EPISODE · Mar 24, 2026 · 20 MIN
S5E3 Challenge Winners: LEELA KUMAR with Guest Host ANDREA DALY
from New@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre · host National Alliance for Musical Theatre
🎭 Welcome to NEW@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre Writers!This season, we’re thrilled to bring you NEW@NAMT Season 5, featuring the talented winners of the Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge for High School Students presented by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), in partnership with the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT), Concord Theatricals, Disney Theatrical Productions, the NMPA S.O.N.G.S. Foundation and the Biller Family Foundation. Each episode takes you inside the creative process with these inspiring young songwriters as they share their original songs, stories, and experiences from Winners Weekend in New York City, where their work was fully orchestrated and performed live by Broadway professionals.Join host Jean-Paul Yovanoff from Musical Theatre Radio, alongside a rotating cast of Songwriting Challenge Program Mentors, Orchestrators and Artists as guest co-hosts. Together, they guide conversations with these emerging voices, providing insight into the future of musical theatre.🎶 In this episode, we talk to Leela Kumar about her song “Dancing Through A Dream” from her musical of the same name. Alongside co-host Andrea Daly, Leela discusses her writing process, collaborating with other young musical theatre writers, and what it felt like to hear her song live for the first time during Winners Weekend. Whether you're a producer, a theatre lover, or simply curious about the next generation of musical theatre creators, NEW@NAMT gives you a front-row seat to the future of musical theatre.It’s time to lower the lights, raise the curtain, and LX1 Go! 🎭Follow NAMT: https://linktr.ee/namtpicsFollow Musical Theatre Radio: https://www.instagram.com/musicaltheatreradio/More about NAMT: https://namt.org/More about Musical Theatre Radio: https://www.musicaltheatreradio.com/For more information on the Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge, visit https://namt.org/challenge/Watch Challenge Accepted! Featuring the Winning Songs: https://youtu.be/sgVucNmcEnQ?si=XYWEpexOwqhHwjjZ Watch “Dancing Through A Dream” from the Winning Concert: https://youtu.be/zed3S31e2uc?si=MSJ2hF9663debSFR
What this episode covers
🎭 Welcome to NEW@NAMT: The Next Wave of Musical Theatre Writers!This season, we’re thrilled to bring you NEW@NAMT Season 5, featuring the talented winners of the Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge for High School Students presented by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), in partnership with the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT), Concord Theatricals, Disney Theatrical Productions, the NMPA S.O.N.G.S. Foundation and the Biller Family Foundation. Each episode takes you inside the creative process with these inspiring young songwriters as they share their original songs, stories, and experiences from Winners Weekend in New York City, where their work was fully orchestrated and performed live by Broadway professionals.Join host Jean-Paul Yovanoff from Musical Theatre Radio, alongside a rotating cast of Songwriting Challenge Program Mentors, Orchestrators and Artists as guest co-hosts. Together, they guide conversations with these emerging voices, providing insight into the future of musical theatre.🎶 In this episode, we talk to Leela Kumar about her song “Dancing Through A Dream” from her musical of the same name. Alongside co-host Andrea Daly, Leela discusses her writing process, collaborating with other young musical theatre writers, and what it felt like to hear her song live for the first time during Winners Weekend. Whether you're a producer, a theatre lover, or simply curious about the next generation of musical theatre creators, NEW@NAMT gives you a front-row seat to the future of musical theatre.It’s time to lower the lights, raise the curtain, and LX1 Go! 🎭Follow NAMT: https://linktr.ee/namtpicsFollow Musical Theatre Radio: https://www.instagram.com/musicaltheatreradio/More about NAMT: https://namt.org/More about Musical Theatre Radio: https://www.musicaltheatreradio.com/For more information on the Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge, visit https://namt.org/challenge/Watch Challenge Accepted! Featuring the Winning Songs: https://youtu.be/sgVucNmcEnQ?si=XYWEpexOwqhHwjjZ Watch “Dancing Through A Dream” from the Winning Concert: https://youtu.be/zed3S31e2uc?si=MSJ2hF9663debSFR
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S5E3 Challenge Winners: LEELA KUMAR with Guest Host ANDREA DALY
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