About The National Music Theater Conference

The National Music Theater Conference was established in 1978. Since then, more than one hundred works have been developed. Many of the creators have gone on to win prestigious awards, and their works and subsequent works have received acclaimed recognition in opera houses, Broadway, off-Broadway and New York and regional theaters worldwide.

Our primary purpose is to provide a nurturing and challenging environment in which both emerging and established writers and composers are able to refine and clarify their vision of a work during its formative stages.

Because the O’Neill Theater Center is solely a developmental theater, our work takes place in a risk-free environment that allows the creators to explore their ideas freely, experiment with forms, and discuss their work with other theater professionals.

The conference includes several artists who endeavor to create fresh and bold work of all music theater genres. Past conferences have included works by diverse creators such as Maury Yeston, Joe Masteroff, Edward Thomas, tan Dun, Jeannine Tesori, Kirsten Childs, Andrew Lippa, Ed Dixon, Jeff Whitty, Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez, to name only a few.

An open submission process begins in the fall of each year and concludes in May. The conference takes place in July and August at the O’Neill theater center. Works are accepted based on their readiness to be performed, but when there is still enough significant work to be accomplished that a fully staged production would be premature.

The center provides the artistic and financial resources needed to fully explore the material with a staff of directors and music directors, and an equity company of exceptional performers. Several script-in-hand public readings of each work are presented, with rehearsals and re-writing time available between readings.

For information on how and when to submit a work, visit our submission guidelines page.