Program areas at NAMT
NEW WORKS PROGRAMS Festival of New Musicals: Our most highly attended event, our annual Festival showcases presentations of eight new musicals before an industry-only audience with the experience and resources to move the work forward. Following a "hybrid" version of the Festival in 2021, the 34th Annual Festival of New Musicals was our first fully in-person Festival since 2019. 634 people attended. NAMT assumes the costs of producing and marketing the Festival, handles all administration and logistics and takes no royalty stake in future productions. Since 1989, the Festival has introduced musical theatre producers to almost 300 musicals and over 500 writers from around the world. More than 85% have gone on to subsequent readings, workshops, productions and tours; been licensed; and/or recorded on cast albums as a direct result of the Festival. The Festival also included a return of the Directing Observership Program, allowing Observers a chance to be a part of rehearsals, creative meetings, and writer Q&A's at the Fall Conference. Several directing Observers from 2022 have remained involved with the development of their Festival shows, or in close contact with shadowed directors, demonstrating the intended outcomes of the program. In addition to the eight featured shows, the Festival once again featured the Songwriters Showcase which gives four writing teams a chance to present their show-in-progress through song selections and a brief Q&A; and Midday Cabarets, an informal opportunity during the two lunch hours for four additional writing teams to share the range of their musical theatre work. Frank Young Fund for New Musicals (FYFNM): Over the past year, the Frank Young Fund has awarded 20 grants totaling $80,000 to NAMT member not-for-profit theatres. Since its inception in 2008, the Fund has awarded 221 grants totaling $805,500 to support a wide variety of new work at every stage of development, from writer residencies to full productions, selected each year by a panel of experienced musical theatre professionals. Innovation & Exploration Fund (I&EF): NAMT's Innovation & Exploration Fund is designed to help NAMT member theatres pilot new capacity-building programs to advance their missions. Areas of exploration may include (but are not limited to) technology, accessibility, audience development, education and artistic innovation and advancement. Grant recipients must report the results of their funded programs to the rest of the membership, helping others who may be considering similar innovations. This past year, nine I&EF grants were awarded totaling $20,000 to member not-for-profit theatres. Starting in FY24, the name of the I&EF will change to Impact & Exploration Fund.
MEMBERSHIP PROGRAMS Conferences: Both educational and inspiring, our national conferences are opportunities for member organizations to interact, collaborate and share ideas on the latest trends in musical theatre. The 2022 Fall Conference was held in New York, NY on October 18 & 19, 2022 and was entitled "New Works, New World". The Conference included panels on engaging audiences post-pandemic, new musical development, community engagement, equity/diversity/inclusion and more. The 2023 Spring Conference, entitled "Fundraising Today: Cultivating Community," was held in Chicago, IL on March 29-31, 2023. The Conference included panels on community-centric fundraising, what funders look for in the current landscape, as well as the return of breakout sessions allowing smaller, deeper conversations among members. Webinars: NAMT continues to offer a Knowledge Exchange webinar series about best practices in the industry, which builds on discussions from our conferences and provides a forum for staff at all levels of our member organizations to share resources and exchange information. All NAMT webinars are archived on our website for continued member access. NAMT News & Notes: NAMT News & Notes provides topical industry information to all members and Festival alumni writers. It is sent monthly via email. The Table Read: Previously known as New Works News, The Table Read is NAMT's New Works Newsletter which features interviews from alumni, members and the larger community and focuses on New Work production. It is sent monthly via email. Website: NAMT's website, www.namt.org, remains our primary communication tool with members, donors, writers, prospects, and the industry at large. It includes Festival information, updates on other NAMT programs, memberinformation and more. Some sections require a login and are limited to members or Festival alumni writers, including a detailed member directory, member production histories, a complete directory of Festival and Frank Young Fund for New Musicals shows and their writers and discount offers and other corporate partnerships. The website also includes our Set & Costume Registry, through which members can earn revenue by renting sets, costumes, props and orchestrations. Since 2019, we have expanded our web-based resources to include the New Musicals Map, an interactive tool that allows members and the public to keep abreast of new musical development happening all over the world; the Innovation & Exploration Guide, a compilation of case studies, videos and grant reports outlining valuable lessons and best practices from NAMT members and other experts; and EDI and Anti-Racism Resources shared among our members and other partners. The site also houses recordings of webinars and online town halls, and is a central hub for information, upcoming events, member benefits and all things NAMT. Research Services: NAMT conducts industry surveys on subjects such as salaries, benefits and royalties, and shares the findings with our members. ALUMNI & MEMBER EVENTS Writers' Roundtable: The Writers' Roundtable was held virtually on July 27, 2022 and was titled We're Back" - Shaping the Path Forward. NAMT alumni writers and producers from NAMT member organizations discussed topics like the ways our musicals are breaking new ground with audiences in a world that is quickly changing, learning to live with the effects of COVID on our New Works Processes, and how writers and producers together can embrace other media as musical theatre expands beyond the stage.