Kokandy Productions is pleased to open submissions for the 2025 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival (CMTF), returning April 3 – 6, 2025 on The Chopin Theatre Mainstage, 1543 W. Division St. in Chicago. Five finalists will be chosen to perform concert presentations during the 2025 Festival, a vital opportunity for new musical development in Chicago.
Submission guidelines, FAQs and applications can be found at kokandyproductions.com/cmtf. The deadline for submissions is Sunday, February 2, 2025. There is no fee to apply for or participate in the Festival. Finalists will be announced in early March 2025.
Now in its 8th year, CMTF was created with the belief that there's a wealth of musical theatre creators in Chicago and around the country, but the high risks of producing new musicals offers limited opportunities for emerging authors to have their work seen and heard. CMTF is designed to provide much-needed artistic resources for writers to have their work supported, explored, and most importantly – performed!
Festival Producer Nicholas Reinhart comments, "In a world dominated by rehashed and 'rebooted' IP, it is an immense pleasure to support new musical theatre writers in bringing their original work to life, often for the very first time. During our exciting run at Steppenwolf in 2024, it was clear Chicago audiences are hungry for new work, and we are eager to continue to uplift and celebrate a new generation of talent this April at our home at The Chopin Theatre."
Since its inception in 2014 by Underscore Theatre Company, CMTF has brought 55 new musicals to Chicago stages. Following a four-year hiatus, CMTF returned last year under the stewardship of Kokandy Productions. During its first year back, the Festival received over 100 submissions, culminating in five concert presentations as part of Steppenwolf Theatre's LookOut Series.
Tickets for the 2025 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival will go on sale at a later date.
About Kokandy Productions
Founded in 2010, Kokandy Productions seeks to leverage the heightened reality of musical theatre to tell complex and challenging stories, with a focus on contributing to the development of Chicago-based musical theatre artists, and raising the profile of Chicago's non-Equity musical theatre community.
The company's artistic staff is comprised of Derek Van Barham (Producing Artistic Director), Scot T. Kokandy (Executive Producer) and Adrian Abel Azevedo & Leda Hoffman (Artistic Associates). The Board of Directors includes Preston Cropp, Scot T. Kokandy, Danielle Sparklin and Katie Svaicer.
