The New York Musical Festival, which paved a path to exposure for the creators of new musicals — even landing a few shows eventually on Broadway — has shut down after 15 years. The board of directors said in a statement on Thursday that a nationwide “arts funding crisis” had caught up to the festival, which closed immediately and declared bankruptcy. But the annual festival, which featured readings, workshops and some staged productions, had been facing a shortfall recently, with several key leaders announcing their resignations at the start of 2020. More than 400 shows have premiered at the summer festival, one of a handful of musical-focused developmental gatherings in the United States. Known by the acronym NYMF, the festival earned attention early on when productions of “[title of show]” and “Next to Normal” snaked their way to Broadway, the latter earning a Pulitzer Prize.

Source: New York Times January 03, 2020 22:18 UTC