"After reviewing almost 400 scripts — nearly double last year's submissions — the NYMF selection committee has chosen a fresh, diverse collection of new musicals to be presented," according to the May 24 announcement.
The Next Link works are production-ready scripts that will receive full stagings for a handful of performances in repertory in the hope that NYMF is "the next link" to a wider regional or commercial life.
Some of the projects may already have commercial producers attached. NYMF does not produce or fund the shows; that burden is on the creators or their producers.
In 2005, the second year of the festival, NYMF will also boast "more than 100 invited shows, concerts, and other special events still to be announced."
This year's Next Link jury included Rob Ashford (Tony winning choreographer for Thoroughly Modern Millie), Thomas Cott (former artistic director of Musical Theater Works), Joanna Gleason (Tony-winning actress of Into the Woods), Kevin McCollum (producer of Avenue Q and Rent), Susan H. Schulman (director of Broadway's Little Women, The Secret Garden) and Jack Viertel (Jujamcyn Theaters' creative director, and the artistic director of Encores!). NYMF's 2005 Next Link Project selections include:
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Altar Boyz, Stephen Schwartz's Captain Louie, Title of Show, SHOUT! and The Great American Trailer Park Musical went on to commercial productions (or are currently in the pre-production for runs) following exposure in the 2004 NYMF.
