The 22nd annual festival, which allows theatre writers the chance to have excerpts of their works showcased before an audience of theatre professionals, will run Oct. 21-22.

Clark, a Tony winner for The Light in the Piazza, will direct The Trouble with Doug, authored by Will Aronson and Daniel Maté. Xanadu and Memphis director Ashley is slated to direct Heartbreakers by Robert Cary, Benjamin Feldman and David Gursky. Eric Stern will musical direct.

Also announced are Peter Flynn, who will direct the Georgia Stitt-John Jiler musical Big Read Sun; Dominic Missimi will stage The Bowery Boys by David H. Bell, Jeremy Cohen and Aaron Thielen, with music direction by Brad Haak.

The Giver, penned by Nathan Christensen and Scott Murphy, will be directed by Pam Berlin, with Vadim Feichtner as music director; Victoria Bussert will helm Steven Cheslik-deMeyer, Tim Maner and Alan Stevens Hewitt's Lizzie Borden with musical direction by Matt Hinkley.

Sharon Rosen will direct Play It Cool by Martin Casella, Larry Dean Harris, Phillip Swann and Mark Winkler, with music direction by Joe Baker; and Daniella Topol and Jerry Dixon will co-direct Scott Ethier and Jeff Hughes' Red Clay.

Founded in 1985 and based in New York City, The National Alliance for Musical Theatre is a national service organization dedicated exclusively to musical theatre. Kathy Evans is the executive director for the organization.

For more information visit NAMT.