The New York Musical Theatre Festival was discussed in 2003 and made reality in 2004. It’s been called “the Sundance for musical theatre,” where productions can start off and find an audience and financial backers.
 
 
“Theater” at About.com
The New York Musical Theatre Festival - or NYMF, as it is being called - was born at a roundtable in late 2003, attended by New York’s key resident musical theatre companies including Musical Theatre Works, the York Theatre, the National Alliance for Musical Theater, Amas, Genesius Guild, BMI, and ASCAP. The idea of all of these companies coming together for a city-wide event that will demonstrate the excitement and diversity of New York’s musical theater community has been enthusiastically endorsed.
   
New York Musical Theatre Festival
WELCOME TO THE 2006
NEW YORK MUSICAL
THEATRE FESTIVAL
SEPTEMBER 10—OCTOBER1
 
Hailed as “the Sundance for musical theatre” and the largest musical theatre event in the world, the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) has taken over midtown with 312 performances, thirty four full productions, a slate of readings and workshops and more than two dozen concerts, parties, special events, seminars and master classes. The ’06 Festival runs the theatrical gamut from hip hop and freestyle rap to dance musicals; from traditional musical comedies to edgy satires to epic, heroic tales. And everything in between ..
 
About NYMF
Musical Theatre is more than just o­ne of NYC’s greatest tourist attractions – it is part of the life blood of this city, a thriving representation of the energy of New York.

For a full breakdown of the 2004 Festival -
• 332 Performances
• 17,300 Audience Members Attended Shows in Total
• 75% of seats sold
• of 23,066 seats available, 17, 300 sold
• o­ne third of the shows sold out, many before even opening.
• Five shows were extended either through NYMF or independently.
• 26 total performance venues including but not limited
to The Belt, Beckett, The Tank, Upstairs @ 54, China Club, AMC
on 42nd Street, Symphony Space, Birdland, Donnell Library, Duplex,
HERE and Ars Nova
• 141 total number of events
• 11 FREE EVENTS
• 46 Concerts
• 31 World Premier Productions
• 7 Seminars
• 39 movies
• 6 Museum of TV and Radio showings

NYMF infused $2.5 million in economic activity to New York City according to Americans for the Arts. This number does not include the indirect revenue generated by the festival’s year round activities. In addition to the direct economic activity generated by the Festival, the event supported tourism in New York City by attracting thousands of visitors, who came from 42 states and 8 foreign countries.