the MIDTOWN INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL 2026

MONARCH:
The Mexican-American Musical
Alfonso Molina (music, book, and lyrics)
Mayu Molina Lehmann (book and lyrics)

A powerful new musical exploring the lives of undocumented immigrants in the United States. The musical follows Luis, as he confronts the shadows of his undocumented existence. In true “Les Miserables” style, he is relentlessly pursued by ICE Officer Castelo. Luis takes refuge in a local church and draws inspiration from the Monarch butterfly. Much like the Monarch, Luis is determined to embark on a fate-defining journey. Monarch – touching upon such a divisive topic achieves a new paradigm of musical theater.  

Monarch made its premiere at Los Angeles Theater Center then went on to Washington (receiving a Helen Hayes Award nomination, then to Harvard for an East Coast try-out. Now it makes its Off-Broadway premiere at MITF.

Event produced by Alfonso Molina & Mayu Molina Lehmann

The Midtown International Theatre Festival announces the first production to be part of MITF 2026:
The Anxiety of Laughing by Andrew Justvig

The play revolves around comedian Joey Hill, who has cerebral palsy, is challenged to care for his fiancée, who was an aspiring ballerina until a car accident paralyzed her from the waist down. As their relationship is tested, the play explores themes of resilience, intimacy, identity, and the healing power of humor.

Event produced by Fred Rohan Vargas

FESTIVAL MANUAL
Welcome to the Midtown International Theatre Festival (MITF)
American Theater for Actors

June 15– July. 26, 2026

John Chatterton, Executive Producer

Deborah Grimberg, Administrator

Jay Michaels, Marketing and Promotion

John Chatterton is reviving the Midtown International Theatre Festival (MITF). To understand today’s MITF, a little history is necessary.

History

The MITF is a theater festival, presenting plays, musicals, cabaret, and solo shows (including standup), with pieces as long as 120 minutes or as short as one minute, running over three weeks in July (with an initial, additional week of technical rehearsals and special performances).

John Chatterton started the MITF in 2000, as an offshoot of oobr (“the off-off-broadway review”). Chatterton suspended it in 2018, after 18 seasons. He has since seen an opportunity to revive it, making some changes to reflect what he learned during its previous incarnation. MITF was also a response to the existence of FringeNYC (the New York International Fringe Festival). One of the oobr writers suggested that New York needed a “Midtown Fringe” to compete with the downtown Fringe; no one stepped up to create such a festival, so Chatterton took the necessary steps and brought the MITF into being.

The original MITF was intended as a cooperative affair, in which the house, the performers, and the MITF shared the gross equally. This model proved unworkable, and the festival moved to a model where it rented the theater spaces and charged the shows for taking part. The shows then received a share of the door. That model has persisted with a few changes since then.

There are two modes of participation in the MITF, Plan A and Plan B. (NOTE: A previous version of this manual stated that Plan A is no more. Not so fast! Popular demand makes us bring back Plan A, with new bells and whistles.)

Plan A requires a nominal application deposit: $300 if the show is in the smallest theater, $400 if in the mid-sized theater, and $500 if in the largest. (The largest theater can be enhanced to seat 125, for a deposit of $600.) There is an application fee of $25, due on approval. (If the festival ends up in some other venue, we will adjust these fees, if need be, accordingly.)

Plan B requires the show to put up more money, defined by a Profit Sharing Policy, or PSP. The PSP amount increases with the number of seats in the theater, the number of performances, and the percentage of the door the show wants to receive

PLAN A

Plan A is the (Almost) No Money Down option, for shows that have a good chance of selling tickets but not a lot of capital.

Under Plan A, the festival takes from the box office an amount equal to 40 percent of the maximum number of tickets. In the Beckkmann, 40 percent of 35 seats is 14; in the Sargent, 40 percent of 65 seats is 26; and in the Cullum, 40 percent of 99 seats is roughly 40. So, respectively, the festival takes 14, 26, and 40 tickets’ worth of revenue from the gross for each performance and splits the remainder 50/50 with the show. A ticket’s worth of revenue is the highest price charged for one ticket, regardless of how many comp or discounted tickets are sold. This total is based on the total tickets possible in the theater multiplied by the number of performances.

After the festival has deducted from the gross its 40 percent of the maximum possible, we split the remainder of the gross (if any) 50-50 with the show. If the show sells out all its tickets at full price, it will receive 30 percent of the door: (100 percent – 40 percent) / 2.

Part of the (Almost) No Money Down policy for Plan A is the application deposit. The application deposit is $300 for the Beekman, $400 for the Sargent, $500 for the Cullum, and $600 for the enhanced Cullum (by special arrangement). The application deposit is due on signing the contract. The application fee and application deposit are the only fees required by shows under Plan A.

PLAN B

The festival started with a straight split of the door. This model soon evolved into Plan A, described above. It became clear that we needed a method that guaranteed both the festival and the show a bigger share of the door. Hence, the Profit-Sharing Policy (PSP).

The Profit-Sharing Policy

The Profit-Sharing Policy (PSP) represents a down payment by the shows against a share of the gross. The PSP amount is roughly proportional to the running time of the show (including 45 minutes for setup and strike), the number of seats in the theater, the percentage of the gross contracted for by the show, and the number of performances. Table 1 – Profit-Sharing Policy Per Performance as a Function of Seats and Running Time, Per 10 Percent of the Gross Contracted for, shows how the basic unit of PSP varies with the size of the theater and the running time of the show.

Table 1 – Profit-Sharing Policy Amount Per Performance as a Function of Seats and Running Time, Per 10 Percent of the Gross Contracted for

		Running time (minutes, not including setup and strike)
		30 (PSP = $1.25)	60 (PSP = $1.50)	90 (PSP = $1.75)	120 (PSP = $2.00)
Size of Theater (seats)	35	$45	55	60	70
	65	$80	100	115	130
	99	$125	150	175	200
	125	$155	190	220	250

Note that the PSP amount in Table 1 shows the cost of contracting for 10 percent of the gross. You may contract to receive from 10 percent to 90 percent of the gross. Ten percent means paying 1 X the PSP amount. Twenty percent means paying 2 X the PSP amount. And so on, up to where contracting to receive 90 percent of the gross requires a show to pay 9 X the PSP amount shown in Table 1, per performance. The minimum PSP amount, for a 30-minute show contracting to receive 10 percent of the gross in the small theater, would be $45 per performance. The maximum PSP amount would be for a 120-minute show contracting to receive 90 percent of the gross in the biggest theater, or $2250 per performance. NOTE: Using the enhanced Cullum option is not available for Equity showcases and must be approved by the festival. The application form contains an easy-to-use procedure for calculating your PSP.

Yes, live theater can be expensive to produce. Bear in mind that being in the MITF and choosing Plan B is cheaper than renting a comparable theater and mounting the show on its own. The rent for the largest theater at the MITF, for three exclusive weeks, would be double the maximum PSP amount shown above. And mounting a show on its own means hiring people to run the box office, run around doing what’s needed to keep things going, and do basic PR and marketing. Not to mention paying for insurance. (Note: in the festival you still need to put in an effort to market your show. Consistently up to 90 percent of the festival audience comes from friends and relatives.)

Note also that your contracted percentage of the gross lets you earn back your PSP amount, and then some, depending on the ticket price. The festival will be selling tickets at $25 for 30-minute shows, $30 for 60-minute shows, $35 for 90-minute shows, and $40 for 120-minute shows. A 120-minute show that sells 99 seats at $40 per ticket and contracts to receive 90 percent of the door will get back approximately $3600 per performance, or almost double its investment in the PSP. Since it’s easier to fill a 35-seat theater than a 99-seater, less ambitious shows have an easier path ahead of them to break even on their PSP amount.

Table 2 – Maximum Gross Per Theater, According to Ticket Price

		Ticket Price (varies with running time)
		$25 (30 min.)	$30 (60 min.)	$35 (90 min.)	$40 (120 min.)
Size of Theater (seats)	35	$875	$1050	$1225	$1400
	65	$1625	$1950	$2275	$2600
	99	$2475	$2970	$3465	$3960
	125	$3125	$3750	$4375	$5000

OTHER EXPENSES FOR PLANS A AND B

Other than the expenses inherent in mounting a show, such as staff, props, costumes, rehearsal, and actors, there are a few festival costs to be aware of in addition to the amounts discussed above.

Application fee. There is an application fee of $25, payable by PayPal or Zelle, due on approval of the application. The application fee is non-refundable.

Program ads. The festival produces a handsome “Festabill,” or program, which lists the shows with blurbs (provided by you) and performance times. It is possible to buy ads in the Festabill. The Festabill is seen by every audience member, who might be enticed to see your show if you buy an ad in it. NOTE: We are considering a paperless Festabill, with plenty of room for stories abouth the shows. There will be no charge for stories.

Extra storage. The festival makes a certain amount of storage available, usually backstage, for props and costumes. Sometimes the festival rents external storage space and makes it available to the shows at a reasonable cost.

Extra rehearsal time. A technical rehearsal is included in every show’s schedule. The amount of rehearsal time is directly proportional to the running time of the show. This rehearsal must include a run-through, so the festival can get a fix on the expected running time of the show. If a show wants extra rehearsal time, and if that time is available (usually during weekdays), it may purchase the time from the festival at a reasonable cost.

MITF Awards. After the festival is over, usually in the fall, there is an awards ceremony for the participants. Judges are festival staff and cronies of the executive producer. Tickets are inexpensive, and there is a modestly priced cash bar.

Actors Equity

Many shows in the festival are Equity showcases. They are performed under the Equity showcase code, a fairly rigid set of rules designed to ensure that producers don’t exploit cast members who are Equity members. The producers of showcases in the festival are required to abide by the rules of the showcase code, but the festival does not sign the code. The festival does, however, do everything it can to ensure that shows aren’t forced to violate the code.

The festival also manages “comps,” or complimentary tickets. Equity comps are defined in the showcase code. The festival distributes comps according to the showcase rules. There are no reserved comps except as required under the code or by special arrangement with the festival. There are no comps other than those required by Actors Equity or by the festival itself. Comps do not count toward the total tickets sold under Plan B. (If a show wants to “comp” someone by buying that person a ticket, the ticket does indeed count toward the gross, under both Plans A and B.)Showcases do not have to reimburse the festival for Equity comps.

Festival Amenities

Being in the festival offers many amenities that producers normally have to arrange for themselves, usually at a price. The PSP amount or the Plan A deposit covers a lot of territory that otherwise would come out of the producer’s pocket, usually at less than it would cost at current market rates.

Publicity. The festival has a press agent/publicist/marketing expert who gets the word out about all the shows, sometimes with a special shout-out for a show that has a unique audience appeal. The show’s blurb (provided by the producer) is crucial here. There is still no substitute for a show’s own promotional efforts, since a large part of a show’s audience comprises friends and relatives of the show’s company. If a show has an individual responsible for promotion, the festival strongly recommends that that individual coordinate with the festival’s promotion staff.

Rehearsal time. The festival allocates time for a technical rehearsal and run-through for each show. Total time is three times the running time of the show, including setup and strike (if possible), both of which must be practiced in the tech rehearsal. The tech rehearsal must also include a run-through of the show. If the run-through exceeds the allotted time for the show, the festival tech director is instructed to notify the festival management, who will insist that the show make changes, possibly including canceling performance slots. There is time to change performance times online, but not in the Festabill, which will have gone to print already, though program inserts are available to announce the changes. If it is necessary and possible to change the performance slot of a show, and the festival gives a show a longer slot, the festival will adjust a show’s PSP amount, if applicable. Running overtime during performances is a finable offense. The festival reserves the right to stop an overlong performance if it is running into the next show’s time. Similarly, if a show sells fewer than five tickets to any performance, the festival will require that the show buy enough tickets, for cash, to make up five tickets’ worth of revenue. If a show runs overtime or is not “off-book” during the tech rehearsal, the festival reserves the right to cancel the show’s first performance and turn it into a paid rehearsal. The hourly rate for such a rehearsal will be fair but significant. If the show is still running long or not off-book at the paid rehearsal, the festival will convert the next performance to a paid rehearsal, and so on. Such paid rehearsals are to be paid for in cash and on the spot. In addition to charging for such rehearsal times, if the festival must refund tickets to affected patrons, and is unable to move those patrons to later performances, the festival requires the show to pay for the refunded tickets. If the show does not wish to comply with these conditions, the festival will terminate its run, with no refunds.

Storage space. Storage space in any festival is at a premium. Typically shows have to bring in and take out everything they use during a show, for each performance. This festival allocates some storage backstage in each theater. It is sufficient for a box or bag of props and a (6-foot long) rack of costumes. Sometimes the festival rents additional storage space, which it makes available to the shows at a reasonable price. The festival accepts no liability for loss of any stored items.

Performance space. The PSP amount or Plan A deposit covers rental of the performance space, for as many performances as the show is approved for. Performance times, including setup and strike, are included in the rental.

Technical director. The festival has a technical director (or directors) who is present during all rehearsals to ensure that our equipment is running properly and to deal with technical emergencies. This fact does not mean that shows should not have a technical person available to make sure that the show’s equipment, if any, is working properly. The festival at a minimum expects a show to have an operator to run the lighting board and implement the lighting cues.

Lighting designer. The festival hires one or more lighting designers to set up the lighting plot for each theater. The lighting plot is a generic assemblage of instruments designed to be useful to all shows. It is a serious offense, subject to a fine, for a show to touch a lighting instrument. The lighting designers are available to explain the lighting plot to the shows.

Each show must have its own lighting designer, whose job is to start with the festival lighting plot and define all light cues required by the show.

Equipment. The festival rents whatever equipment is necessary that the venue doesn’t provide and is responsible for getting it fixed if something goes wrong. The equipment includes at least one electronic keyboard, with 88 weighted keys, for use by the musicals, including the cabaret acts. There is no charge to use festival equipment. Shows must coordinate with the festival their use of festival equipment and immediately report any problems with it.

Air conditioning. Air conditioning is crucial in July, and the festival would never rent a theater space that didn’t have sufficient air conditioning, but things happen and sometimes the air conditioning breaks down. When this happens, the festival creates a lot of noise in the venue office, and things get fixed pronto. The theater venue is ultimately responsible for maintaining the air conditioning.

House management. Festival staff keep the audiences under control in the hallways and lobbies.

Box office. The festival runs the box office. It uses a commercial box-office company. All seating is general seating, unless the festival wishes to reserve specific seats. Gross box-office receipts (GBOR) are considered to be what the festival receives from the box-office company, after any deductions or taxes. GBOR is the basis for a show’s share of the gross, minus any special charges or fines.

Venue management. The festival has staff whose principal jobs are to see that shows adhere to the schedule and that the theaters are neat and orderly after a performance. Venue management keeps track of the shows’ times in and out of the theater, as well as times of their starting and final curtain. Early starting or late ending times are finable offenses.

Scenery. The festival does not allow storage of flats and other large scenic pieces. It does provide a plentiful supply of “rehearsal cubes,” or blocks, made from sturdy plywood and painted semi-gloss black. (One show made creative use of these cubes with colorful cloth “booties,” which magically transformed the blocks into sectional furniture for a stylish Hollywood apartment.) Also one or more card tables for when a scene requires a table. (There are three sizes of cube, depending on how the sides of the cubes are cut out of an 8’ X 4’ piece of plywood. The festival provides a mixture of sizes for each theater.) If you must use larger scenic pieces, you need to bring them in from your external storage facility and set them up in 30 minutes and strike them in 15 minutes, along with the rest of your set. You should coordinate this activity with the festival staff during your tech rehearsal. The festival appreciates a heads up if you want to use large set pieces! (If you insist, you can buy extra setup/strike time by extending the slot your show requires, which might increase your PSP amount.)

There are at least three sizes of cubes: 49”, 25”, and 17”. (There might also be some “legacy cubes,” left over from previous festivals.) There will be two large cubes, four medium cubes, and six small cubes in each theater.

17” cube

T25” 25” cube

49” cube

The Festabill. This handsome, full-color program contains everything a patron needs to know about the festival, including blurbs and schedules for all the shows. The page size is 5-1/2 X 8-1/2. The Festabill lists the author and director of each show, but not the cast or other personnel associated with it. Ads are available in the Festabill at a reasonable rate so shows can promote themselves to bigger audiences. Shows can make up their ads themselves and submit them as JPEGs or, if they leave the composition to the festival, submit copy only, which the festival will lay out and compose. One show only per ad, please! In addition to the Festabill, shows should have a separate program that lists all staff, for the convenience of audiences, including judges for the MITF Awards. (Ads cost $1500 per full page, $900 per -page, $600 per quarter page, and $350 per eighth page. The back cover costs $2000. The inside back cover or inside front cover costs $1750. Shows receive a 30-percent discount on ads.) NOTE: The festival is considering a paperless program, which probably won’t have ads but will allow for stories about each show.

Insurance. The festival is required to buy general-liability insurance by the venue. This insurance covers slip-and-fall incidents. The festival also buys workers’ comp, for injuries involving its own staff. The festival does not buy workers’ comp or volunteer-accident insurance for the shows. If Actors Equity requires such insurance of an Equity showcase, the show must pay for it.

Fines

The festival imposes fines for acts that egregiously impede the smooth running of the festival, such as running overtime, touching instruments, or misusing storage space. These fines start at $25 per occurrence and increase by $25 increments with each violation of festival rules. Fines are assessed out of a show’s share of the gross. If it seems unlikely that a show will sell enough tickets, the festival expects a show to pay fines in cash on demand. The festival has never had to expel a show for egregious behavior, but there’s always a first time.

If a show’s cast is not “off-book” at the tech-rehearsal run-through, or if the show runs over its allotted time slot (including setup and strike), the festival will cancel the show’s first performance and consider the performance slot to be an “extra rehearsal.” The festival will charge the show for the extra rehearsal at the going rate, said amount to be paid in cash on the spot. If the show’s production difficulties continue through this extra rehearsal, the festival will continue to convert performances to rehearsals and charge the show accordingly, at its discretion. The festival reserves the right to cancel a show, with no refund of festival fees, if the show is unable to present itself in a professional manner, ie off-book and on time. (This rule, while harsh, is the result of way too many shows in the past not being able to memorize their lines or run to schedule.)

Other Restrictions

No guns! No fire! No smoke! No animals! No strobes, unless they’re mentioned clearly in the program! We also discourage bringing pets into the venue. Babies are okay, provided they pay full ticket price.

Special Performances

The Short Play Lab. A potpourri of plays no longer than 10 minutes each, performed over the last two days of tech week. Tickets are $25 for each of two programs of 10 plays each; there are two performances of each program. (One year the festival had two Short Play Labs, in two theaters.) There is a prize for the most popular show, determined by audience preference when the patron buys a ticket.

Vickie Phillips Cabaret. Vickie started performing a program of cabaret classics by Kurt Weill, Jacques Brel, and Charles Aznavour early in the festival, pretty much keeping up the work as long as she was able. She died in 2024. It seems appropriate to name the cabaret division after her. The entry fee for the cabaret division is $200, taken out of the door. Tickets are $25, for a show not to exceed 60 minutes. There is a 30-minute technical rehearsal, in one of the smaller theaters, before the show. The festival makes the rented keyboard available to the show. The festival splits any gross sales over the entry fee with the show, 50/50. The division is curated. The festival provides a board op. The festival does not provide an accompanist.

Standup comedy. When wannabe comics ask on the street, “Do you like comedy?”, it is tempting to quip, “Sure. You got Chekhov?” But standup is welcome in the festival, on the same terms as any other show. If there’s enough call for standup and enough room, it will become a separate division. If comedians wish to do more than one performance, they can negotiate as if for a regular show.

Staged readings. The festival charges $200 for a staged reading, not to exceed 120 minutes. The festival’s electronic keyboard is available for musicals. Lights are straight up and down. The technical director will show a show’s board operator the very basics of using the light board. The festival does not sell tickets for staged readings. Staged readings are included in all festival publicity.

Next steps

To apply for the festival, fill out the application form (from the Web site or by Email from the producer of the festival). You can Email it back to us after you fill it out. The application asks a lot of questions about you, your show, and how you intend to promote it. Answer them as completely as you can. There is an application fee of $25 on approval. Would-be participants can pay this fee by PayPal or Zelle. Our PayPal/Zelle address is the same as our Email address: mitfxq@gmail.com. Send scripts, in .doc or .pdf format, at the same time as the application form, as well as video clips or sound tracks.

When the festival signs a contract with the theater venue (in or before December, 2025), it will issue contracts with all participants who are up to date on their application fees. All other fees are due at this time.

Schedule

The following is the projected schedule, subject to change until contracts have been signed with the shows:

Dec. 1, 2025 Application fees due. Festival sends contracts to participants who applied in previous year. Latecomers will receive contracts on a first- come, first-served basis.

Dec. 31, 2025 Festival signs contract with theater venue.

Feb. 28, 2026 Deadline for applications (may slip depending on circumstances).

June 15, 2026 First week (in Beckmann) begins.

June 15, 2026 First performance.

June 29, 2026 Third week (in Sargent) begins

July 13, 2026 Fifth week (in Cullum)

July 26, 2026 Last performance; strike.

July 27, 2026 (noon) Out of theater venue

Aug. 31, 2026 Final payments by festival to participants, by PayPal or online banking.

Sometime in the fall, 2026 MITF Awards

Contact Us

You can contact us by Email at mitfxq@gmail.com. John Chatterton’s personal phone is 646/207-2926. Email or call with any questions. We are glad to have you on board and hope that every show is a hit!

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