Running through August 15, the festival will bring to life new musicals through readings, studio presentations and labs. The participating performers include Kurt Beattie, Eric Ankrim, Allen Fitzpatrick, Séan G. Griffin, Louis Hobson, Suzy Hunt, Isaiah Johnson, Andy Karl, Kendra Kassebaum, Justin Gregory Lopez, Susannah Mars, Wade McCollum, Brandon O’Neill, Mari Nelson, Kyle Scatliffe and Greg Stone among many others. Highlights of the festival include Something Wicked This Way Comes, the musical adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s 1962 cult novel of the same name, with a book by Brian Hill and music and lyrics by Neil Bartram; as well as Beatsville, which features a book by Broadway's School of Rock lyricist Glen Slater. The new work takes place in 1959 in Greenwich Village, where a wannabe artist impresses a group of beatniks with his accidental "masterpiece," a dead cat hidden in a lump of clay.

The 5th Avenue Theatre is well known for supporting and nurturing new works in musical theatre. Since 2002, the company has produced nine Broadway-bound premieres and earned a combined 15 Tony Awards. For more information visit 5thAveTheatre.

NextFest is not open to the general public but Artist Circle Members are able to gain access. To learn more about becoming an Artist’s Circle Member, call 206-625-1418.