Walt Disney Imagineering and New Musicals Inc. (NMI) are looking for new talent ages 18 to 26 in musical theatre writing.
Los Angeles-based NMI is sponsoring its sixth annual New Voices Project, in which young playwrights, composers and lyricists receive workshops and concerts of their work with feedback sessions given by executives from Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment and NMI, according to the release.
Selected finalists will have their work presented at an in-house concert at NMI in April alongside critical feedback from professionals in the industry. Finalists will then be able to revise their work and selections by finalists will be presented as part of the 2018 got musical concert in Los Angeles in May.
“We have been continually impressed with the level of talent of the young writers who have submitted to the New Voices Project in the past,” Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry said in a statement. “Just last year, one of our finalist teams – made up of Cristian Guerrero, Andrew Moorehead, and Steven Schmidt, went on to win our annual Search for New Musicals and will be receiving a concert reading of their full-length new musical Bravo this coming summer.”
Applicants are encouraged to submit up to three selections for a total of 20 minutes of material, either from a single work or separate works. And while writers who submit work on their own will be considered equally, NMI is “particularly interested in writers who submit as a collaborative team,” according to the website.
“We’re looking for writers in whom we see potential,” NMI’s Executive Director Scott Guy said in a statement. “We’re not pigeon-holing that potential: that is, we’re not looking for ‘Broadway musical’ writers per se, or ‘ground-breaking’ or ‘commercial’ or ‘avant-garde’. We’re looking for writers who are exploring their voices through the blend of music and voice. The stronger your voice and vision are, the more likely we’re going to respond to your work.”
NMI staff will choose up to six teams of writers for presentation and critique. The deadline for submissions is Monday, February 15 and winners will be announced on Thursday, March 1.
To apply and for more information about New Voices Project, check out the website here.