20th Annual Festival of New Musicals Announced

Press release

EAST HADDAM, Conn. (Dec. 4, 2025) – Come in from the cold and check out what’s hot at the 20th Annual Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals, Jan. 16-18, 2026. The much-anticipated three-day festival of brand-new works will light up the Goodspeed campus with a weekend filled with insider events, seminars, a cabaret, staged readings, and a special 20th Anniversary Festival Concert.

The Festival of New Musicals kicks off on Friday, Jan. 16, at The Goodspeed with a staged reading of Miss Hysteria. Inspired by true events, Miss Hysteria follows the wrongly institutionalized Louise Gleizes, a young actress in 19th-century Paris, who strikes a bargain to perform symptoms of “hysteria” for freedom and discovers the power—and peril—of owning her own story. It features a book and lyrics by Laura Schein & Ben Zeadman with music by Zeadman. Saturday, Jan. 17, will be highlighted by a staged reading of F Word, a heartwarming coming-of-age story about Tessa, a teenager on the brink of aging out of the foster care system, as she faces the future and finds family where she least expects it. Music and lyrics are by Alyssa Payne with a book by Sara Matin. The final day of the festival features Foolproof, a brassy, toe-tapping musical comedy that reimagines the Three Stooges as three sisters, Mo, Mary, and Curly, who land punches and punchlines in their effort to apprehend a notorious robber, claim the cash reward, and save their family boutique. It has a book by Megan Loughran & Sonya Hayden, lyrics by Loughran and music by Hayden. Additional festival events ― including seminars, an exclusive cabaret (an informal gathering showcasing new songs by new and established artists) and a special 20th Anniversary Festival Concert ― will round out this exciting weekend.

Single tickets for each reading are $30 and $15 for students. Single tickets are $20 for the Friday evening cabaret and $35 for the 20th Anniversary Festival Concert. Goodspeed’s ever-popular Festival Gold Package will offer patrons a weekend full of special events. The $156 package includes admission to all three staged readings, several festival seminars, the 20th Anniversary Festival Concert, and the Meet the Writers Q&A. The Festival Silver Package includes all three staged readings for just $81. Package holders are invited to add-on tickets to the Friday evening cabaret ($18 each) and 20th Anniversary Festival Concert ($30 each). Package holders and those with single tickets can add on the Saturday evening pre-show dinner at the Gelston House for $36 per person. Single show tickets and festival packages are available through the Goodspeed Box Office (860.873.8668), open weekdays at 10:00 a.m. and weekends at 11:00 a.m. Single show tickets can also be purchased online at www.goodspeed.org.

“We are proud to mark the 20th anniversary of our Festival of New Musicals. Over the past two decades, the festival has launched more than 50 new musicals, including the Tony-winning sensation Come From Away, Band Geeks! and The Snow Goose, which will premiere on The Goodspeed stage next summer. I am humbled that the festival, which was a simple idea 20 years ago, has now become a major industry event showcasing incredibly talented writers and their new musicals,” said Donna Lynn Hilton, Goodspeed’s Artistic Director.

“I can’t wait to experience my first festival. I’ve heard so many fabulous stories about the weekend, the energy of the writers, performers, and the audience. New work is essential to the future of musical theatre, and Donna Lynn’s vision, paired with Goodspeed’s commitment to nurturing it, is one of the reasons I’m so proud to be here. I’m especially looking forward to meeting the Friends, an extraordinary group of donors who champion the Festival of New Musicals and our new works. I know people won’t want to miss out on being part of the creation of a new musical because there’s nothing quite like seeing a story come to life from the very beginning. Please ask how you can become a Friend,” said Vanessa Logan, Goodspeed’s Managing Director.

The Goodspeed festival offers new and established artists the rare opportunity to thoroughly work on their projects with the help of Goodspeed’s renowned resources and within its artistic environment. Preparations for the festival begin on Jan. 5 when the three teams of writers and composers arrive on the Goodspeed campus and dedicate their time to further writing and composing their musicals in development. They are joined by musical theatre students from The Hartt School and Western Connecticut State University who take part in rehearsals and continued development of the material. The intensive retreat culminates with Goodspeed’s Festival of New Musicals, which showcases staged readings of the new musicals developed during the two-week program.

The Festival of New Musicals is part of Goodspeed Musicals’ Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre. Created in 2002, Goodspeed’s Showalter Center inspires and nurtures musical theatre artists and students by providing a unique and comprehensive range of training and educational programs to serve both the national and local academic communities.

The 2026 festival is sponsored by the Burry Fredrik Foundation; The Richard P Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation; The Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; The Jessica Waldman Thompson Endowment in Support of The Festival of New Musicals; and the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts. Additional support for the festival is from our in-kind sponsors: Sennheiser and United Airlines.

Lodging and dining information for festival attendees as well as up-to-date information on the weekend’s events can be found at www.goodspeed.org.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE THREE STAGED READINGS AND SCHEDULE OF SPECIAL EVENTS FOR FESTIVAL PACKAGE HOLDERS

Friday, Jan. 16
Miss Hysteria
7:30 p.m. | The Goodspeed
Book & Lyrics by Laura Schein & Ben Zeadman
Music by Ben Zeadman

Inspired by true events, Miss Hysteria follows Louise Gleizes, a young actress in 19th-century Paris who is unjustly confined to a notorious mental institution. To secure her freedom, she strikes a bargain with the ambitious neurologist Dr. Charcot: to perform the symptoms of “hysteria” in his sensational public spectacles. As show and reality collide, Louise discovers the power—and peril—of owning her own story.

Festival Cabaret: Rona Siddiqui
10:00 p.m. | Gelston House

Grammy-nominated artist Rona Siddiqui is a composer/lyricist whose work has earned her the prestigious Kleban Prize for lyric writing, Jonathan Larson Grant and Billie Burke Ziegfeld award. Rona’s cabaret will feature music from her show THE BROWN MUSICAL: A New Brown Musical, an autobiographical comedy about growing up bi-ethnic in America. Learn more about Rona here: ronasiddiqui.com

Saturday, Jan. 17
Seminar Sessions
1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. | Gelston House
Seminar titles will be announced at a later date.

Festival Dinner
5:30 p.m. | Gelston House
Enjoy a three-course meal with fellow festival-goers.

F Word
7:30 p.m. | The Goodspeed
Music & Lyrics by Alyssa Payne
Book by Sara Matin

On the brink of her eighteenth birthday, Tessa faces the reality of aging out of the foster care system and starting a life of her own. With a contemporary musical theatre score, F Word is a heartwarming coming-of-age story about facing the future and finding family where you least expect.

20th Anniversary Festival Concert
9:30 p.m. | The Goodspeed

We're celebrating 20 years of Goodspeed's Festival of New Musicals with a very special concert featuring songs from the presentations you've loved sung by the amazing performers you've seen on our stage.

Sunday, Jan. 18
Foolproof
1:00 p.m. | The Goodspeed
Book by Megan Loughran & Sonya Hayden
Lyrics by Megan Loughran
Music by Sonya Hayden

Foolproof is a brassy, toe-tapping musical comedy that reimagines the Three Stooges as three sisters. Mo, Mary, and Curly work at a movie theatre in zany 1930s Brooklyn, which they must save from foreclosure by capturing a notorious robber and claiming the reward. Full of mix-ups, mayhem, and mistaken identities, the trio’s bonds are tested as they land punches and punchlines.

Meet The Writers Q&A
3:30 p.m. | The Goodspeed

The festival weekend culminates in a question-and-answer session with some of the writers and creative teams behind Miss Hysteria, F Word and Foolproof.

ABOUT THE WRITERS

Miss Hysteria
Laura Schein (Book & Lyrics) is an actor/writer/lyricist and winner of the 2023 ASCAP Foundation Lucille & Jack Yellen Award. She is the co-creator (book/lyrics) of the musical Emojiland (NYTimes Critics’ Pick; Richard Rodgers Award Finalist; Drama Desk, Lortel, OCC nominations) and originated the role of Smize. She co-wrote songs for Disney’s Emmy-nominated Mickey Saves Christmas (HMMA nomination), the Paramount+ film Honor Society, and co-wrote the Oscar-shortlisted Kelly Clarkson/Janelle Monáe duet “Unbreakable” for UglyDolls. With Ben Zeadman, she is developing Miss Hysteria (2025 O’Neill NMTC Finalist; 2023 ASCAP Workshop). A Chicago native, Laura graduated Magna Cum Laude from Northwestern University.

Ben Zeadman (Book, Lyrics & Music) is a composer, writer, and lyricist and the recipient of the 2023 ASCAP Foundation Lucille & Jack Yellen Award. He composed the 2019 Student Academy Award semifinalist short musical Marriage Material, acquired by Fox Searchlight and now in feature development with Fifth Season. Ben is also the composer and co-lyricist for Disney’s Emmy-nominated stop-motion special Mickey Saves Christmas (2023 HMMA nomination) and composed the score for Paramount’s Honor Society. He created the award-winning musical It Takes Two and wrote songs for Off-Broadway’s The Next Stop. With Laura Schein, he is developing Miss Hysteria (2025 O’Neill NMTC Finalist; 2023 ASCAP Workshop).

F Word
Sara Matin (Book) is dedicated to the mission that theater should enrich the communities of the stories it tells. She works as a writer, producer, and director and has recently been hired to work with Christopher Newport University, The Dramatists Guild Foundation, 54 Below, The Tank, and Chandler-Gilbert College. She is currently studying with the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop as a lyricist and is thrilled to be continuing the development of F Word at Goodspeed Musicals. Sara would like to say a ‘thank-you-to-the-moon-and-back’ to Alyssa, the cast and production team, and her family.

Alyssa Payne (Music & Lyrics) is a New York–based composer, lyricist, and performer whose work blends humor, honesty, and heart. Her one-woman musical Extra Crispy—a comedic exploration of burnout and artistic survival—was commissioned by Forestburgh Playhouse and debuted at Joe’s Pub in April. Her writing credits include F Word (Christopher Newport University), Broadway’s Never Been More Alive (Theatrely), and commercial jingles for brands such as Mattel and Swiffer. A finalist for the Write Out Loud Competition, she has participated in the Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project and is a member of the BMI Lehman Engel Workshop. She assisted Shaina Taub on Suffs on Broadway and has built an audience of 300k+ online. @alyssathepayne

Foolproof
Sonya Hayden (Book & Music) is a NYC-based composer, lyricist, librettist, and playwright. Recipient of the MAC John Wallowitch Songwriting Award, NAMT Writers Residency Grant, Kurt Weill Foundation Songbook Award, ScreenCraft Play Competition Mentorship Prize, ASCAP Plus Award, Legacy Theatre Residency, Vermont Studio Center Fellowship. Finalist: Kleban Prize, DGF Fellows. Semi-Finalist: O’Neill National Music Theater Conference. Her musicals include Foolproof (Lincoln Center Library’s Across a Crowded Room Fellowship), Taking Off! (Michigan State University’s New Musical Lab), and Wanda Does the Water Cycle (licensed by MTI/Theatre Now). Member: BMI Workshop, Dramatists Guild, ASCAP. Masters in Playwriting, University of Edinburgh; B.A. Music, Princeton. sonyahayden.com @sonyahayden11

Megan Loughran (Book &Lyrics) is a lyricist, bookwriter, playwright, and performer based in New York City. As a writer: The Silverfish (Urban Stages); F Theory co-written with Alex Trow (World Premiere: New Jersey Rep); writer on The 2020 Tony Awards; head writer on Broadway Does Mother’s Day (Broadway.com). As a performer: Falsettos (nat’l tour); Sweeney Todd (NY Philharmonic); winner of the Champions' Edition of NYC’s Cabaret Showdown. As an improviser: Chicago City Limits (Nat’l Touring co.). Megan’s first job was designing elaborate scavenger hunts for clients like Amex, Tiffany’s, and the Department of Homeland Security. (That’s real.) She’s a graduate of Yale despite having misspelled the word “achievement” on her application. meganloughran.com @meg_loughran

Festival Cabaret: Rona Siddiqui
Grammy-nominated artist Rona Siddiqui is a composer/lyricist whose work has earned her the prestigious Kleban Prize for lyric writing, Jonathan Larson Grant and Billie Burke Ziegfeld award. Rona’s cabaret will feature music from her show THE BROWN MUSICAL: A New Brown Musical, an autobiographical comedy about growing up bi-ethnic in America. Learn more about Rona here: ronasiddiqui.com