Productions Showcasing School of Theatre Alums Chosen for New York Music Theatre Festival

The New York Music Theatre Festival (NYMF) announced its 2010 Next Link Musical Selections. The Next Link Project is NYMF's primary writer service program focused on nurturing emerging musical theatre writing teams by providing the training and relationships needed to mobilize their musicals from readings to fully-realized productions. Ten of the Twelve full production slots are reserved for Next Link Project Musicals and include The Tenth Floor and POPart the Musical, productions that showcase the talents of four School of Theatre alums.

According to NYMF Executive Director Isaac Hurwitz, "We are very excited about The Next Link selections in this year's Festival. The Next Link Project really goes along with NYMF's mission of nurturing and giving a platform to writers, directors, producers and actors. We are thrilled that yet again, The Next Link Project will help new musicals to partner with producers and give these artists a safe environment in which to develop their shows." The exposure participants in The Next Link Project receive at the Festival helps them advance their careers. The New York Musical Theatre Festival has premiered more than 200 new musicals since its beginnings in 2004. Of these, 60 have gone on to award-winning productions in New York, in regional theaters and in almost every state and in 12 countries worldwide. Click here to learn more about the exposure and opportunities NYMF offers new shows.

The Tenth Floor features music and lyrics by FSU alum Joe Sebastian Fabal (BA Theatre, 2007). The musical's back drop is the 10th floor or juvenile division of a Miami-Dade Correctional Facility where 16 year old Victor Alvarez struggles to come to terms with both his past and present. The Tenth Floor began life as a thesis project for Fabal and his collaborator, book writer Sara Cooper. They've been writing and revising the show for the past two years before deciding to submit it to the NYMF. "What we ultimately want is another production," says Fabal, "to find a home for this show." The show's producer and general manager is Gretchen Margaroli (MFA Theatre Management, 2007), and the marketing director is another School of Theatre alum, Caleb Custer (MFA Theatre Management, 2008). To learn more about The Tenth Floor, please visit the production's website.

POPart the Musical, is about an 18 year old outcast, Kitty Katz, who enters a Ghetto Art School and struggles to discover if she has the bravado to be a true artist and ultimately find fame. The show is directed by Chad Larabee (MFA Directing, 2006) and Gretchen Margaroli is the general manager. To learn more about POPart the Musical, please visit the production's website.

For a complete list of the 2010 Next Link Project Musicals and to learn more about the Next Link Project, click here.