BROADWAY BOUND
THEATRE FESTIVAL
WHERE PLAYWRIGHTS TAKE CENTER STAGE
2025 SUMMER FESTIVAL LINE-UP
July 24 to August 17, 2025
Tickets go on sale Memorial Day weekend
Musicals
BBTF is proud to present four new musicals this season.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
Beyond Perfection
Book, Music & Lyrics by Kenady Sean,
Lyrics and Music by Emily Horton
Book & Lyrics by Kaylee Killingsworth
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: Thursday, Aug. 14 @ 5:00 PM
Friday, Aug. 15 @ 8:00 PM
Sunday, Aug. 17 @ 2:00 PM
Bengal to Berlin
The Scientist Who Reshaped the Universe
Book & Lyric by Hasan Padamsee
Music by Zlaja Miric
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: Thursday, Aug. 7 @ 5:00 PM
Saturday, Aug. 9 @ 8:00 PM
Sunday, Aug. 10 @ 2:00 PM
.png)
Making Ends Meet
Book & Lyrics by Laurence Holzman & Felicia Needleman
Music by Ian Brandon
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: Thursday, July 24 @ 5:00 PM
Friday, July 25 @ 8:00 PM
Saturday, July 26 @ 2:00 PM
Sunday, July 27 @ 5:00 PM
_edit.png)
One Night
Book & Lyrics by Laurence Holzman & Felicia Needleman
Music by David Shenton
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: Wednesday, July 30 @ 5:00 PM
Thursday, July 31 @ 8:00 PM
Friday, Aug. 1 @ 5:00 PM
Saturday, Aug. 2 @ 8:00 PM
Plays
BBTF is proud to present nine new works. In alphabetical order.
By Design
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: Friday, Aug. 1 @ 8:00 PM
Saturday, Aug. 2 @ 5:00 PM
Sunday, Aug. 3 @ 5:00 PM
Double Cross
by Glory Kadigan
When a staff member on a luxury cruise ship is accused of theft, a normally unflappable cruise director is thrust into a high-stakes game of class warfare, manipulation and shifting alliances. Her past affair with the accused threatens to unravel her career, reputation, and moral compass, and as she navigates the hidden agendas an ambitious assistant, the wealthy accuser, and her slippery subordinate lover, they all set course for a violent confrontation, on a journey where secrets run deeper than the ocean itself.
Performances: Wednesday, Aug. 6 @ 8:00 PM
Friday, Aug. 8 @ 5:00 PM
Saturday, Aug. 9 @ 2:00 PM
Ghost Writer
by Alicia Foxworth
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: Wednesday, Aug. 13 @ 2:00 PM
Thursday, Aug. 14 @ 8:00 PM
Saturday, Aug. 16 @ 5:00 PM
I Made it to the Moon
by Karen Campion
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: Wednesday, Aug. 6 @ 5:00 PM
Friday, Aug. 8 @ 8:00 PM
Saturday, Aug. 9 @ 5:00 PM
Retrospective
by T.J. 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: Wednesday, Aug. 13 @ 8:00 PM
Friday, Aug. 15 @ 5:00 PM
Saturday, Aug. 16 @ 2:00 PM
Reunion
by Carey Campbell
After 30 years, Suzanne abruptly returns to the small Rust Belt town where she grew up to bury her mother. It's late on 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: Thursday, July 24 @ 8:00 PM
Friday, July 25 @ 5:00 PM
Saturday, July 26 @ 8:00 PM
Sunday, July 27 @ 2:00 PM
.jpg)
The Rice Eaters
by Yide Cai
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: Thursday, Aug. 7 @ 8:00 PM
Friday, Aug. 8 @ 2:00 PM
Sunday, Aug. 10 @ 5:00 PM
This is Where it Ends
by Chris Phillips
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.
Performances: Wednesday, July 30 @ 8:00 PM
Thursday, July 31 @ 5:00 PM
Saturday, Aug. 2 @ 2:00 PM
Sunday, Aug. 3 @ 2:00 PM
OUR MISSION
BBTF is a developmental festival in the truest sense. Art is not a competition. We don't pit playwright-against-playwright. Rather, BBTF fosters an environment of support and friendship. Collaboration is one of our cornerstones. Playwrights become part of something much bigger than themselves and their plays. During the process, they're provided one-on-one dramaturgy, multiple online workshops, roundtable talkbacks and insight into the ever-changing landscape of American theater, all while learning the business of self producing. The result is a constructive, encouraging environment and a creative community accepting of all,
exclusive of none.
2025 BBTF VENUE
BBTF is proud to host its 2025 season at the newly renovated, state-of-the-art AMT Theater in the heart of NYC's Theatre District.
AMT Theater
354 W 45th St.
New York, NY
99-seat theater located in Hell's Kitchen on 45th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues
OUR SUBMISSION PROCESS
BBTF is one of the only curated festivals left in New York City. Each script is considered with care and appreciation, undergoing a rigorous evaluation process in which structure, content and character development, as well as development potential are reviewed and discussed. All submissions receive a critique, regardless of acceptance. Participants commit to multiple rewrites of their work under dramaturgical direction and collaboration before production, ensuring the strongest iteration of their work is presented to the public at an affordable price.
Contact Us
Special thanks to our corporate sponsor
At Carlstrom Productions, we know all about what goes into producing great theatre, by providing Broadway caliber events for some of the most innovative companies around the globe. We're proud sponsors of the festival and thrilled to be a part of introducing these new works to the theatre world.