The Foundation for New American Musicals (FNAM) announced today the finalists for their annual ShowSearch 2025. On Saturday, November 22, FNAM will showcase the finalists’ original 10-minute musicals as they compete for cash-award scholarships through ShowSearch, a Southern California–wide program designed to discover emerging talent and support the development of new short musicals created by high school and college students.
This year’s ShowSearch finalists from the high school division features students from Girls Academic Leadership Academy: Audrey Becker, Julia Buss, Gemma Cates, Sydney Garcia, Elena Miles, Asha Miller, and Isla Sidtis. The college division finalists are N. Samuel Heard from Pepperdine University and Ian Pirotto from UCLA.
These five short musicals will be presented in a staged reading with direction by Michael Donovan and musical direction by Kyle de Tarnowsky. ShowSearch 2025 features performances by Lauren Curet, Isabelle Harris, Rachel McLaughlan, Coby Rogers, Hannah Sedlacek, Spencer Williams, and Frankie Zabilka, also serving as the evening host. Event judges include Ebony Repertory Theatre Producing Artistic Director Wren T. Brown, ICT Artistic Director and Producer caryn desai, Ensemble Theatre Company Executive Artistic Director Scott DeVine, and The Colony Theatre Producing Artist Director Heather Provost. ShowSearch 2025 is produced by FNAM Board Member Christopher Sepulveda.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate this year’s remarkable finalists,” said FNAM Board President Michael Donovan. “Their talent, imagination, and passion for musical storytelling inspire us year after year. We hope the community will join us in championing these emerging artists as they take the stage and share their original works.”
Open to enrolled students ages 13 to 25 and free for all participants, FNAM’s nationally recognized program ShowSearch, is a juried competition in which applicants submit unedited 10-minute videos of original musicals in development. Submissions are evaluated on storytelling, musicality, and originality. Each selected finalist is selected and receives a month- long intensive mentorship with a leading musical theatre professional. Past mentors have included Stephen Schwartz (Wicked), Jeff Marx (Avenue Q), John Bucchino (A Catered Affair), Cinco Paul (Schmigadoon!), and Michele Brourman (The Land Before Time series), among others. All finalists receive cash awards, with additional prizes awarded to the top submission in each category.
Past ShowSearch alumni have gone on to successful careers in musical theatre as composers, writers, orchestrators, and conductors on Broadway and beyond, many citing the program as a formative step in their creative journey, including writers Nicholas Connors (Paper Valley) and Jimmy Marino (Homecoming).
ShowSearch 2025 will be held at 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 22, 2025, at The Colony Theatre (555 N. 3rd St, Burbank, CA 91502). Visit FNAM.us to reserve free tickets or for more information. The event is open to the public and will be followed by a reception with participants and members of the Southern California theatre community.
The Foundation for New American Musicals (FNAM), now in its 18th year, is dedicated to educating, mentoring, and showcasing emerging creators of original musicals for stage, screen, and new platforms. FNAM supports the creation of new content and provides a voice for the next generation of creators. Embracing four powerful disciplines — story, song, dance, and visuals – musicals have uniquely and memorably inspired deeper empathy and understanding across cultures, ethnicities, and generations. Today, musical theatre has earned a top spot in the cultural conversation. However, while there are many opportunities for performers and technical teams to learn and grow, there are very few programs that introduce musical theatre show writing to high school through college age students and develop promising story tellers, composers, and lyricists. The keystone of all FNAM programs is to provide opportunities for talented newcomers to create and showcase their art.
