Tuner fest gets fresh with auds

Producers hot for original work, not revivals

By GORDON COX

Musical revivals aren't the surefire cash cows they used to be, so producers are on the prowl for new work. And the New York Musical Theater Festival is helping in the hunt.

The three-week extravaganza, which will co-produce some 30 new tuners in six venues around New York City, could be the new musical marketplace. Each fully staged offering gets an average of six showcase perfs between Sept. 12 and Oct. 2.

Last year, the fest's freshman outing yielded a bumper crop of commercial runs, including the Off Broadway hit "Altar Boyz," now at Dodger Stages; the kiddie show "Captain Louie," which landed at the York for a month; and "The Great American Trailer Park Musical," which opens Sept. 15, also at Dodger Stages.

Plus, "[Title of Show]" and "Shout!" are both on the lookout for Off Broadway venues.

That's an impressive track record for a fledgling event. By comparison, another high-profile fest that debuted last year, the Summer Play Festival, has not seen a Gotham transfer of any of its 18 offerings.

With so much success coming from one place, producers can't help but prick up their ears.

"There are a lot of people shopping," says Robyn Goodman, who shepherded "Altar Boyz" into its successful run.

Goodman adds that the NYMF run was a useful step in the developmental chain, providing a post-workshop forum to test-drive the show with an audience prior to its commercial opening.

Broadway talent, too, has optimistically jumped aboard.

The roster of participating Great White Way artists includes "Rent" actor Anthony Rapp, "Fiddler on the Roof" Tony nominee John Cariani, Tony winner Debbie Gravitte, "Hairspray" thesp Jackie Hoffman and directors Christopher Ashley ("All Shook Up"), Scott Schwartz ("Golda's Balcony"), Jeff Calhoun ("Big River"), Peter Askin ("The Good Body," "Hedwig and the Angry Inch") and Philip William McKinley ("The Boy From Oz").

"But for us, it's not just about launching shows in a commercial run," says Isaac Robert Hurwitz, NYMF's director of programming. He and exec director Kris Stewart aim to invigorate the scene with "a balanced and diverse plate of shows."

The menu features everything from a story of one family's experience with electroshock therapy (Rapp starrer "Feeling Electric," helmed by Askin) to a sci-fi rock spoof ("Wild Women of Planet Wongo," with Cariani).

With a budget of $600,000 (up from $450,000 last year), the fest covers big-ticket costs shared by all the shows, such as venues, lighting and marketing. Individual producers kick in the rest of the funds, with contributions capped by Equity showcase regulations at $20,000 per show.

"It's quite an opportunity for emerging producers to cut their teeth," Stewart says.

Of the shows on this year's slate, 18 were selected from open submissions, which brought in nearly 400 scripts. After a blind reading process that winnowed these down to a pool of finalists, selections were made by a jury comprising producers Kevin McCollum and Jack Viertel, actress Joanna Gleason, director Susan H. Schulman, choreographer Rob Ashford and marketing director Thomas Cott.

Producers on the jury have the advantage of being on the inside track for future projects. Goodman was on the committee last year.

Meanwhile, a dozen more works were invited to participate, culled from suggestions from literary managers, theaters and producers. Among these is "The Big Time," a co-production with the Drama Dept., with a book by Douglas Carter Beane ("As Bees in Honey Drown") and starring Hoffman and Gravitte under Ashley's direction.

The fest also has partnered with smaller nonprofits such as Prospect Theater Company ("The Tutor") to help put up their shows.

"Musicals are so resource-heavy, there's a glass ceiling to how far many small producers can take a developing musical," Hurwitz says. "We're helping shows up to the next step."

With its successful first year under its belt, the fest has gotten big-money support from Cadillac and Virgin, and it received the 2004 Jujamcyn Theaters Award, worth $100,000.

The fest's busy sked packs in concert readings, a comedy series with the Upright Citizens Brigade and even film screenings.

For now, Stewart and Hurwitz say it's too soon to tell which upcoming shows are giving off heat. They expect the buzzometer to come into focus when individual tickets go on sale to the general public Aug. 29.