It's August already. That can only mean one thing: we're mere weeks from the New York Musical Theatre Festival beginning. NYMF is dedicated to showcasing new original works of musical theater that might otherwise never be seen. Alumni include [title of show] and Next to Normal (then Feeling Electric), as well as popular Off-Broadway fare Altar Boyz, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Gutenberg! The Musical, and Rooms.

So what's the big deal about the NYMF? Simple: cheap tickets for brave new shows that might just make it to Broadway. We're not quite at Fringe Festival level here with weirdness or Broadway success yet, but it's only going into its fifth year. There are more shows than ever and a new option to purchase tickets in advance: memberships.

A $100 membership gets first choice tickets a month before everyone else to 4 shows as well as access to some exclusive nighttime events. $200 (my choice) gets eight first choice tickets and access to all exclusive events, plus 25% off night time events to be announced later. $300 is the biggest package, giving twelve first choice tickets and access to all readings during the festival.

Just imagine: a two week glut of new musicals ranging from vampire romances to ginger-revenge plots, autism to fat camps, nerds to normals, for $25 a ticket with a membership.

And guess what: the shows sell out fast. You might not get to see Anjou, A Tale of Horror after the Times sinks its teeth into it. Fat Camp: The Musical could turn out to be really funny and touching even if the casting call wanted a young Jack Black type for the lead. And R.R.R.E.D: A Secret Musical will surely be talked about for jumping on the extinction of Gingers and a solution for revival that might make Eric Cartman applaud.

I'll be seeing two of those, and only not three for petty reasons. I don't care if my friends were joking or not, I don't believe it's funny to send me the casting notice calling for plus-size gals and larger guys who can sing and dance when they know damn well what I look like right now.