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2023 Musical Writers Festival logo

July 14-15, 2023  •  Fort Worth, Texas

Embassy Suites by Hilton Fort Worth Downtown

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Networking

Find your next collaborator, actor, director, or producer from our conference attendees from all over the world.

New Work Cabaret

Top Dallas talent will perform songs written by our conference attendees!

Industry Pros & Guest Artists

Broadway and regional theatre pros share expertise in keynotes, breakout sessions, and discussion panels.

Workshops

Hear your song performed and receive instant feedback from our panel of pros.

2023 Keynote Speaker

Joey Contreras

Joey Contreras is a New York based, Mexican American musical theatre and pop songwriter. His various projects, performances, and studio album releases have amassed millions of streams. He is a two-time Fred Ebb Award finalist, three-time Jonathan Larson Grant finalist and an alum of the Johnny Mercer Project. His musical In Pieces is currently licensed and performed worldwide with a commercial run in the works. The highlights album was released by Broadway Records.

His other stage musicals include All The Kids Are Doing It, Forget Me Not, I Used to Shine, and the modern-day adaptation of Dante’s Inferno, Heartbreakers in Hell. Additional credits: Music and lyrics for “Kiwi’s First Flight” featured in Disney’s “Lights, Camera, Lexi!” and various short films.

He regularly teaches private songwriting coaching and masterclasses at universities and musical theatre training programs. He received his MFA in Musical Theatre Writing from Tisch School of the Arts. Follow along on all socials: @joeycontreras.

Special Guest

Major Attaway

Major Attaway is a Broadway, TV/Film and Voice Actor from Fort Worth, Texas. He is best known for his Broadway debut in Disney’s Aladdin in 2016. From 2017-2020 he took over the Tony Award-winning role of the Genie. He is currently the longest running Broadway Genie with over 1500 performances. He also played Fatty Arbuckle in NYCC Encores production of Mack and Mabel

As a Voice Actor he’s voiced over 30 characters in Anime, video games, museum exhibits, narrations, and teaching materials. Some of which include characters in Borderlands 3, One Piece, Pokemon, Fairy Tail, Smite, Bread Barbershop, Dragonball Z Kai, Dragon Ball: Xenoverse, Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Battleborn, Snack World, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, and Space Dandy, to name a few. 

He can also be seen in the final season of the Netflix original series Orange is the New Black and the film Carter High.

2023 Clinicians, Panelists & Moderators

Ashley White

Ashley White

Artistic Director
at Circle Theatre
in Fort Worth, Texas

Holly Reed

Holly Reed

Writer and Producer,
Creative Director of
Reed Creative Group,
CEO of MusicalWriters.com

Rebecca Lowrey

Rebecca Lowrey

Music Director and
Producing Director at
MusicalWriters.com

Jessica Humphrey

Jessica Humphrey

Assistant Professor of Theatre at Texas Christian University

Justin Rayna

Justin Rayna

Award-winning Percussionist, Composer, Performer & Choreographer

Dr. Nathan Wilks

Dr. Nathan Wilks

Composer, Songwriter,
and Music Educator

New Works Cabaret

FRIDAY EVENING • 7pm

This cabaret will feature reprises and previews of our Academy Reading Series shows as well as new songs submitted by attendees, performed by top talent!

New Musicals Spotlight

SATURDAY EVENING • 7pm

Staged reading snippets of our fave new works!

Late Night Open Mic

FRIDAY at 9pm
SATURDAY at 9:30pm

Have an original song you want to perform for the group? Join our late night Open Mics on Friday and Saturday evening and share (and show!) your stuff!

Song Feedback Workshops

SATURDAY AT 1:30 & 2:30PM

DFW actors will perform your song and you’ll receive live feedback from our panel of presenters, performers and producers.

Get Your Tickets!

Friday, July 14-Saturday, July 15

Fort Worth, Texas

Embassy Suites by Hilton Fort Worth Downtown


To book your hotel room using our discounted Festival rate, click here.
Or call the hotel directly at 817-332-6900 and use code: MWF.
The deadline to book discounted suites is June 23, 2023.

Partners & Sponsors

Interested in being a sponsor of our Festival?
Contact Holly Reed at hollyr@musicalwriters.com.

MWF-2022-festival-partner-Broadway-Licensing
MWF-2022-festival-partner-Broadway-on-Demand
Broadway Dallas
MWF-2022-festival-partner-Romeo-Music
MWF-2022-festival-partner-Reed-Creative-Group