Works We’re Watching
In 2022, The National Foundation for Musical Theatre had the honor of being a Producing Sponsor of the 34th Annual Festival of New Musicals at New World Stages in New York City. Presented by the National Alliance of Musical Theatres, the Festival has introduced the world to hundreds of new musicals over the last three decades. Here’s who we are watching from this year’s Festival. We hope you will support these works.
Baked! The Musical
When she doesn’t receive the scholarship that would send her to her dream school, Jane Huang, with her best friend and the class degenerate, secretly builds a Chinese bakery cannabis edible empire. Baked! The Musical is a reflection on failure, self-worth, and what we owe the people we love.
Blackout
On August 14th, 2003, Toronto was plunged into chaos when the largest blackout in North American history left millions stranded in the dark. Inspired by real events, Blackout tells three stories of hope, resilience, and connection that unfold when the city is dark, and strangers band together to find the light.
The Female Pope
The Female Pope is a highly disputed story about a woman in the 9th century who rose to the papacy. A young girl’s father – desperate to keep her safe – disguises her as a boy, with the promise of an education. This unlocks a passion for learning that propels her to the most powerful position in the world. A stunning achievement that threatens the very existence of the Catholic Church itself.
Get Out Alive
Nikki Lynette’s new autobiographical afrogoth musical raises mental health awareness through the lens of an underground concert. With music that is equal parts punk, hip hop, alternative rock, and pop, Nikki’s true story shows that when life leads us to a bad place, we can always make it out alive.
King of Pangaea
After a sudden loss shatters his world apart, twenty-one year old Christopher Crow travels back to the imaginary island of his childhood in hopes of finding answers that will bring the pieces back together. King of Pangaea explores the rich, complicated, and at times beautiful world of loss, examining what it means to become king or queen of one’s own heart.
The Pelican
In the not-too-distant future, The Pelican Bar is almost all that remains of a Florida coastal town devastated by climate change. When a new category of hurricane approaches, the few offbeat residents that remain must make a choice: exchange thier freedom for safety in a nearby Corporate City or risk the storm to keep their town alive. Brimming with raucous melodies and deep grooves, humor and heartbreak, The Pelican is a musical that shines with the colorful chaos of Florida.
Perpetual Sunshine & The Ghost Girls
Featuring an all-women+ cast and an original through-composed 1920-2020s mashup score, Richard Rodgers Award-winning musical Perpetual Sunshine & the Ghost Girls tells the true story of the capitalist exploitation and knowing radium poisoning of workers by the U.S. Radium Corporation—and the women who fought back.
Pup! A Chew Story
Is finding a forever home at the heart of every dog? Or are they meant for greater things? The strength of friendship is put to the ultimate test when two inseparable companions — a tri-pawed pit bull and his chew toy — embark on a quest for a forever home in Hollywood.