HIGHLIGHTS

ANMT's Online Auction is open!

SEARCH deadline: December 15

What are you doing the Saturday before Christmas?

LIVE STREAMCASTING AT ANMT!

Perpetual Surrey Holiday Concert

New ANMT musicals in Orange County

ANMT LAUNCHES 2009/10 CONCERT READING SERIES

Winner of the 2009 Search

A final non-invitation

ANMT's Busy Development Season

New Staff Member Andrea Press

Welcome to our new ARC member

ANMT...producer!

PERFORMERS' WORKSHOP SHOWCASE

The Academy welcomes new writers

ANMT's Busy Development Season

The 2009/10 season is packed with new musicals being developed specifically for producing companies.

We are working with such producers as American Folklore Theatre in Wisconsin, the Lyric Theatre in Hollywood, the Victory Theatre in North Hollywood, and the Department of Drama at the University of California at Irvine.

We currently have more than a dozen shows in active development, including: Ghosts by Kincaid Jones, Brian Woodbury, and Noelle Donfeld; Windjammers by Robin Share and Clay Zambo; Got Milk? by Hillary Rollins, Bill Johnson, and Kellen Blair; e-$cape: a cybermusical by Scott Guy and Nick DeGregorio; Aging Out by Tara Redepenning, Hillary Rollins, and Darin Goulet; A Dog's Tale by Carla Porter, Brian Leader, and Brad Beaver; A Black & White Christmas by Chana Wise and Carl Johnson; Powder Puff Pilots by Marian Partee, Cindy O'Connor, and Noelle Donfeld; The Big Circus by Charmaine Spencer, Beverly Crain, and Aaron Colemen; and A Midsummersausage Night's Dream by Joanne Koch, Bill Johnson, and Larry Todd Johnson.

All of these new musicals began as paragraph-sized ideas which were approved by the producers, and then moved on to fifteen minutes worth of material presented for the producer to green light. Shows with green lights move on to first draft, and receive a public reading at the producer's theatre.

How can you get ANMT and ARC to help develop a new musical specifically for your theatre and your audience? Just give us a call, and let's talk!

Eli Simon from UC/Irvine listens to pitches for the new season

New Staff Member Andrea Press

Andrea Press

Our staff is expanding again! Through a generous pair of grants from the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and Los Angeles' Department of Cultural Affairs, we have been able to hire a new part-time employee. We welcome producer and marketing director Andrea Press to our staff. She'll be concentrating mainly on our various marketing campaigns, but will also produce an event or two for us, especially in the spring.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for me," says Andrea, "I get to put my marketing skills to work in a very creative way, working for one of the most interesting companies in all of Los Angeles. For a number of years now I've been watching the amazing growth at ANMT, and now to be on the staff is really a thrill. I look forward to work every single Monday!"

Andrea is a founding member of ARC, she has been actively involved with ANMT's development process as a performer, director and producer. LA/Regional credits include: Welcome to the Stork Club (Texas Guinan), Cabaret (Fraulein Kost) and The Sound of Music (Sister Margaretta). She was a featured soloist at the Gold River Casino in Laughlin, Nevada and has appeared locally in various cabaret venues.

Andrea is made possible by a pair of grants from LA County and LA City

Welcome to our new ARC member

The Academy Repertory Company is proud to announce our newest member: Sari Rose Poll.

Sari has performed in NY Theatre: Fallen Angel, The Wild Party, Forty (OFF-BWAY). Other credits: Annie Get Your Gun (Annie) The Pajama Game (Babe). TV/Film: ED (NBC), The Awkward Stage, and a cabaret for BRAVO TV. Sari is dedicated to bringing expression through the arts to youth in at-risk communities. She currently serves as Reprise Theatre Company's Education Manager, MTW's Education/Outreach Coordinator, continues as Program Coordinator and Teaching Artist for The Johnny Mercer Foundation, and teaches acting at The Laguna Playhouse. She co-created and Associate Directed Free Style for ASCAP and Reprise at the Ford Amphitheatre. BFA in Drama from NYU/Tisch, Groundlings, and currently working towards a certificate in Drama Therapy. A proud member of AEA & SAG. www.sarirosepoll.com

"I couldn't think of a better way to spend my Monday nights--great people, great writing, great new musicals!", says Sari. "I'm grateful to be part of the family and to be part of the process for developing new musicals."

The Academy Repertory Company (ARC) is an elite group of sight-singing, cold-reading performers who meet every Monday evening to take part in the development of new musicals, and who also produce ANMT's annual Concert Reading Series at the Colony Theatre. For more info about ARC, CLICK HERE

New ARC Member Sari Rose Poll

ANMT...producer!

The cast at age 40 ... looking back to ...

During July and August, the Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood was home to the mostly sold-out run of ANMT's first production - the new musical 40 is the New 15, with book and lyrics by Larry Todd Johnson, and music by Cindy O'Connor.

The production has been nominated for an ADA(Artistic Director Award) by the Valley Theatre League, and is under consideration by the GLAAD committee.

Backstage Magazine called the show "sweetly entertaining", and noted that "Director Michele Spears' no-frills rendition highlights the characters, music, and narrative. Wolcott is particularly engaging, starting with a Sally Field exuberance, then smoothly moving toward a richer characterization as Sarah's dreams fade, depicted in a lovely ballad, Higher. Macofsky sings superbly and hits humorous and poignant notes as a brash but likeable fellow. Martin deftly explores a wide range of emotions in Better Left Unsaid and I Love My Wife. Noonchester and Coleman do solid work, each enjoying standout moments: her Comfortable in My Skin and his The Nerds Shall Inherit the Earth."

40 is the New 15 was originally developed in the Academy's Writers' Workshop, where it quickly caught the eye of Academy staff, who supported it with several presentations at the Academy and in the Concert Reading Series at the Colony Theatre.

"We knew we could not afford to lose money on a production," says ANMT's Executive Director Scott Guy, "so we went to all our friends and members, and said 'If you'll buy enough tickets in advance, we can commit to this production. If we don't sell enough tickets, we won't produce the show; it's that simple.'" Guy's approach worked like gangbusters. The Academy's friends rallied to the cause and the Academy was able to pre-sell enough tickets to cover the cost of the entire production.

Will ANMT be able to repeat this success in the 2010 summer season? Stay tuned to find out!

...themselves at 15!
Left to right: Tod Macofsky, Taji Coleman, Ed Martin, Angela Wolcott, and Kevin Noonchester

PERFORMERS' WORKSHOP SHOWCASE

PW Member Luis Avila

The annual Performers' Workshop Fall Showcase featured a great crop of new and returning talent for the PW including: Aezxer Anthony, Luis Avila, Alisa Banks, Wilson Bell, Joni Bovill, Carol-Lynn Campbell, Alexandra Catalano, Taji Coleman, Rachel Cyprus, Judi Domroy, Dianne Fraser, Mona King, Brittany Kovler, McLane Martin, Sarah Mears, Minta Fairchild Mullins, Katelyn Norman, Paul Panico, Erika Perry-Dutton, Emily Plotkin, Hillary Rollins, Ann Simmons, Lynette Tamusaitis, Michael Tatlock, Lisa Vachon, and Paul Wong.

Here is some feedback from current members about the PW program:

"This class changed the way I approached auditioning and performing allowing me to explore and take chances in a safe a nurturing environment."

"I feel more confident, focused, and prepared after taking PW2."

"You provide such a supportive environment which constantly allows me to step out of my comfort zone and try new things. I think your ability to take each song and instantly zone in on the meaning of the subtext is amazing. From my very first class, I knew I had found the place I had been searching for."

The Performers' Workshop is run by Director Joshua Finkel and Musical Director Jake Anthony. For more info, and to find out about auditions for upcoming sessions, please CLICK HERE

Members of PW, PW2, and PW Teen

The Academy welcomes new writers

A hearty welcome to the new writers who've joined the Academy this year.

Wish a big welcome to Richard Castle, Ronnie Cavalluzzi, Joan Enguita, Nancy Gitlin, Richard Hefner, Sarah Hernandez, Matthew Levine, Ryan Luevano, Joe Moe, Ron Ovadia, David Shapiro, and Karrie Vach.

They're the very first batch of writers to explore our brand-new Core Curriculum, which features a completely new set of texts, ripe for the musicalizing.

In the Core Curriculum, composers, bookwriters and lyricists are matched together in different teams each month, and each month write a song or a scene based on an assigned text.

'There's a whole new approach to the musical for a contemporary audience,' observes John Sparks, who has been running the Core Curriculum since taking it over from its founder, Lehman Engel, nearly 30 years ago. 'Contemporary audiences expect a new approach to musical theatre. The sunny optimism of the 30's, 40's and 50's is tempered by reality today. We've selected contemporary, Pulitzer-Prize-winning plays to reflect today's audience and today's writers.'

Central texts now include:
Topdog/Underdog by Suzan Lori-Parks
Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire
Proof by David Auburn
Doubt: a Parable by John Patrick Shanley
The Goat by Edward Albee
The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane
Anna in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz

The curriculum studies some classic models, and gives writers and composers the opportunity to create traditional musicals, but the new texts allows us to explore the Musical of Today and contemplate the Musical of the Future.

For more info on the ANMT Core Curriculum, CLICK HERE

HONORARY BOARD
Paul Lazarus
Jeff Marx
Marty Panzer
Hal Prince
Stephen Schwartz
Charles Strouse

ADVISORY BOARD
Thomas E.Backer, PhD.
Susie Chodakiewitz
Susan Dietz
Jeannine Frank
Mark Halloran
David Hirshland
Herb Isaacs
Amy Levinson (Millan)
Simon Levy
Ron Parker
Elsa Ramo
Bill Royce
Michael Silversher
Thomas White

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Janet Barnet
Michael Blaha (Vice President)
Steve Cuden
Noelle Donfeld (Secretary)
Gordon Firemark
Bill Frischman
Debra Gussin (Member Representative)
Neville Johnson
Kevin Meyer (Treasurer)
Lynn Miller
Patty Paul
Howard Pearl
Frank Sheftel
John Sparks (President Protem)
Sue Warford (Emeritus Board)

ANMT's Online Auction is open!

The auction is open for bidding!

Last year's Online Holiday Auction was such a wonderful success, we're having another one this year! You can bid on all kinds of bargains and gifts, and at the same time help raise some money to support the creation of new musicals.

The auction opened today, so you can bid right now. Just click here to see all the wonderful items we have for you. Tickets, restaurant certificates, artwork, CD's, DVD's, books, children's goods, luggage, travel, and special items such as CD courses from Teaching Company, and tickets to Universal Studios...and...well, visit the auction to see the complete list!

"Many theatres and businessess and friends have donated very generously to us this year," says Scott Guy, ANMT's Executive Director. "This year, I think folks are finding ways to donate items and services, if they can't donate cash. Last week was overwhelming with last minute gifts."

We've received many gift certificates this year, from theatres, restaurants, and online companies. "I think of it as buying $100 bill for $20!" says one salivating bidder (who didn't want us to use her name), "I'm hoping nobody bids against me; there are two items I really really want this year." She wouldn't tell us which items she's coveting.

ANMT's trying an intriguing strategy this year in order to ignite bidding wars: Facebook. Says Guy, "We've created little tiny $20 ad campaigns aimed at, say, comic book collectors, in order to alert them to the six rare comic books which were donated to us -- now we have five collectors who've said they'll be bidding. We did the same thing with some CD courses from the Teaching Company, and artwork, and some of our theatre tickets. It really created some interest in our Sneak Preview last Friday night. Facebook --! who knew?"

Of course, we hope it's YOU who wins your bid -- rather than some Facebook stranger, right? Please join us online; and let the highest bidders win!

The auction closes on December 13th, 6:00 PM.

CLICK HERE TO PLACE YOUR BID!

What surprises do we have in store for you?

SEARCH deadline: December 15

The deadline is a week from Wednesday.

Tuesday, December 15th is the submission deadline for the 2010 Search for New Musicals, sponsored by the Academy for New Musical Theatre (ANMT). The winner of the Search will receive a workshop with the Academy Repertory Company (ARC) in the spring of 2010, detailed feedback from the ANMT staff, and a concert reading in Los Angeles during the 2010-11 ANMT season. A prize valued at approximately $10,000.

The winner of the 2009 Search, Greenbrier Ghost by Susan Murray and Clay Zambo, will receive a concert reading at the Colony Theatre in Burbank on Monday, February 22, 2010, produced by the Academy Repertory Company.

There is a $100 fee for submitting to the Search, in return for which each entry will receive a 3-5 page script evaluation from an ANMT staff dramaturg. "I've never received a more cogent and useable evaluation before," wrote 2008 applicant Elliott Baker (author of The Tooth Fairy's Daughter). "I'm very comfortable with the critique process but I have never finished reading a critique/evaluation with as much desire and energy to go to work on and polish a piece."

"The evaluation was far more in-depth than I expected and seemed to cover all the key aspects of the show. Frankly, I found it more helpful than a staged reading would have been," stated Search participant Barbara Campbell (bookwriter/lyricist of The Awakening). "This critique offered me far more in-depth comments into the basic 'nuts and bolts' than I have ever received to date."

Writers can submit their shows electronically via ANMT's website, or submit materials by mail after completing an online submission form.

ANMT has a development process which has been refined for four decades, nurturing musicals through a number of stages, including outlines, rough drafts, table readings and concert readings.

Information on submitting to the Search is available online via ANMT's website: www.anmt.org, or directly by CLICKING HERE.

What are you doing the Saturday before Christmas?

We're hoping you won't join us.

You are invited NOT to attend a NON-Event Gala Christmas Party.

That's right. This year, the Academy for New Musical Theatre is celebrating the holidays...by not having an event. On the Saturday night before Christmas, December 19th, we're hosting a non-Event Gala Christmas. Everyone stays home. There will be no expenses for catering, decorations, drinks, and entertainment, which means that all of the money you give will go to The Academy for New Musical Theatre. Because of this, your gift is 100% tax deductible.

"We were trying to think of an evening which was special for everyone this year," says ANMT's event producer Andrea Press, "and we thought, really, seriously, wouldn't everyone rather just stay at home? The more we thought about this idea, the more appeal it had for us. It's environmentally-friendly, it's easier on the staff and Board of Directors...and best of all, it's a way to help ANMT without having to go out!"

We have a mailing list of nearly 10,000 people -- and you're on it. Wouldn't you like to stay away from that crowd of 10,000 musical theatre people? Now's your chance. Tickets are as low as $50. Think about it this way:

- Avoiding the Freeway at Christmastime - $50
- Keeping your own Secret Santa present - $75
- Not having to join in singing Christmas carols - $100
- Helping support new musical theatre - PRICELESS!

Please help make our non-event a success by contributing what you would have spent had you gone to a Gala event for the evening. CLICK HERE to make a reservation NOT to attend this special evening. Thank you so much.

Happy holidays from the staff and Board of Directors of ANMT.

LIVE STREAMCASTING AT ANMT!

Join us live - online! Next streamcast is Sunday Jan. 31st.

We've gone global.

In a joint venture with Mercury Musical Developments in London, we've just completed a beta-test of six workshops with Mercury writers all across the globe (England, Italy, Germany, Finland, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S.).

Next we're turning to one of America's foremost theatre cities: Chicago! This winter, we're offering three workshops of four hour-long sessions, live, online, via streaming technology.

"This is something I've been wanting to do for years," says John Sparks, ANMT's Artistic Director. "We did one live broadcast about fifteen years ago, when it cost about $15,000 -- literally! The broadcast we did was sponsored by AT&T and done in partnership with Los Angeles Harbor College, using their music recital hall and video services. But now we're able to broadcast live from Los Angeles any hour, any day. It's wonderful, speaking directly to writers all across the globe. Definitely the wave of the future."

This summer we broadcast eighteen hours of workshops - LIVE - focused on the craft of lyric writing, while lyricists from all over the planet tuned in and observed. We streamcast three six-hour roundtable discussion/seminars, each concentrating on the lyrics of a single musical, analyzing lyrics' structure, diction, character, story, prosody, meter, rhyme, metaphor, and dramatic content.

Our next round of streamcasts will feature musicals written by writers in Chicago. The Chicago streamcasts are scheduled for:
Sunday January 31 - 4:00PM-8:00PM (Chicago time)
Sunday February 28 - 4:00PM-8:00PM (Chicago time)
Sunday March 28 - 4:00PM-8:00PM (Chicago time)

Would you like to join us? There are two ways you can participate: as a writer, or as an auditor. To sign up for either, CLICK HERE.

The ANMT Staff streaming feedback live across the globe
(Ross Kalling, John Sparks, Scott Guy, and Elise Dewsberry)

Perpetual Surrey Holiday Concert

Perpetual Surrey's Holiday Concert is Tuesday, December 15 at 8pm

Tickets are now on sale for holiday concert of ANMT's own theatrichorale: Perpetual Surrey! on Tuesday, December 15 at 8pm at St. John's Episcopal Church.

Under the baton of director Jake Anthony, the chorale will be performing classic holiday selections from Here's Love, Meredith Willson's musical setting of Miracle on 34th Street, Mame, She Loves Me, and much more.

Featured will be Perpetual Surrey members Carolyn Freeman Champ, Janet Clark, Rachel Cyprus, Don Fotou, Alexandra Gonzales, Henry Gonzales, Tonilyn Hornung, Mona King, Lily Martinez, Suzanne Mayes, Chante McCormick, Minta Mullins, Mark Nudelman, Becky Opp, Paul Panico, Elizabeth Raymond, Hillary Rollins, Shana Rose, Arron Rothbart, Veronica Scheyving, Sandy Shanin, Heather Stewart, Melissa Strauss, Scott Strauss, and Patricia Zehentmayr. Brian Baker will be at the piano.

Special guests include members of the West Los Angeles Children's Choir, a fabulous dance number (a Perpetual Surrey first), and a holiday carol sing-a-long!

Come be a part of what's sure to become an ANMT holiday tradition. Tickets are only $15 - CLICK HERE to make your reservation.

New ANMT musicals in Orange County

A scene from the staged reading of E-$cape: a cybermusical

Over the weekend of Sept. 18-20, the UC/Irvine Department of Drama presented what is planned to be the first annual New Musical Theatre Festival, with two performances each of the new musicals Aging Out (book and lyrics by Tara Redepenning and Hillary Rollins, music by Darin Goulet) and e-$cape: a cybermusical (book & lyrics by Scott Guy, music by Nick DeGregorio).

The Festival, under the helm of Artistic Director Gary Busby, is the result of a partnership between UC/Irvine and the Academy for New Musical Theatre in Los Angeles. The Academy's professional bookwriters, lyricists, and composers are hard at work on a series of new musicals created specifically for the talents of the UC/Irvine students.

Eli Simon, Chair of UCI's Drama Department, feels that this partnership is a win-win situation - the UCI students get a chance to create new roles that no one else has ever performed, and get an inside view of how a new musical is created - and the ANMT writers get developmental resources that are almost unheard of in the professional world.

"It's one thing to put on a tried-and-true Rodgers & Hammerstein classic like Oklahoma or South Pacific. Just about everyone has seen them - they've been around for generations and have been staged from Broadway to almost every dinner theatre from Pittsburgh to Pasadena," said Dr. Daniel Gary Busby, professor of UCI's celebrated drama department.

"It's quite another to develop new musicals - originals, from the first word all the way through to full production - and that's the journey the drama department of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts has embarked on," he added.

The plan, hatched by Busby and ANMT executive director Scott Guy after serving together on a professional panel, is to create new art and, by doing so, get the opportunity to sculpt what Broadway looks like five or 10 years down the road.

e-$cape is a powerful, gripping rock musical about bloodthirsty virtual world gamers who have invested in cyber real estate and pursue a 19-year-old computer programmer seeking money, revenge and someone to blame.

Aging Out is about the trials, tribulations and triumphs of several young people who have spent their lives in foster care and have aged out of the system with no emotional and financial support in a world that doesn't want them.

The well-attended Festival was a huge hit with staff and students alike, and the Department is looking forward to the 2010 Festival with new shows already in development at ANMT (see article in left column).

The creative team for AGING OUT at the post-show talk-back with the UC/Irvine cast members

ANMT LAUNCHES 2009/10 CONCERT READING SERIES

On Monday, October 26, ANMT kicked off its third season of concert readings at The Colony Theatre in Burbank with At Home in Mitford, a delightful musical based on the popular Mitford series by Jan Karon.

With book by Cynthia Ferrell, lyrics by Chana Wise and music by Carl Johnson, At Home in Mitford is the story of Father Tim, a cherished small-town rector, and the eclectic group of people that make up the town of Mitford, North Carolina, filled with endearing characters who are as quirky and popular as those of Mayberry, R.F.D.

"At Home in Mitford is about second chances for all," says bookwriter Cynthia Ferrell, "that it's never too late to find true love, safety, peace, family." Adds composer Carl Johnson, "The mythical town of Mitford is a metaphor for Anytown U.S.A. The people and their relationships she writes about could be in any small town in America."

At Home in Mitford was presented by the members of the Academy Repertory Company (ARC) - the elite ensemble of sight-singing and cold-reading actors in residence at The Academy for New Musical Theatre. Featured in the cast were David Holmes as Father Tim, Kelly Lester, Tess Ferrell, Elise Dewsberry and Jerry Martin, along with Ellen Dostal, Evelyn Halus, Johanna Kent, Christopher Maikish, Andrea Press, Sari Rose Poll, Ben Ryan, Stephen Vendette and Peter Welkin, as well as director Elise Dewsberry and musical director Darin Goulet.

"We're honored that Ms. Karon has entrusted her beloved characters to our writers," says the Academy's Executive Director Scott Guy. "Making a musical is always a tricky thing, and we want to make sure we respect her writing and her readers. She told us she's very excited about this particular draft -- and we were delighted for the opportunity to present it in concert."

Next up for the Concert Reading Series is the winner of the 2009 Search for New Musials, Greenbrier Ghost, by Clay Zambo and Susan Murray on Monday, February 22nd. (See article, below)

The creative team for AT HOME IN MITFORD: Carl Johnson (music);
Cynthia Ferrell (book); and Chana Wise (lyrics)

Winner of the 2009 Search

Greenbrier Ghost will be presented in concert on February 22nd

The winner of the Academy for New Musical Theatre's 2009 Search for New Musicals, Greenbrier Ghost, with book by Susan Murray and lyrics & music by Clay Zambo will be presented in concert at the Colony Theatre on Monday, February 22 at 7:30 p.m. as the second installment of ANMT/ARC's 2009-10 Concert Reading Series at the Colony Theatre in Burbank.

Greenbrier Ghost is based on the true story of a young woman in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, who appeared to her mother four weeks after her own funeral, giving evidence about the man who murdered her. It's believed to be the only case in America in which a murderer was convicted based on testimony from a ghost!

Greenbrier Ghost originally came to ANMT a few seasons back when it was accepted as a development project by Disney/ASCAP, and ANMT was approached to present it in concert.

"We had so much fun working with Clay on Greenbrier Ghost for Disney/ASCAP and I was thrilled when I learned he had continued to develop it and had won this year's Search for New Musicals," enthused ARC member Andrea Press. "It's a great story and the music is just wonderful."

A final non-invitation

Now that you've read our entire newsletter, we'd like to re-iterate our invitation not to attend our non-Event Gala on December 19th. Please help make our non-event a success by contributing what you would have spent had you gone to a Gala event for the evening. CLICK HERE to make a reservation NOT to attend this special evening. Thank you so much.