FACTORY MANUAL
MUSICALTHEATREFACTORY
WE’RE WORKING ON IT
OMusical
U R Theatre
M I SFactory
S I OisNa volunteer- OUR
VISIO N
O U R VALU ES
We accomplish this mission by
based, non-profit organization
dedicated to helping musical theatre
artists develop and present new
work in a collaborative atmosphere
free from the pressures of critical or
commercial success.
identifying new works of promise,
then facilitating a development
process that includes an assembly
line of readings, concerts, workshops,
and public performances of new
musical theatre projects. The central
organizing principle of MTF follows
the radical ideal that laborers ought
to be the owners of the means of
production. We are an artist-centered,
artist-operated collective in which
Musical Theatre makers influence not
only the creative product, but also
the structure and administration of
the process. Factory artisans include
writers, composers, performers,
choreographers, directors, music
directors, dramaturgs, designers, and
producers. We aim to be a safe, fullyfunctional laboratory space that is
constantly in production.
SERVICE
Musical Theatre Factory creates a
safe, encouraging space for artists
to cultivate meaningful personal and
professional relationships through
peer evaluation, collaboration, and
mentorship. Our staff, volunteers,
artists, and audience uphold a
work ethic that prioritizes integrity,
honesty, responsibility, and
attention to detail at all levels of the
developmental process.
COMMUNITY
Musical Theatre Factory is founded
upon collaboration and volunteerism.
We believe in generating good
karma, respecting one another and
the physical space that we’ve built
together, and practicing transparency
in our communication and decision
making policies.
PROGRESS
Musical Theatre Factory strives to be
constantly in production. We welcome
challenges and encourage innovative
approaches to creative development.
We greet every project with a needs
assessment and attempt to move it
forward towards its own self-defined
next steps, and we recognize that
sustainability is key to the long-term
success of this endeavor.
O U R G OAL S :
• Create a new and sustainable model of new works development.
• Have and maintain a factory space.
• Support an active membership base.
• Be constantly in production.
• Raise the bar for what’s seen in the community.
• Develop work that will have life beyond the Factory walls.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF
THE FACTORY
In March 2014, a friend of Musical
Theatre Factory donated half of his
rented Times Square commercial
office space to the Factory for one
year rent-free. Founding members
of the Factory volunteered their
time and together transformed
the space into what is now MTF’s
780-square-foot blackbox studio.
Organizing a series of open forum
community brainstorms, Founding
Artistic Director, Shakina Nayfack,
and Managing Director, Danny
Abosch, developed the programming
structure that now defines the
Musical Theatre Factory Assembly
Line. The Factory opened its doors to
the public on May 31, 2014. With the
2015 Capital Campaign, MTF aims to
develop a sustainable fundraising
program in order to expand and
operate their own space, complete
with additional rehearsal studios,
office workstations, and an enhanced
blackbox theater.
W H Y IS MU S IC AL
TH EAT RE FAC TORY
DIFFEREN T ?
• The factory is a physical space
where writers can see their work
on its feet.
• MTF is artist-centered and
operated.
• Our sole purpose is to develop new
work.
• MTF is accessible to earlycareer musical theatre makers and
builds bridges for them to connect
with experts in the field, across
disciplines.
The writers at MTF know who they’re writing for and walk into
readings and productions with actors who already feel ownership
over their roles and have a strong take on how they want to read
them....We are at the beginning of something new. It is an
alternative way of working. By changing the way we work we make
musicals that are vital, original, and dare I say, revolutionary.
JAHN SOOD, FOUNDING FACTORY MEMBER, MUSICAL THEATRE WRITER/PERFORMER
PROGRAMMING
PHILOSOPHY
DEVELOPMENT
At its core the Musical Theatre Factory
is a home for musical theatre artists
to develop new work. Our development
process places an emphasis on cocreation, with writers, composers,
directors, and performers working
together for the generation and
maturation of new material.
SHOWCASING
At various stages in the development
process we provide opportunities for
new work to be seen and heard, both
within the community of MTF artisans,
for the larger musical theatre industry,
and the general public. Showcase
events range from informal salons
to staged readings, and eventually,
productions.
EDUCATION
As a cooperative of musical theatre
artisans, we share resources and
tools for refining our craft. Musical
Theatre Factory offers master classes,
workshops, and roundtable discussions
meant to encourage collaboration
across our intersecting disciplines.
PRODUCTION
Musical Theatre Factory productions
give our artisans and the larger theatre
community a chance to see new work
on its feet. Our 780 square-foot black
box theater allows for flexible seating,
imaginative staging, and all kinds of
intimate storytelling. MTF views these
productions as penultimate in our
development process, with the end-goal
of positioning these new musicals for a
life outside the factory walls.
In 2014,
over 1,300
people
attended
MTF events.
Musical Theatre Factory has ignited a groundswell
among young artists and theatre professionals by
reminding us that it is within our power to create safe
spaces in which to focus on the art, to take risks, to
learn from one another, and to play.
ERICA ROTSTEIN, ASSOCIATE PRODUCER, BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA
DEVELOPING OUR
PROGRAMMING
Reflecting MTF’s values, all of the
Factory’s core programs have
emerged through our monthly
Community Brainstorm sessions.
Open to members and nonmembers alike, these meetings
allow MTF to craft programs that
directly address the needs of the
artists with whom we work.
THE ASSEMBLY LINE AS TOLD BY THE
The Musical Theater Factory, led by Ms. Nayfack in Broadway’s backyard, develops shows with a sort of four-step assembly line
that begins with a monthly salon and open mic, followed by an evening of 15-minute excerpts from four shows that receive feedback from an industry panel. Then there is a development residency, which includes an assessment by Ms. Nayfack to determine the best way to present a work. The final step is a showcase production, the closest the process gets to a fully produced
show. Each stop on the assembly line is open to the public for a small price.
JOSHUA BARONE
FAC
TO RY SA LONS
Factory Salons are monthly, informal open mic nights for new musical theatre songs. Each salon is curated
by an established musical theatre writer who invites two additional guests to perform featured sets from
whatever new shows they are working on.. At each salon, an established musical theatre composer, lyricist,
or writer curates an evening where two additional guest writers or writing teams are invited to join the host
in sharing short sets of material from a show they are working on. These community-building events provide
an open platform for all artists in the community to share their work, or to hear what others are working on.
For many, the Factory Salon serves as an introduction to the Factory and its mission.
The Musical Theater Factory is one of
the only places in New York City where
I feel safe enough to fail. That’s an epic
gift. The Factory Salons are an awesome way to see what’s going on
RIGHT NOW. It’s also given me the
courage to be a part of what’s
happening RIGHT NOW.
JOEL WAGGONER, FACTORY MEMBER,
MUSICAL THEATRE WRITER/PERFORMER
4In our
X 14x15
5 Series,
SERI
ES
we showcase four new shows by up-and-coming writers in four 15-minute staged presentations. The program allows writers to see a portion of their work fully staged and on its feet, free from the
constraints of music stands or hand-held scripts.. Each creative team has 5 hours to workshop the strongest (or most troublesome) excerpt of their piece with a cast of MTF volunteer performers. The 15-minute
selections are presented together before a public audience and a panel of industry professionals. By the
end of the spring 2015 season, the Factory will have assisted in the development of 40 new shows through
the 4x15 series.
As nervous as I was on Friday, by the time
I got into rehearsal on Sunday, I had become somewhat of a pro at the five hour
rehearsal process. That comes not so
much from me being any better, but from
the community that is being forged at the
Musical Theater Factory. Everyone was
working together, with passion and enthusiasm, to bring these new stories to life.
VISHAL VAIDYA, FACTORY MEMBER, ACTOR
DEVELOPMENTA
L RES IDENC IES
Developmental Residencies provide writers the unique opportunity to explore their work in a focused
manner under the guidance of the Artistic Director and a full creative team. Following an individualized
needs-assessment, the goals of any specific residency are crafted to support the maturation of the project,
and can range from a reading or choreography lab to a chance to try out new music arrangements. Many
writers are selected for Developmental Residencies after exhibiting potential at a 4x15. At the end of every
residency there is an invited showing of the work-in-progress. The showing may be open to the public or
restricted to Factory members and industry guests at the discretion of the writers, the creative team, and
the Artistic Director.
The beauty of the Factory is that by
removing the pressure from the presentation, you actually truly workshop
the piece. As silly as it sounds, we’ve
taken to calling the MTF space our
sandbox for these weeks. I think that
communicates the joy of what we’ve
been up to in that room.
ZOE SARNAK, FACTORY MEMBER,
COMPOSER OF THE YEARS BETWEEN
SMusical
HOWCASE
PROD U CTIO NS
Theatre Factory Showcase Productions represent the culmination of development work undertaken at the Factory. Presented under the Actors’ Equity Association Showcase Code, these performances are
presented with limited production enhancements, and are meant to demonstrate the potential of a fully
realized commercial or non-profit production. MTF has the goal of presenting
3 showcase productions annually, each with a 2 or 3 weekend run.
I literally wish every show I write
could go through the same process
as Boys Who Tricked Me. The first
reading gave me a deadline for a
finished product, and the showcase
production has allowed me to tweak
and hone the material in front of an
audience. It’s been nothing short of
invaluable. I went from having an idea
Shakina believed in to my first nice
write-up in the New York Times!
BEN BONNEMA, COMPOSER, BOOKWRITER,
LYRICIST OF BOYS WHO TRICKED ME
ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS
THE WRITERS GROUP
Meeting every other week, the MTF Writers’ Group currently includes 7 developing projects. Participants were
invited by the Artistic Director, who facilitates the group
meetings. MTF has committed to producing a reading,
concert, or workshop for every piece created in the group.
MASTER CLASSES
On occasion, MTF invites industry experts to offer intensive classes on their area of expertise. We hope to be able
to offer these programs to our members for free in coming seasons. Master classes have included Sheri Sanders’ ROCK THE AUDITION, and Austin Regan and Travis
Greisler’s THE ART OF THE CALLBACK, and we are currently
developing a BUSINESS OF THE BUSINESS master class
series with commercial producers Erica Rotstein (Broadway Across America) and Ryan Bogner (RKO Stage).
ORCHESTRAL READING SERIES
The Orchestral Reading Series presents large-scale (35
piece) orchestra readings of new musicals, and new/
unheard orchestrations of established musicals. The
mission of the series is to free composers and orchestrators from the traditional economical limitations of
instrumentation, and unlock new possibilities through a
fully-realized reading of their score.
SHORT MOVIE MUSICAL FESTIVAL
The MTF Short Movie Musical Festival features work by
established and early-career filmmakers working within
the movie musical genre. It also offers MTF composers
and writers a chance to collaborate with filmmakers on
the creation of new short movie musicals. The program
includes a festival roundtable with participating artists.
SING YOUR FAC*ING FACE OFF
At the beginning of each season MTF hosts a Sing Your
FAC*ing Face Off event. The event serves to facilitate
collaboration between the Factory’s volunteer performers and creative teams. Through a group-call process,
actors are invited to share two cuts of contrasting,
actable songs for an audience of musical theatre writers
who will be presenting work in the Factory’s upcoming
season. Many Factory writers work with performers
they meet at Sing Your FAC*ing Face Off throughout the
season and beyond.
The Musical Theatre Factory has given me a
platform to develop a really difficult piece in
a completely nurturing environment. I have
labored over A Strange Loop for 12 years and
in roughly 6 months I was able to shape it into
something ready to test its sea legs. I owe a
debt of gratitude to MTF for its creative energy
and artistic derring-do. NO ONE is doing the
vital work that MTF is doing. NO ONE.
MICHAEL R. JACKSON, FACTORY MEMBER,
MUSICAL THEATRE WRITER/PERFORMER
OUR MEMBERS
An MTF Member is someone who demonstrates their dedication to the development of New Musical Theatre through
volunteerism and event attendance. To qualify as a member, one must attend at least one MTF event and volunteer a
minimum of 4 hours. MTF members include writers, composers, performers, choreographers, directors, music directors, dramaturgs, designers, and producers. As of the spring 2015 season, MTF has over 180 members, with over 500
unique volunteers having contributed over 6,000 volunteer hours at the Factory.
VO
L UN T E E R LEA DERSH IP
SThePMTF
O NSponsorship
S OR S HIP
P R OGR AM
Currently, MTF operates on an entirely volunteer model
Program grew out of a Community
as we don’t yet have a budget for staff. In 2015 we
hope to be able to provide a moderate salary for two
full-time employees, as well as monthly metro card
stipends for our intern staff, and artist honoraria for
union performers (actors and musicians).
Brainstorm and offers friends of the Factory a way to
make low-level, one-time or monthly contributions that
help to offset our operational expenses. The sponsorship levels are graduated and include perks such as free
admission to events or factory merchandise.
SH AKINA NAY FAC K FOU ND I NG ARTISTIC DIR E C TO R
Shakina Nayfack is a director, choreographer, producer, and performance artist with a
passion for developing new work. Directing/Producing highlights: Ben Bonnema’s interactive song, story, and party-game cycle Boys Who Tricked Me at Musical Theatre Factory,
Jahn Sood’s The Disappearing Man at Cloud City, Bashir Lazhar (American premiere) at
Barrington Stage Company, The Poor Players by Dan LeFranc (Actors’ Theater of Santa
Cruz, World Premiere), Cosa Rara/Rare Thing by Butchlalis de Panochtitlan (Highways
Performance Space, World Premiere). Shakina’s autobiographical One Woman Show has
played Joe’s Pub, 54 Below, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, and Musical Theatre Factory.
Currently in development: JUNK, with the Swedish pop band Brainpool, Vestige, a new folk
opera by Andrew Lynch, and Post-Op, a companion piece to One Woman Show. Concerts
include Celebrating the Music of William Finn at Merkin Hall and Rebecca Naomi Jones’ American Songbook at Lincoln
Center, as well as numerous events at Joe’s Pub, 54 Below, and three years of Songs by Ridiculously Talented Composers and Lyricists you Probably Don’t Know but Should, with 2-time Tony winner William Finn at Barrington Stage Company. Also at BSC: Choreography for Mormons, Mothers, and Monsters, The Game, and Lord of the Flies. As Associate
Producer at Barrington Stage highlights include: Joe Iconis’ The Black Suits, Rajiv Joseph’s The North Pool, and Southern Comfort by Julianne Wick-Davis and Dan Collins, as well as cabarets with Tonya Pinkins, Joe Iconis and Family, Liz
and Anne Hampton Callaway, and composers Sam Salmond, Carmel Dean, Nikko Benson, Josh Freilich, Anna Jacobs,
and Michael R. Jackson. In addition to providing artistic and administrative leadership at MTF, Shakina also facilitates
the Factory Writers’ Group. BA UC Santa Cruz, MFA PhD UC Riverside. Member, SDC. www.shakina.nyc @shakeenz
DAN NY AB OS C H M A NAG I N G D I R E C TO R
Danny Abosch is a composer/lyricist whose musicals include Fancy Nancy The Musical
(Off-Broadway 2012-2014, National Tour 2013-2015, Cast Recording available on Ghostlight
Records), Placebo (winner of the 2012 PMTP Development Award, fully produced workshop
at the Pasadena Playhouse directed by Ryan Scott Oliver, additional workshops at the University of Michigan, Oklahoma City University, Emerson College, and Pace University), Off
The Wall (First Prize winner of NMI’s 2014 Search for New Musicals, upcoming workshop
and concert in Los Angeles), and Miles & Me (2014 workshop at the Musical Theatre Factory in NYC). Originally from Deerfield, IL, Danny is a graduate of the University of Michigan
(B.M. in Music Education), and of NYU’s M.F.A. Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program.
Danny studied musical theatre writing as one of twelve participants in the Johnny Mercer Songwriter’s Project at Northwestern University, where he worked closely with Broadway composers Lin-Manuel
Miranda and Craig Carnelia. Three of Danny’s songs have been chosen by William Finn for his concert series “Songs
By Ridiculously Talented Composers and Lyricists You Probably Don’t Know, But Should”. Danny’s music has been
featured on the TV shows “Dance Moms” and “Last Call With Carson Daly” as well as in the films “Waiting in the Wings”
and “Missed Connections”. His songs have been performed in many concert venues, including Joe’s Pub and 54 Below.
Danny lives in New York City and is currently working on two new musicals. dannyabosch.com
VOLUNTEER STAFF
PETER RAPP, INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ANDREW HANLEY, ASSISTANT MANAGING DIRECTOR
JORGE LOPEZ, ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE
MIRA MAGRILL, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSOCIATE
DENIS HORAN, ASSISTANT TO THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
MELISSA PELLERANO, ASSISTANT TO THE MANAGING DIRECTOR
MICHELLE DIMUZIO, GRAPHIC DESIGNER
BEN KEIPER, VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
VERONICA SHEA, MARKETING COORDINATOR
FRANK MANDA, SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
MAX TAMARKIN, MARKETING INTERN
ABBY CASE, INDIVIDUAL GIVING COORDINATOR
PRO F ES S IO N A L C O N SULTANTS
Professional Consultants serve as volunteer mentors and liaisons for our intern staff.
NICK LUCKENBAUGH, GRANT WRITING
ALISON PINKUS, MARKETING
PAUL BOONE, FINANCIAL CONSULTANT
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
RYAN BOGNER, PRODUCER, CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT, RKO STAGE
JANE ABRAMSON, PRODUCER, DISNEY THEATRICALS
CHIE MORITA, MANAGING DIRECTOR, NEW YORK NEO-FUTURISTS
MEGAN SAVAGE, BROADWAY PRODUCER
AUSTIN REGAN, DIRECTOR
ANNA GRACE CARTER, WRITER, EDUCATOR
TRAVIS GREISLER, DIRECTOR
ADVISORY BOARD
WILLIAM FINN, TONY AWARD WINNING COMPOSER AND LYRICIST
TONYA PINKINS, TONY AWARD WINNING PERFORMER
JOE ICONIS, MUSICAL THEATRE WRITER AND PERFORMER
REBECCA NAOMI JONES, BROADWAY PERFORMER
JENNIFER ASHLEY TEPPER, BROADWAY HISTORIAN AND PRODUCER
NATASHA SINHA, PRODUCER & DRAMATURG, LCT3 ASSOCIATE, LINCOLN CENTER THEATER
ERICA ROTSTEIN, PRODUCER, BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA
KATIE GAMELLI, ABRAMS ARTISTS AGENCY, LITERARY DIVISION
CINDY SIBILSKY, COMMERCIAL PRODUCER
RACHEL SUSSMAN, PRODUCER, CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT, RKO STAGE
ROBB NANUS, PRODUCER
250 WEST 40TH ST, 4TH FL, NYC
WWW.MTF.NYC