Broadway Bound Theatre Festival (BBTF) runs from Thursday, July 24 – Sunday, August 17 at AMT Theater. The fully-curated developmental festival dedicated solely to playwrights, spotlights four new musicals and eight original plays, each of which are making their New York debut and that champion story, substance and stagecraft. Now in its ninth season, BBTF lineup includes a range of new works that engage with issues of identity, power, and historical memory.
The 2025 Broadway Bound Theatre Festival productions are:
THE MUSICALS:
BEYOND PERFECTION By Kenady Sean (Book, Music & Lyrics), Emily Horton (Lyrics & Music), Kaylee Killingsworth (Book & Lyrics)
War hero Ryan and his wife Kate are the flawless faces of Perfection LLC’s government-run marriage program—an algorithmically crafted romance, broadcast to millions. Their love is scripted, their happiness engineered—until a glitch breaks the illusion. As Ryan spirals, he stumbles into the No-See-Ums encampment, a hidden rebel society in Central Park where outcasts unveil a world beyond control. Torn between the rebels and his marriage, Ryan is forced to make a decision: for a future where love, freedom, and imperfection still exist or embrace the manufactured perfection of paradise.
Performances: Aug. 14 @ 5PM, Aug. 15 @ 8PM, Aug. 16 @ 8PM, Aug. 17 @ 2PM
BENGAL TO BERLIN: THE SCIENTIST WHO RESHAPED THE UNIVERSE
Book & Lyrics by Hasan Padamsee, Music by Zlaja Miric. Directed by Katrine Hilbe
Bengal, 1924: When his quantum theories are rejected by the Western scientific establishment, young Indian physicist Satyendra Bose, in an act of intellectual rebellion, sends his groundbreaking quantum theory directly to Albert Einstein. Against all odds, Einstein responds, and Bose begins his trek across a divided world where imperial rule suffocates Indian intellect. After an eye-opening encounter with Marie Curie in Paris where he rekindles his fight against discrimination, he finally stands before Einstein. But neither fully realize they are about to change our understanding of the universe. Performances: Aug. 7 @ 5PM, Aug. 9 @ 8PM, Aug. 10 @ 2PM
MAKING ENDS MEET Book & Lyrics by Laurence Holzman & Felicia Needleman, Music by Ian Brandon, Directed by Emily Loesser
When the 2008 financial crash shatters their high-flying careers, two longtime friends and investment firm execs scramble for ways to keep their suburban lifestyles intact. But one seemingly innocent misunderstanding spirals into an unexpected—and highly lucrative—sideline: discreetly “entertaining” the wealthy, restless wives of Westchester County. As their secret gigolo venture snowballs into a full-fledged operation, balancing suburban domesticity with clandestine affairs becomes increasingly precarious. Can they juggle deception, desire, and dollar signs without their personal lives imploding? Or will the weight of their high-stakes hustle finally catch up with them?
Performances: July 24 @ 5PM, July 25 @ 8PM, July 26 @ 2PM, July 27 @ 5PM
ONE NIGHT Book & Lyrics by Laurence Holzman & Felicia Needleman, Music by David Shenton, Directed by Don Stephenson
For years, Julie & Nathan and Danny & Vivian have been inseparable—two married couples bound by decades of friendship, laughter and shared history. But during a long-awaited weekend retreat, a buried secret comes to light: a one-night indiscretion between Julie and Danny, hidden for years beneath the surface of their perfect lives. As the shock ripples through the group, love and loyalty collide with betrayal and regret. Will their marriages withstand the weight of the past, or will old wounds tear apart the friendships they believed were unbreakable?
Performances: July 30 @ 5PM, July 31 @ 8PM, Aug. 1 @ 5PM, Aug. 2 @ 8PM
THE PLAYS:
BY DESIGN Written by Shelby Fairchild, Directed by Janet Bentley
In a near-apocalyptic world not unlike our own, Ale, determined to find her long-lost mother and escape her controlling father, teams up with Nat, one of a rare breed of “readers” who can divine a person or object’s history with a single touch. But after experimenting on her for years in a desperate attempt to block the readers’ abilities, Ale’s father has no intention of letting her go. As Ale and Nat embark on their search, what their quest for freedom uncovers may not have been what they were looking for, but what they thought they’d never find. Performances: Aug. 1 @ 8PM, Aug. 2 @ 5PM, Aug. 3 @ 5PM
DOUBLE-CROSSED Written by Glory Kadigan, Directed by Noel MacDuffie
Be careful who you leave in your wake. When a staff member on a luxury cruise ship is accused of theft by a wealthy guest, the normally unflappable Cruise Director is thrust into a high-stakes game of class warfare, manipulation, and shifting alliances. Her secret affair with the accused, a handsome, poverty-stricken Brazilian struggling to support his ailing mother, threatens to unravel her career, reputation, and moral compass. Meanwhile, her overworked and overlooked assistant watches her superior’s unraveling with quiet calculation, possibly to her own advantage. As tensions rise and loyalties dissolve, the ship speeds toward a reckoning where no one is innocent and everyone has something to lose. Performances: Aug. 6 @ 8PM, Aug. 8 @ 5PM, Aug. 9 @ 2PM, Aug. 13 @ 5PM, Aug. 15 @ 2PM
GHOST WRITER Written by Alicia Foxworth, Directed by Alixa Kendrick
Human trafficking is alive and well in pre-Civil War Kellington, NY, where it’s just days before Independence Day. However, a duplicitous mayor who has secretly made his fortune in that very industry, has no intention of abiding by the law. As he clandestinely orchestrates a large shipment of human cargo, he banks on a much-ballyhooed visit of a famous author to keep the town distracted. But unseen forces might have other plans. Based in historical context, this play showcases a critical part of American history that is currently being censored and rewritten but is as relevant today as it was hundreds of years ago. Performances: Aug. 13 @ 2PM, Aug. 14 @ 8PM, Aug. 16 @ 5PM
I MADE IT TO THE MOON Written by Karen Campion – Directed by KM Jones
When a college-aged son brings home his fiance of six months for the first time, his mother is hellbent on breaking off their engagement. Little does she know the reason behind her angst is about to walk out of her secret, well-hidden past (it’s 1996 after all – the last days of privacy) and into her living room in a major way, exposing her son, her husband, and all attending the engagement dinner to her true backstory. Performances: Aug. 6 @ 5PM, Aug. 8 @ 8PM, Aug. 9 @ 5PM
RETROSPECTIVE Written by T.J. Elliott – Directed by Gifford Elliott
Renowned artist Rory McGrory wakes up trapped in a mysterious art gallery surrounded by empty frames that house no art. Greeted by his ex-wife Pippa only adds to his confusion. Certainly this must be a nightmare, the result of a spicy late night snack! Because Pippa is dead, and she’s hell bent on convincing him he is, too. And that the artless frames actually are his life’s retrospective—all the paintings he’s ever created. But why can’t he see them? As Rory bounces from denial to acceptance, he’s forced to grapple with his unresolved past. But will it be enough to give him one final look at his life’s work before moving on from this afterlife way station? Performances: Aug. 13 @ 8PM, Aug. 15 @ 5PM, Aug. 16 @ 2PM
REUNION Written by Carey Campbell
After 30 years, Suzanne returns to the small Rust Belt town where she grew up to bury her mother. It’s late on a rainy night when she stops for a quiet cup of coffee at the local diner, a favorite after-school hangout for her younger self. To her chagrin, the two men at the counter want to talk. A shadow of recognition falls over Suzanne’s face and the conversation turns into a game of cat-and-mouse, as she finds herself confronting the demon from her past.Performances: July 24 @ 8PM, July 25 @ 5PM, July 26 @ 8PM, July 27 @ 2PM
THE RICE EATERS Written by Yide Cai – Directed by Gregory Keng Strasser
In a Chinese factory where workers mass produce Van Gogh replicas, the German and Hong Kong employers exploit their laborers with ruthless efficiency, prioritizing commerce over creativity. One ambitious artist, Fan Gao, claims his son’s work as his own and begins an affair with a German manager, leading to a cycle of betrayal and manipulation. As the once-oppressed rise to power, Fan Gao and his colleagues find that the knife of corruption cuts both ways.Performances: Aug. 7 @ 8PM, Aug. 8 @ 2PM, Aug. 10 @ 5PM
THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS Written by Chris Phillips – Directed by Aaron Benham
In this contemporary riff on SEX, LIES & VIDEOTAPE, a married couple from Los Angeles, Stephen and James, invite Stephen’s brash actor friend, Kody, and James’s former fraternity brother, Ellis – once an entitled entrepreneur, now a spiritually-minded, recovering sex addict — for a weekend at their Palm Springs home to celebrate James’s forty-fifth. Unknown to Stephen, James engages in extramarital adventures with anonymous hookups and Kody, while Stephen, increasingly frustrated in his role as ornamental house-husband, finds himself first unnerved by Ellis’s blunt honesty, then drawn to his refreshing candor. As the weekend progresses, the walls come down and the gloves come off as the four men bristle under the weight of the roles all of them have played for far too long.
Content Warning: Intended for 18+ audiences. Contains sexual content and adult language.
Tickets range from $30-$40 and are on sale at broadwayboundfest.com
AMT Theater is locted at 354 W 45th St., NY, NY
