'Glee's' Darren Criss is Spokesperson for Musical Contest

Darren Criss can now add spokesperson to his growing list of jobs, in addition to actor, singer, musician, and lyricist. The 25-year-old will represent the Los Angeles Festival of New American Musicals' 2012 "Show Search," a contest seeking the best new musical written by young Americans.

Many may think Criss first came to fame thanks to leading a rendition of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" on the TV show "Glee," but his breakout role was actually of his own making.

After graduating from the University of Michigan, Criss and his friends founded a media and musical theater production in 2009. Its shows "A Very Potter Musical" and "A Very Potter Sequel," parodies based on the Harry Potter novels with music and lyrics by Criss, went viral and have been viewed more than 100 million times on YouTube. 

To enter "Show Search," high school and college-age applicants need to submit a ten-minute original musical, which will be critiqued by a panel of musical theater professionals in terms of storytelling, musicality, and originality.

There will be a "Top Twelve" list, six from the two age groups, 13-18 year olds and 18-25 year olds. A celebrity panel will select six submissions from that list. The finalists will have the chance to be mentored by a Broadway composer and perform their musical in a live concert presentation in Los Angeles

Entries may be uploaded to YouTube and are accepted until April 15. Visit for the contest's website for more details.