The three-day festival of new work, which is open to the public, includes readings, seminars, discussion groups, cabarets and more, Jan. 14-16, 2011, on Goodspeed Musicals' campus in East Haddam, CT.

The weekend offers a chance to look at the process of musical-making. Goodspeed is the two-time Tony Award-winning resident theatre devoted to new and classic musicals.

The shows will draw their casts from the senior classes of the Hartt School of Music and the Boston Conservatory.

Productions from the three composing teams included in the Goodspeed Festival of New Artists, and the schedule of Special Events for Festival Package ticket holders, is below.

FRIDAY Room 16
Jan. 14, 2011, at 7:30 PM
Goodspeed Opera House
Book by Andrea Lepcio
Music by Stephen Sislen
Lyrics by Stephen Sislen and Ben H. Winters
Originally Developed by Stephen Sislen and Ben H. Winters
"Room 16 tells the story of the unlikely friendship between G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt, and the events leading to the Watergate break-in of June 1972. With a score spanning America popular musical styles from swing and big band to folk and early '70s rock, Room 16 is a fast-paced and darkly comedic look inside American political history."

Festival Cabaret
Jan. 14, 2011, at 10 PM
Gelston House
Showcasing new songs by new artists.

SATURDAY

Break-out Sessions
10 AM, 11 AM and 12:15 PM, Jan. 15, 2011
Gelston House
Choose from two breakout discussion sessions in each time slot.

"Famous Flops, Part II"
A continuation of last year’s most popular session, with musical historian John Pike.

"Back on Broadway: Why Annie? Why Now?"
Broadway general manager/producer Wendy Orshan discusses the upcoming revival from the producer's perspective.

Dreamgirls: From Stage to Screen and Back Again"
Dreamgirls composer Henry Krieger discusses his experience with Dreamgirls from its inception to the present day, among other things!

"How Do You? Create a New Character…"
Broadway vets John Bolton (Curtains) and Kate Wetherhead (Legally Blonde) discuss the challenges of originating roles in new musicals.

"How Do You? Invest In a New Musical…"
Broadway general manager/producer Alan Williams gives the inside story about the financial side of new musicals.

"How Do You? Create the Look..."
An accomplished Broadway set designer discusses creating the physical world of a new musical.

Musical Theatre Symposium
Jan. 15, 2011, at 4 PM
Goodspeed Opera House
Sponsored by the Noel Coward Foundation
 

Festival Dinner
Jan. 15. 2011, at 5:30 PM
Gelston House
A three-course meal with fellow festivalgoers.

Hello! My Baby
Jan. 15, 2011, at 7:30 PM
Goodspeed Opera House
Book and new lyrics by Cheri Steinkellner
New music and arrangements by Georgia Stitt
"From debutante balls to Delancey Street, Hello! My Baby puts a new-fashioned spin on the great American songbook musical, weaving the updated hits of Berlin, Gershwin, Kern, and a score of others into a timely and hilarious tale of first love, class-struggles, street-gangs, gender-swapping, and a whole lot of ukuleles."

Festival Cabaret
Jan. 15, 2011, at 10 PM
Gelston House
Featuring Brendan Milburn and Valerie Vigoda of GrooveLily. The composers of the musical Striking 12 (Off-Broadway 2006, Lucille Lortel nomination for Outstanding Musical) will perform songs from their hit shows.

SUNDAY

Nobody Loves You
Jan. 16, 2011, at 1 PM
Goodspeed Opera House
Music and lyrics by Gaby Alter
Book and lyrics by Itamar Moses
"A romantic comedy about the search for meaningful relationships in a culture dominated by the quest for popularity. When Jeff, a philosophy grad student, goes on a reality TV dating show to win back his ex, he instead finds a girl who might be the love of his life. But will she fall for him once he is seduced by the adulation of his fans?"

Meet the Writers Reception
Jan. 16, 2011, at 3:30 PM
Gelston House
Gain insight into the inspirations and processes of the writers. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres and cash bar.

Tickets ($15 each for one show, $10 each for students) are available at the Goodspeed Box Office or by calling (860) 873-8668 or online at www.goodspeed.org.

For both Festival Package and single ticket holders, tours of the historic Goodspeed Opera House will be offered throughout the weekend.

Lodging and dining information for Festival attendees as well as up-to-date information on the weekend's events may be found at goodspeed.org.

Created in 2002, Goodspeed's Showalter Center aims to inspire and nurture musical theatre artists and students "by providing a unique and comprehensive range of training and educational programs to serve both the national and local academic communities."

The Showalter Center's New Artists program "offers new and emerging artists the rare opportunity to thoroughly work on their projects with the help of Goodspeed's renowned resources and artistic environment, while affording senior students from The Hartt School real-world experience in new musical development and performing new musicals."

The Hartt School, founded in 1920 and one of three founding institutions of the University of Hartford (CT), is an internationally acclaimed conservatory with innovative programs in music, dance and theatre. This year, students from Boston Conservatory will also be participating in the New Artists program.

The New Artists program is being held throughout the Goodspeed campus Jan. 4-16, 2011.

According to Goodspeed, during the first week of the program, three teams of writers and composers will dedicate their time to further writing and composing their musicals in development. In the second week, senior students from The Hartt School and Boston Conservatory will join them for rehearsals and continued development of the material.

The New Artists program culminates with the staged readings in Goodspeed's Festival of New Artists.