The 2017 New York Musical Festival, which runs July 10 through August 6, will bring audiences four full weeks of new musicals, concerts, readings, and panel discussions. We spoke with Emilie Landmann (book), Jonathan Quesenberry (music/lyrics), and Carrie Morgan (lyrics/book) about their musical Matthew McConaughey Vs. The Devil: An American Myth.

What was the first musical that made you want to make musicals?

Jon: Carousel.

Emilie: [title of show].

Carrie: The Sound of Music.

Describe the sound of your musical, it's like _______ meets _________

Randy Newman meets a gospel choir.

What’s your favorite McConaughey rom-com? Dramatic performance?

Favorite Rom Com: How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Favorite Dramatic: Interstellar.

Since the musical is to help you understand how McConaughey won an Oscar, which musical would you say is the wisest of them all, the one you go to for answers?

Little Shop of Horrors. We kept coming back to Little Shop as a reference story wise and musical style wise. It helped us figure out our own musical.

What’s the most clever word you rhymed to “alright”?

You'll have to come to our show to see for yourself.

What was the biggest challenge in finding the right actor to play McConaughey?

Finding someone who could bring humor and heart to the character and not just give an impression. Wayne Wilcox (who plays Matthew) has been a dream. He's got his own spin on McConaughey, and brings a sweetness and likability to the character.

Why is it important to bring your show to NYMF?

NYMF is a chance to work with professionals to help develop our musical into a full-fledged production. This is a rare chance to share our work with the industry at such a large scale.

What's next for the show?

We can't say, but our goal is to bring it to Off-Broadway. We are hoping NYMF will bring many more opportunities for Matthew McConaughey (the musical, not the actor).