About Us

Click here to download the 2012 Festival General Information Brochure.

Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival, produced by Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, premieres in 2012, showcasing musical theatre from on, off and beyond Broadway at three venues dedicated exclusively to bringing you the finest that musical theatre has to offer.  Experience a diverse offering of musical theatre productions, ranging from revivals of the most storied classics to cutting-edge experiments.

Enjoy the Festival in the perfect setting of the Finger Lakes.  Already home to a thriving theatrical community, the region boasts nationally-known wineries, luxury spas, crystal blue lakes, great restaurants, and historical treasures.

Altogether, Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival will offer you the best of everything that contemporary musical theatre has to offer...whether On, Off, or Beyond Broadway.

So start planning your trip now.  Your seats are waiting.

Click here to view a video that will provide you with an introduction to Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival

History

The idea for Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival grew out of a conversation between a small group of local business, philanthropic and governmental leaders and Merry-Go-Round Playhouse.

The Festival was incorporated in 2007 and in early 2008, the group hired University of North Carolina’s Institute for Outdoor Drama to determine the viability of creating such a festival. The Institute assembled a distinguished team of theatrical and marketing professionals to review the concept and the community’s readiness to undertake the project. The University of North Carolina’s 200-page final report concluded that:

In the final analysis, the study team believes this would be an extremely exciting project that could energize the community, provide an economic impact and establish Auburn as one of the key centers for musical theatre in the United States . . . There is a real opportunity for success . . .

They also projected the Festival would “help create 437 jobs and have an overall economic impact of $29.5 million annually.”

Building on the emergent sense of optimism for the project, the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival Board of Directors boldly chose to move forward with the Festival and launched the capital campaign to bring the Festival vision into reality. The Board appointed Ed Sayles the Festival’s Producing Artistic Director, and Michael Chamberlain, its Managing Director. Sites and venues have been selected, organizational plans are being refined, and State and federal representatives have been engaged. A Development Advisory Group composed of committed and prominent philanthropic leaders has been recruited, and the project was launched in earnest in the spring of 2009.

Our Plan

Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival will launch in 2012, and has already started to take shape. Three of our venues will operate within walking distance of each other in Downtown Auburn. Between shows, guests will be able to visit local restaurants, shops, and attractions.

Initially, we see the audience coming from the local region. Over time, we see our audience coming from a much broader geographic area, staying for three or four days at a time and exploring all that our region has to offer. This is the realization of our vision for economic revitalization within our community.