing team with whom the members wish to work. The goal of the Producer-Writer Initiative is to build relationships between writers and producers working on the development of new musicals throughout the U.S. and to foster the development of new work.

Each theatre will receive funding for a writing team's residency, supporting housing and travel costs and an artist stipend for the writing team. Selected by lottery, the recipients are:

  • The Human Race Theatre Company (Ohio): Makeover by Kim Sherman & Darrah Cloud, funded by The Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Theater Foundation.

  • Lark Play Development Center (New York City): A Wonder in My Soul by Marcus Gardley & Scott Frankel, funded by NAMT's New Works Fund.

  • SpeakEasy Stage Company (Massachusetts): The Woman Upstairs by Kait Kerrigan & Brian Lowdermilk, funded by The ASCAP Foundation Irving Caesar Fund.

  • The Spirit of Broadway Theater (Connecticut): The Enchanted Cottage by Kim Oler, Alison Hubbard & Thomas Edward, funded by Jamie deRoy & friends.

  • Theatre Under the Stars (Texas): Bingo Long by by Michael Bobbitt & John L Cornelius II, funded by NAMT's New Works Fund.

    The residencies will take place between May 1, 2007, and April 30, 2008.

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    Founded in 1985 and based in New York City, The National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT), is the only national service organization dedicated exclusively to musical theatre. NAMT membership includes not-for-profit and commercial theatres, presenting houses, universities, and independent producers. Located throughout 33 states and six countries, the 144 member organizations share a commitment "to nurture the creation, production, and recognition of new musicals and classics." Last season, NAMT members cumulatively staged over 23,000 performances attended by over 17 million people and reached revenues of over $510 million.

    NAMT has presented its annual Festival of New Musicals since 1989. The Festival brings together leading theatre producers and writers, with the goal of furthering the development and production of new musicals.

    For more information, visit www.namt.org.