As a professional, year-round musical theatre largely focused on producing lesser-known and new musicals, The Winter Park Playhouse believes wholeheartedly in the importance of fostering the development of new works. Thus the Playhouse created and launched The Florida Festival Festival of New Musicals in 2017.

The Florida Festival of New Musicals has been created to advance and elevate the original American art form of musical theatre by fostering the development of new musicals and the artistic growth of writers and composers.

The festival will showcase six brand new, never-before-produced musical works and will bring together writers and composers from around the nation, with patrons, artists, press, producers and directors. The first act of each selected musical will be fully read and sung concert-style, without staging, by varying casts of professional actors and musicians. Patrons will have the unique and exciting opportunity to see musicals in the early stages of development and offer valuable feedback to the writers in a post-reading talkback.

The festival is led by Playhouse Artistic Director Roy Alan. It is the only one of its kind in the region, similar to musical theatre festivals featuring new works that take place in New York City, Seattle, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. It provides a unique insight into how a new musical comes to life.

Each submitted application will be read, evaluated and critiqued by a panel of industry professionals. The panel will make their final selection of six musicals in March. Along with members of the artistic community, the general public is encouraged and invited to attend and be engaged in this unique and exciting theatrical experience.

General admission
(single ticket for the reading of one new musical)
$10

Florida Festival Fun Pass
(Purchase 6 readings and only pay for 5!)
$50

To purchase festival tickets, click on the button above or call the box office at 407-645-0145. The online ticketing system will automatically apply the Festival Fun Pass pricing to your cart after you have selected a performance of each new musical.

Ciao Bambino

Music, Lyrics, & Book by Elizabeth Allen Turner (Miami, Florida)
Orchestrations & Arranging by Andreas Häberlin (Berlingen, Switzerland)

An original Italian-American, family-friendly musical, the music and lyrics of Ciao Bambino were composed by Elizabeth Turner whose great-grandparents arrived at Ellis Island from Italy, providing her with unique insight into the Italian immigrant experience and inspiring her to craft a uniquely cultural musical.

Khan!!! The Musical! An Unauthorized Parody TREK-tacular

Music, Lyrics, & Book by Brent Black (Philadelphia, PA)
Co-conceived and additional material by Alina Morgan (New York, NY)

It is 2366, and Data the android is presenting his campy musical adaptation of The Wrath of Khan. In this sci-fi send-up, an older Captain Kirk is experiencing a "coming of middle age" story when his nemesis Khan escapes exile and vows revenge. The ensuing cat-and-mouse game sparks an adventure that includes Vulcan tap dancing, Kirk's long-lost son (a William Shatner impersonator), and of course... mutant space chickens!

Naked: The Musical

Book & Lyrics by Germaine Shames (Tucson, AZ)
Music by Tareq Abuissa (Madison, WI)

When a second-tier American art museum unexpectedly receives Manet's Le Dejeuner Sur L'Herbe on loan for a landmark exhibition, the curator's wife learns a lesson in art history, l'amour, and the necessity of following one's dreams.

Thirty Seconds: A Musical

Book & Lyrics by Michael Rogers (New York, NY)
Music by Bill Wandel (Howell, MI)

It's the 1950s and a virtuous young adman becomes an advertising wunderkind, revolutionizing the business as he champions truth in advertising, only to fall victim to his own big lie, taking credit for the ideas of his secretary.

Stone Crossed

Music, Lyrics, & Book by Philip David Stern (Burlington, VT)

In the land of Arkose, a great glacier divides two groups of people. Both groups have been told through the ages not to cross the trembling fault line in fear of the other. When young Stoney accidentally crosses into the other group's territory, he meets Jewel and their lives are changed forever. After deciding to run away, circumstances arise leaving Stoney and Jewel each in crisis. In the end, through the help of a healer, both sides realize they must come together and walk into the future as one, leaving their past behind.

The Goldilocks Variations

Concept by Steve Wolf (Seattle, WA)
Music by Charles Baker (Everett, WA)
Book and Lyrics by Steve Wolf and Charles Baker

Goldilocks and the 3 Bears relate their story in 4 different ways to a reporter whose job is on the line. The story of the encounter with Goldilocks reveals that the Bear family is in crisis, Papa and Mama Bear's marriage is strained, and Junior is desperate to leave home. With a nod to Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon, the story changes depending on who is telling the tale.

The Winter Park Playhouse, Central Florida's professional musical theatre, is holding auditions for Equity & Non-Equity performers for its 5th Annual Florida Festival of New Musicals, running June 23-26, 2022.

Click here to see the character breakdowns by show.

The Winter Park Playhouse is committed to the practice of inclusive casting and is seeking professional Equity and Non-Equity musical theatre performers of all races, ethnicities and genders for non-staged readings of six new musicals. Housing is not provided.

Auditions will be held, in-person by appointment only, at The Winter Park Playhouse (711 Orange Ave., Suite C, Winter Park, FL 32789).

For an appointment, call (407) 645-0145.

Tuesday, April 12, 2022: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday, April 19, 2022: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Audition requirements:

• 16-32 bars of an up-tempo AND a ballad (musical theatre pieces preferred)
• One-minute comic monologue
• Headshot and resume (2 copies)

The Winter Park Playhouse is an inclusive organization and an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including age, race, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status or veteran status, the presence of a non-job-related handicap, genetic information or any other legally protected status.

The Winter Park Playhouse is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization and is proudly affiliated with the Actors' Equity Association, the professional union of stage actors and stage managers, and the National Alliance of Musical Theatres.