Those familiar with Waterford’s Eugene O’Neill Theater Center know of its National Music Theater Conference — the annual month-long musical theater program that selects three pieces to go through the O’Neill Center’s legendary development process. That program, since its inception in 1978, has helped shaped the world of theater, developing over 132 new musicals that have included early versions of "Nine," "Violet," "Avenue Q," "In Transit" and "In The Heights." Heading the conference over the last 40 years was founding artistic director Paulette Haupt, who celebrated her final season with the program last summer.

Stepping into her shoes for this year’s 41st season, is Broadway actor, lyricist, book writer and educator Alexander Gemignani.

Gemignani recently played the role of King George III in the Chicago company of "Hamilton” and is currently performing the role of Enoch Snow in the Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel” — a part that has garnered him nominations for both a Tony and a Drama Desk Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical.

His Broadway credits include "Violet," "Chicago," "Les Misérables," "Sweeney Todd" and "Sunday in the Park With George," and to top all that off, Gemignani is developing four new musicals and has composed the incidental music for several plays. As a musical director, he is working on productions with The Public Theatre and Roundabout Theatre Company.

For this year’s conference, Gemignani has helped shape an intriguing line-up of musicals to be developed and performed over the next four weeks. "The Family Resemblance," by Masi Asare, is the story of a biracial family who rediscover their roots. "Teeth," based on the 2007 indie horror film of the same name, tells of an evangelical Christian teen with teeth in her vagina. While "Eddie the Marvelous, Who Will Save the World," details the journey of a jobless 20-something teetering between two lives — that of his hermit home existence and his dreams of becoming a rock star.

The following responses are from an email interview with Gemignani.

On his vision for the conference:

I think it’s imperative for NMTC to take on pieces that are bold, brave and innovative in both subject matter and how the story is being told. We need to remain the leader in the development of new musicals and thus must evolve. As an actor, I have been in countless table reads, full readings, workshops and productions. As a writer, music director, and educator, I am surrounded by new ideas and new voices all the time. Music theater is ever expanding- and absorbing all the ideas that came before and all the ideas yet to be discovered. This is my 17th year in the theater, and I am eager to begin my tenure with the National Music Theater Conference by creating a legacy of powerful new work.

On the three shows chosen for this year’s conference:

These musicals — selected from a record-breaking 287 submissions — represent the kind of bravery and craft I will continue to seek out as artistic director. Masi Asare’s “The Family Resemblance” has a deep vein of beauty and light running through it. The powerful themes within about cultural identity and family spoke to my sensibilities immediately. “Teeth,” the offering from Anna K. Jacobs and Michael R. Jackson, is daring, masterful, and white-knuckle exciting. I cannot wait to see this in front of an audience. And finally, “Eddie the Marvelous, Who Will Save the World,” by Kate Kilbane and Dan Moses, is magical, funky, and fabulous. The incredible rock score, truly imaginative story, and deep heart of the piece hooked me, and several of our readers (those who help select the plays for the conference) instantly. Each of these musicals represent a giant step towards the bright future of music theater.

On his work as artistic director with this season’s musicals:

As the artistic director, I’m involved in each step of the show’s development — from us working with our team of readers to select the work to putting together the creative teams (actors, directors, dramaturgs, musicians) to being in the room with the writers as they put the show on its feet with us.

I first came to the O’Neill in 2014 as a faculty member for the National Theater Institute. I taught three classes each week (Acting in Song, Musical Scene Study, and Music Theater Symposium), where we discussed everything from the history of musical theater and its forms, to what should be in your audition book. As a faculty member, I really responded to NTI’s broad-based, collaborative style of training. The students are truly unique in their artistic hunger and their intelligence. I love the opportunity to really cater their education towards their interests and challenge them based on the pace at which they are working. Very few places offer that for faculty or students. The theater artists of the future need to be multi-disciplined, and NTI breeds and grows those types of artists.

On playing King George in “Hamilton”:

Your role in Hamilton as King George. Having so little time on stage, how did you approach the role? How did you make your performance extraordinary?

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s (“Hamilton” playwright, composer and lyricist) material is so wonderful, and the original creative team (Tommy Kail (director), Andy Blankenbuehler (choreographer), and Alex Lacamoire (music arranger) rehearsed the show with us, so we were extremely lucky there. I was very grateful that they were so open in rehearsals as I experimented with King George and found my way. The comedy is witty and delicate, so finding just the right touch took some time, but I loved doing it and would do it again in a heartbeat.

On being nominated for a Tony and thoughts on this year’s award ceremony:

I have performed on the Tony’s three times in my career: “Assassins” (2014), “Sweeney Todd” (2015), and “Violet” (2014). Each time was a total delight, but I have never been nominated … It was a wild and wonderful evening, and I thought Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles did a fantastic job. Mostly, the evening was a lovely reminder of how special it is to feel a part of a community. The theatrical community always feels incredibly small because of its steadfast openness and spirit of inclusion. So even as we add new artists and voices, it still feels incredibly intimate. The pieces that shine and grab audiences are those that speak to the humanity in us all and reflect the theater’s core values of inclusivity and belonging, all while paired with deeply theatrical and original story-telling techniques.

On his responsibility heading the NMTC and shaping the next generation of Broadway and theater musicals:

My hope for the future of musical theater is that we continue to embrace bravery, inclusion and imagination. I mean this in the broad sense but also in the ways in which stories are being told and what kinds of stories are being told. When those two things are present in the same piece, theater is electric. I was blown away by the variety and bravery in the works submitted this year. I hope we double the amount of submissions we received this coming fall and break 500. I think the lit department (led by the fantastic Lexy Leuszler) would be a tad overworked if that were the case, but I want to see how brave our writers can be!

National Music Theater Conference, through July 18, Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, 305 Great Neck Road, Waterford; show scheduling and tickets can be found at www.theoneill.org.

National Music Theater Conference schedule

“The Family Resemblance,” with book, music and lyrics by Masi Asare runs 7 p.m. June 23; 3 p.m. June 24; 8 p.m. June 27; 7 p.m. June 29.

“Teeth,” with book and lyrics by Michael R. Jackson and book and music by Anna K. Jacobs runs 7 p.m. June 30; 3 p.m. July 1; 8 p.m. July 4; 7 p.m. July 6.

“Eddie the Marvelous, Who Will Save the World,” with book, music and lyrics by Kate Kilbane and Dan Moses run 7 p.m. July 7; 3 p.m. July 8; 8 p.m. July 11; 7 p.m. July 13.

Tickets for readings are $30. Call (860) 443-1238 or visit www.theoneill.org.