Another opening, another closing—the 2016 New York Musical Festival (NYMF) has officially ended, punctuating its successful run with an awards ceremony that found Broadway stars and newbies alike being recognized for their work.
Among the better-known names who took home awards are Tony winner Victoria Clark, for directing, and former “Dames at Sea” diva Lesli Margherita, for her work in “A Scythe of Time.” The fest’s breakout was “Newton’s Cradle,” written by Heath and Kim Saunders and directed by Victoria Clark. And don’t worry if you missed any of the shows—this festival has proved to be a launching pad for plenty of popular musicals, including “[title of show]” and Pulitzer Prize-winning “Next to Normal.”
A full list of winners can be found below, and for more information about the festival, visit www.nymf.org.
BEST MUSICAL
Newton’s Cradle – Music By Heath Saunders, Lyrics by Heath & Kim Saunders
OUTSTANDING OVERALL DESIGN
A Scythe of Time – Scenic Design by Starlet Jacobs, Costume Design by Lindsay McWilliams, Lighting Design by Nick Solyom, Sound Design by David Margolin Lawson, Projection Design by Dan Scully
OUTSTANDING MUSICAL ARRANGEMENTS AND ORCHESTRATIONS
Dust Can’t Kill Me – Max Gordon & DJ Stanfill
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY
Andrew Palermo, Nickel Mines
OUTSTANDING BOOK
Aya Aziz, Eh Dah? Questions for My Father
OUTSTANDING LYRICS
Heath and Kim Saunders, Newton’s Cradle
OUTSTANDING MUSIC
Elliah Heifetz, Dust Can’t Kill Me
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Elizabeth A. Davis, Dust Can’t Kill Me
Trent Saunders, Newton’s Cradle
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A LEADING ROLE
Lesli Margherita, A Scythe of Time
Andrea Jones-Sojola, Newton’s Cradle
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE
Dust Can’t Kill Me – Michael Castillejos, Richard Crandle, Elizabeth A. Davis, Adrian Blake Enscoe, Kathryn Gallagher, Paul Hinkes
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION
Victoria Clark, Newton’s Cradle
OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE AWARDS
Aya Aziz, Eh Dah? Questions for My Father
Adrian Blake Enscoe, Dust Can’t Kill Me
Rosemary Fossee, The First Church of Mary, the Repentant Prostitute’s Fifth Annual Benefit Concert, Revival and Pot Luck Dinner
Michael Graceffa, The Last Word
Brandon Malafronte, LUDO’s Broken Bride
April Ortiz, Children of Salt
Rachel Kara Perez, Newton’s Cradle
Sabina Petra, Forest Boy
Tony Sheldon, ICON
Phili Jackson Smith, The Last Word
SPECIAL CITATIONS
Best Performance by a Last-Minute Understudy – Alex Gudhe, A Scythe of Time
Fight Choreography – Mick Bleyer, The Gold
Social Relevance and Impact – Andrew Palermo, Dan Dyer, Shannon Stoeke; Nickel Mines
Outstanding Emerging Artist – Jaime Jarrett, Normativity
Outstanding Family-Friendly Show – Camp Rolling Hills and Tink!
Created by the NYMF Board of Directors’Executive Committee, the Executive Committee wishes to acknowledge the outstanding productions of Camp Rolling Hills and Tink! for engaging our younger audience members. This significantly supports our mission to ensure the future vitality of musical theater.
Want to sing and dance and act and maybe pick up ana ward yourself? Browse our theater audition listings! And watch the video below for some stellar singing advice!