This spring, for the first time, the National Music Theater Institute (NMTI) will be offered as a stand alone semester program, offering students a robust, specialized curriculum taught by working professionals to build practical skills needed to thrive as a music theater performer. Led by Tony-nominee Alexander Gemignani, Artistic Director of the National Music Theater Conference at the O’Neill, you will receive an intentional, high-level educational experience through the lens of professional rigor. NMTI will help you build greater confidence in your performance craft and provide you with tools to help meet the demands of the professional music theater industry.

We are accepting applications for NMTI Spring 2026 through October 20th, 2025.

QUESTIONS?  Contact us at ntirep@theoneill.org.   

If the $30 application fee poses a financial barrier to you, please contact ntirep@theoneill.org before you begin your application.

If you have any technical issues or questions about the submission form, please contact Submittable directly through this link: https://www.submittable.com/help/submitter

Application Instructions

Please complete your application by 11:59pm PST on Wednesday, October 8, 2025. Early submissions are strongly encouraged. Please review the 2026 NMTC Application Guide and eligibility requirements, listed below, before starting your application. This form will request the following materials:

• Contact and Demographic Information: Your name, email address, telephone number, physical address, and optional demographic information will be requested. 
• 30-Page Script Sample (PDF):  This must be the first 30 pages of your book. You'll need to include a full track list with every song in your musical—even numbers that you are not submitting as demos or fall outside of the script sample. Please also include a character breakdown that lists vocal and/or instrumental requirements, doubling schemes, and any other necessary identifying traits. Your character breakdown, track list, and any other relevant introductory front matter—setting, notes, etc—will not count against the 30-page limit. Please do not forget to include page numbers. 
• Five Demo Tracks (MP3): You must include the track number and song title in the name of each file. These must be MP3 files. You are welcome to include tracks that fall outside your 30-page script sample, but please upload them in show order. You may submit fewer than five demos if you wish. We also provide space for you to credit the artists in your demos if applicable. 
• Developmental Goals (150-500 words): This should detail your goals for the future development of the piece, with special attention to what you hope to accomplish at NMTC. We encourage you to be as specific as possible, and include every component of your piece: book, music, and lyrics.
• Developmental History (150-500 words): If applicable, you will be asked to provide a developmental history of your play that includes any prior readings, staged readings, or workshops.
• Synopsis (150-500 words): This should be a brief summary of your piece. 
• Biographical Statements (150-500 words): Please focus on your background as writers and/or theater makers.  
• Cast Size: Please list the cast size for your piece and any additional notes about casting. Please note that this year, the maximum cast size for NMTC is 12 total actors per musical. We will not accept or consider pieces that require 13 or more actors. 
• Additional Information: If you are adapting a work that is not in the public domain, you will be asked to upload proof of your permission to adapt this material. 
• Administrative Fee: The administrative fee for the 2026 National Music Theater Conference is $15. This fee helps offset the costs associated with the organization and administration of NMTC: the submission platform, application processing, materials review, and more. If this fee poses a barrier to you, please fill out this form to request a fee waiver before you begin your application.

Eligibility Requirements

• You must be 18 years of age or older and have the right to work within the United States.
• You must be the sole author or authors of the piece you are submitting to NMTC, and the exclusive owner of all rights to the musical. You may submit an original or adapted work, provided that the rights to any material not in the public domain have been granted in writing and a copy of the release is submitted with your application.
• Your piece must not have had a professional production, or be licensed or optioned to have a professional production, prior to July 31, 2026. If you have any questions about this, please visit our website FAQs for more information. If your question is not answered there, please reach out to the O'Neill literary office at litoffice@theoneill.org.
• If your piece has previously received—or is scheduled to receive—a developmental workshop, reading, or staged reading prior to July 31, 2026, you must disclose that information in your NMTC application. If your piece receives a workshop, reading, staged reading, or is optioned after submitting your application, please inform the literary office via email at litoffice@theoneill.org as soon as possible. Failure to do so could impact your application's standing.
• Cast size: This year, the maximum cast size for NMTC is 12 total actors per musical. We cannot accept or consider musicals that require 13 or more actors. We wish to be transparent that this is a new requirement due to space limitations on the O'Neill campus. Please see the FAQs on our website for additional information. 
• Please note that all O’Neill artists, staff, and volunteers—including selected NMTC writers—are required to submit a negative COVID-19 PCR or rapid antigen test to the Company Management Office within 24 hours of their arrival to the O'Neill campus. 
• NMTC has no specific requirements regarding the form or content of your piece. We support the development of all styles and genres of musical theater featuring original music, including song cycles, operas, and experimental works. Jukebox and catalog musicals are ineligible for consideration.
• Only complete applications will be accepted. If we discover an error or omission in your application, the O'Neill will contact you through Submittable. You will have 48 hours to correct your materials. If your application is not corrected in that time, it will be withdrawn from consideration and your fee will not be refunded.

Questions?

• If we discover an error in your application, the O'Neill will contact you through Submittable. You will have 48 hours to correct your materials. If your application is not corrected, it will be withdrawn from consideration and your fee will not be refunded. Otherwise, please expect to hear from us by March 2026 with an application status update.
• If you have any technical questions regarding the submission form, your login information, or payment, please contact Submittable directly through THIS LINK.  
• If you have any questions regarding your application's content, please visit the NMTC Frequently Asked Questions that can be accessed on our website. If the FAQ page does not answer your question please contact the O'Neill literary office at litoffice@theoneill.org.