Christopher Sieber, Jordan Tyson and More to Join NAMT’s 38th Festival of New Musicals

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre has revealed additional cast and more details about the lineup for the 38th Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS, which takes place on Thursday, October 22 and Friday, October 23, 2026, at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues).

Now in its 38th year, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS is an industry-only professional development event offering the chance to discover eight new musicals presented in 45-minute concert presentations over two days to hundreds of producers, presenters, artistic & executive directors, investors, donors, developers and creative administrators in Regional Theatre, Broadway, Music, Film & TV from all around the globe. As a non-profit organization, NAMT funds the Festival entirely through donations, sponsorships and contributions which underwrite all production costs.

PRELIMINARY FESTIVAL CASTING

The cast for the 38th Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS includes Joan Almedilla (Miss Saigon), Leanne J. Antonio (The Lion King), Philippe Arroyo (& Juliet), Bilaal Avaz (American Idol), Brandon Mel Borkowsky (The Outsiders), Will Boyajian (Spandex The Musical!), Elijah Caldwell (A Strange Loop), McKinley Carter (Goodman: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), Andrew Cekala (Pippin), Ben Davis (Hadestown), Francesca Dawis (Animal Wisdom), Alaman Diadhiou (Hulu: High Potential), John El-Jor (NYTW: We Live in Cairo), Mehry Eslaminia (1776), Isabella Esler (Beetlejuice), Chloe Fox (Tour: Cinderella), Darron Hayes (Kimberly Akimbo), Cate Hayman (Tour: Hadestown), Gabriela Hernandez (Olney Theatre Center: Frozen), Keirsten Hodgens (SIX: The Musical), Jared Howelton (Hamilton), MaryAnn Hu (Frozen), Keziah John-Paul (The Book of Mormon), Rajané Katurah (MJ The Musical), Elsa Keefe (& Juliet), Ruchir Khazanchi (The Tank: Heaven Is A Place In The Sky), Mary Spencer Knapp (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812), Marina Kondo (Ragtime), Blaine Krauss (Kinky Boots), Janine LaManna (Seussical), Michelle Lauto (The Old Globe: Huzzah!), Alyse Alan Louis (Teeth), Mariah Lyttle (The Wiz), Veronica Mansour (Lighthouse, Fest ’24), Evan Tyrone Martin (Goodspeed: Dreamgirls), Marcus M. Martin (Disney’s Aladdin), Malia McLellan (ZACH Theater: Annie), JD Mollison (Signature: Three Houses), Andrew Mueller (MCC: Alice By Heart), Samantha Pauly (The Great Gatsby), Christiani Pitts (Two Strangers…), Lindsay Roberts Greene (Encores!: Wonderful Town), Christina Sajous (The Who’s Tommy), Heath Saunders (Company), Saum Seyed (Off-Broadway: Disaster!), Adam Shaukat (HBO Max: The Pitt), Kay Sibal (Six: The Musical), Christopher Sieber (Death Becomes Her), Bebe Nicole Simpson (Camelot), Tyler Spencer (Aggregate Theatre Company: A New Brain), Lianah Sta. Ana (Miss Saigon), Ebrin R. Stanley (Hamilton), Ephraim Sykes (Ain’t Too Proud), Jordan Tyson (The Notebook), Kuhoo Verma (Heathers: The Musical), Alex Weisman (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Bruce Winant (An American in Paris), Carla Woods (Girl From The North Country), Alex Wyse (Waitress).

MUSICAL ROADTRIP CASTING

NAMT’s MUSICAL ROADTRIP highlights new musical theatre projects at NAMT Member Organizations from across the country, offering a unique opportunity for a sneak peek into the vibrant musical theatre scene happening nationwide. This year’s Musical Roadtrip will include:

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley New Works Festival (Palo Alto, CA)

A song from Vienna (Book, Music & Lyrics by Irene Sankoff & David Hein), performed by Abigail Esfira Campbell A song from Rattle The Cage (Book by Lynn Rosen & Pia Wilson, Music & Lyrics by Rona Siddiqui), performed by Natasha Williams Keys: Matthew Nassida & Aidan Wells

The Winter Park Playhouse’s Florida Festival of New Musicals (Winter Park, FL)

A song from In Emily’s Words (Music & Lyrics by Jessy Tomsko, Book by Jessy Tomsko & Emily Brontë), performed by Ellen Shaw A song from Julie Bunny Must Die! (Book, Music & Lyrics by Ned Wilkinson), performed by Bert Rodriguez Keys: Chris Leavy

Baldwin Wallace Musical Theatre New Musicals Incubator (Berea, OH)

A song from Star Machine (Music & Lyrics by Gideon Temple & Hank Temple, Book by Hollee Temple & John Temple) A song from The Daughters of Ravenreach: A Romantasy Musical (Music by Anthony De Angelis, Lyrics by Christyn Budzyna, Book by Karl Hinze) With performances by Avery Fahey, Jacob Gonzalez & Sydney Quildon Keys: Gideon Temple

CMU Center for New Work (Pittsburgh, PA)

A song from The Break (by Michael Kooman & Chris Dimond), performed by Nathan Salstone & Cate Hayman A song from Sinister (by Lauren Gunderson & Joriah Kwamé)

SONGWRITERS SHOWCASE

NAMT’s SONGWRITERS SHOWCASE will spotlight new musicals in development from across the NAMT community. This year’s Songwriters Showcase will include:

All the Answers

Amy Anders Corcoran, Haley Bennett & Kate Messner With performances by Mia Cabrera, Joy Hermalyn & Kuhoo Verma Keys: Nicole Lam

The Bandit Queen

Sami Horneff & Amanda D’Archangelis With performances by Audrey Cardwell, Amanda D’Archangelis & Lauren “Lolo” Pritchard Keys: Cole Abod

Letters to the President

Michael Bello & Jessica Kahkoska, with songs by Preston Max Allen and Ben Wexler With performances by Lauren Chapman, Leana Rae Concepcion, Oyoyo Joi & Nathan Salstone Keys: Garret Healey