The National Alliance for Musical for Musical Theatre (NAMT) has announced the NAMT Member Theatre and Writer recipients of NAMT 2025/2026 Writers Residency Grants
By Steven Brodsky
From a news release issued by the National Alliance for Musical Theatre on March 12, 2026:
WRITERS RESIDENCY GRANTS
The Frank Young Fund for New Musicals has awarded each of the following member organizations $500 to $2,000 for Writers Residency Grants for the 2025/2026 Cycles:
Ars Nova (New York, NY) for Good Fridays by Emerson Mae Smith & Murphy Taylor Smith
Fire Island Pines Arts Project (Sayville, NY) for Sunken Cathedral by Taylor Fagins & Chase Uram
Goodspeed Musicals (East Haddam, CT) for THE BROWN MUSICAL: A New Brown Musical by Rona Siddiqui
Michigan State University – New Musical Laboratory (East Lansing, MI) for Taking Off! by Sonya Hayden & Matt Lowy
MusiCoLab (Philadelphia, PA), for The Living by Seth Rozin & Kate Brennan
Playwrights Horizons (New York, NY) for MISS STEP by Kit Yan & Melissa Li
Signature Theatre Company (New York, NY) for Dido & A. by Heather Christian
Theater Latté Da (Minneapolis, MN) for My Åntonia by The Kilbanes & Alexander Gemignani
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley (Palo Alto, CA) for The Bridge by The Kilbanes & Patricia Cotter
Theatre Now New York (New York, NY) for The Passion of the Labradoodle by Dylan MarcAurele
UNTITLED Musical Project (New York, NY) for A Musical for Henrietta by Lisa Stephen Friday
The Frank Young Fund for New Musicals is overseen by NAMT New Works Director Frankie Dailey, and the recommended Grant Recipients for the Writers Residency Grants are selected by the New Works Committee, a distinguished panel of industry leaders from across the country. The 2025/2026 New Works Committee was co-chaired by Justin Lucero of Theater Latté Da (MN) and Ray Hogg of Prime Mover Theatre Company (TO). Committee members include Joe Barros of New York Theatre Barn (NY); Jaime Bartolett of Shea Theatricals (NY); Bill Berry of The 5th Avenue Theatre (WA); Dev Bondarin of Prospect Musicals (NY); Cat Brindisi of Asolo Rep (FL); Kate Galvin of Constellation Stage & Screen (IN); Alan Paul of Barrington Stage Company (MA); Dakota Patrick of Red Mountain Theatre Company (AL); Becks Redman of The Old Globe (CA); Laura Peete formerly of Theatre Under The Stars (TX); Damaso Rodriguez of Seattle Rep (WA); Amber Wallace of Ogunquit Playhouse (ME); and Adam Yankowy of Michigan State University (MI).
The Frank Young Fund for New Musicals has provided over $1,000,000 of funding to new musicals over the last 18 years, including King of Pangea (NAMT Fest ’22) by Martin Storrow at both Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma and Aurora Theatre; Redwood by Tina Landau, Kate Diaz and Idina Menzel at La Jolla Playhouse; A Strange Loop by Michael R. Jackson (NAMT Fest ’19) at Playwrights Horizons; Oratorio for Living Things by Heather Christian (NAMT Fest ’22) at Ars Nova; String (NAMT Fest ’14) by Adam Gwon (NAMT Fests ’08, ’11, ’14 & ’25) and Sarah Hammond (NAMT Fest ’14) at Millikin University; Eight-Sixed by Sam Salmond and Jeremy J. King at Diversionary Theatre; Soft Power by David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori at both Center Theatre Group and The Public Theater; Renascence by Dick Scanlan (NAMT Fest ’96) and Carmel Dean at Transport Theatre Group; The Band’s Visit by David Yazbek and Itamar Moses (NAMT Fest ’12) at Atlantic Theater Company; When We’re Gone (fka Mortality Play, NAMT Fest ’16) by Alana Jacoby and Scotty Arnold at Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma; Bella: An American Tall Tale by Kirsten Childs (NAMT Fests ’98 & ’12) at Playwrights Horizons and Dallas Theater Center; Ordinary Days (NAMT Fest ’08) by Adam Gwon (NAMT Fests ’08, ’11, ’14 & ’25) at Adirondack Theatre Festival; Circus in Winter (NAMT Fest ’12) by Ben Clark, Hunter Foster and Beth Turcotte at Goodspeed Musicals; and Southern Comfort (NAMT Fest ’12) by Julianne Wick Davis (NAMT Fests ’12 & ’19) and Dan Collins (NAMT Fest ’12) at all three grant levels, at Playwrights Horizons, CAP21 and Barrington Stage Company; among many others. To learn more, visit namt.org/FYFNM.
About the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT)
The National Alliance for Musical Theatre, founded in 1985, is a not-for-profit organization serving the musical theatre community. Its mission is to be a catalyst for nurturing musical theatre development, production, innovation and collaboration. Their 145 organizational members and 75 individual members, located throughout 36 states and five countries abroad, are some of the leading producers of musical theatre in the world and include theatres, presenting organizations, higher education programs and individual producers. In 2024, NAMT reached $1 million in awards to member organizations through NAMT granting programs including the Frank Young Fund for New Musicals and the Impact & Exploration Fund. Among the 300 musicals launched by NAMT’s Annual Festival of New Musicals are Come From Away, Lempicka, The Drowsy Chaperone, Lizard Boy, Teeth, Gun & Powder, King of Pangea, Benny & Joon, Darling Grenadine, Ordinary Days, It Shoulda Been You and Thoroughly Modern Millie, among many others, representing 575 writers. This year, over 120 students from 28 states participated in the Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge for High School Students, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with NAMT. Discover more at namt.org.
Posted 3-17-26
Time is running out
By Steven Brodsky
… for additional Entertainment, Culture and More column readers to get to know the families featured in Servant Stage Company’s production of the classic (and very touching!) comedy You Can’t Take It With You: the Sycamore and Kirby families.
The performance run of this endearing and outstanding production will end on Sunday, March 22, 2026.
If you were among the more than 1,600 people who attended a performance of this production last weekend (opening weekend), let others know how much you enjoyed the show!
I attended a performance last weekend, and already miss the Sycamore and Kirby families!
Posted 3-12-26
Rachel Day Hughes, the director of Servant Stage Company’s production of ‘You Can’t Take It With You,’ is featured in a new promotional video; the video was filmed during dress rehearsals for the soon-to-open production
By Steven Brodsky
Enjoy:
Servant Stage Company’s production of You Can’t Take It With You opens on March 6, 2026. The performance run will end on March 22, 2026.
Performances will take place at Lancaster Alliance Church, 210 Pitney Road, Lancaster, PA 17601.
Visit https://servantstage.org/shows/2026/youcanttakeitwithyou for additional information about the show and a link to order your pay-what-you-will tickets.
Posted 2-26-26
An additional performance has been added to the performance run of Servant Stage Company’s production of ‘You Can’t Take It With You’
By Steven Brodsky
… That additional performance has been scheduled for Thursday, March 19, 2026 at 7 p.m.
A recommendation for Entertainment, Culture and More column readers who haven’t yet ordered pay-what-you-will tickets for a performance of this Servant Stage Company production: order your tickets a.s.a.p.
Servant Stage’s You Can’t Take It With You opens on March 6, 2026. The performance run will end on March 22, 2026.
Performances will take place at Lancaster Alliance Church, 210 Pitney Road, Lancaster, PA 17601.
Visit https://servantstage.org/shows/2026/youcanttakeitwithyou for additional information and a link to order tickets.
Posted 2-19-26
Servant Stage Company’s production of the classic American comedy ‘You Can’t Take It With You’ to open in Lancaster County, PA on March 6, 2026 at Lancaster Alliance Church
By Steven Brodsky
Photo courtesy of Servant Stage Company
From a Servant Stage Company news release that was issued yesterday, February 11, 2026:
Lancaster, PA – Servant Stage is delighted to present the classic American comedy You Can’t Take It With You, opening March 6th at Lancaster Alliance Church, 210 Pitney Road, Lancaster. Written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart in 1936, this Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy is a fast-paced, laugh-out-loud celebration of family, love, and laughter.
Set in 1930s New York, You Can’t Take It With You introduces audiences to the delightfully eccentric Sycamore family—an exuberant household of artists, inventors, dancers, and dreamers who have happily embraced a life free from convention. When their daughter Alice invites her very traditional Wall Street-employed fiancée and his straitlaced parents to dinner, the evening quickly spirals into comic chaos as two vastly different worlds collide.
Directed by Rachel Day Hughes, this Servant Stage production leans into the play’s heart and humor, highlighting its enduring message. Nearly a century after its debut, You Can’t Take It With You remains a timely reminder to slow down, laugh often, and focus on what truly matters.
In keeping with Servant Stage’s mission to make outstanding live theatre accessible to everyone, all performances of You Can’t Take It With You will be offered on a pay-what-you-will basis. This unique approach allows audiences of all ages and backgrounds to experience exceptional theatre regardless of financial means.
Performances will be held March 6-22 in the auditorium at Lancaster Alliance Church, 210 Pitney Road, Lancaster. Tickets can be reserved online at ServantStage.org or by calling (717) 455-0255. Advance reservations are recommended to ensure seating before shows sell out.
Performance Schedule:
- Friday, March 6 – 7:00 PM
- Saturday, March 7 – 11:00 AM & 3:00 PM
- Sunday, March 8 – 3:00 PM
- Friday, March 13 – 7:00 PM
- Saturday, March 14 – 11:00 AM & 3:00 PM
- Sunday, March 15 – 3:00 PM
- Thursday, March 19 – 7:00 PM
- Friday, March 20 – 7:00 PM
- Saturday, March 21 – 11:00 AM & 3:00 PM
- Sunday, March 22 – 3:00 PM
About Servant Stage:
Servant Stage is a non-profit theater serving Lancaster County since 2011. Through its innovative approach to theatre, Servant Stage reaches more than 50,000 audience members each year with Pay-What-You-Will performances. They recently announced their 2026 season of shows, including You Can’t Take It With You (March), A Broadway Melody (April-May), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (June-August), Anne of Green Gables (September), and Joy to the World (November-December).
Posted 2-12-26
Shackled and unshackled listeners
By Steven Brodsky
… have been enjoying episodes of UNSHACKLED!, the iconic radio drama show, since 1950.
Episodes of UNSHACKLED! are accessible at: https://unshackled.org/on-demand/browse-all-programs/.
John 8:36: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
Note to readers: This post appeared at: https://delcoculturevultures.com/2025/05/06/conversations-about-faith/.
Posted 6-6-24, Revised and reposted 5-6-25
The responsibilities of managing a theater took a toll on William Butler Yeats
By Steven Brodsky
… and inspired Yeats to pen the poem “The Fascination of What’s Difficult” in 1912.
“The Fascination of What’s Difficult”: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43286/the-fascination-of-whats-difficult.
W.B. Yeats received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923 “for his always inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation.”
Posted 4-23-22