National Fund unveil recipients

Grants given to new musicals

By GORDON COX

Gibson

Friedman

A production of a new tuner by Melissa James Gibson and Michael Friedman and development workshops for new work by alums of the National Alliance for Musical Theater fest are among the seven inaugural recipients of grants from NAMT's new National Fund for New Musicals.

Coin supporting full productions will go to two new musicals, including "Post Office," the musical from Gibson ("[sic]") and Civilians composer Michael Friedman, to play at Center Theater Group in a production underwritten by Broadway Across America.

Also getting a full staging, this one at Adirondack Theater Fest and underwritten by Stacey Mindich, is "Ordinary Days," Adam Gwon's tuner about a Gotham grad student who loses her thesis notes. Show appeared in NAMT's annual fest of new musicals last year.

Developing projects that will receive workshops or readings supported by the fund are:

• "The Emperor's New Clothes," songs by Alan Schmuckler and book by David Holstein, at Chicago Shakespeare Theater

• "Band Geeks!," book by Tommy Newman and Gordon Greenberg, lyrics by Gaby Alter and Newman and music by Mark Allen, Alter and Newman, at Goodspeed Musicals

• "The Trimble Wars," music by Sean Michael Flowers and book and lyrics by Patrick Vaughn, at the Human Race Theater Company

• "The Weird Sisters," tunes by Ian Williams and book and lyrics by Aaron Jafferis, at the Old Globe

Money for early developmental work will go to "The House," being developed with Ford's Theater Society by Andrew Gerle and Eddie Sugarman.

Gerle and Sugarman ("Meet John Doe"), Williams and Jafferis ("Kingdom") and Allan and Newman ("Tinyard Hill") are among the alums of NAMT fest.

Total coin handed out this year totals $37,000.