MILLBURN, NJ — Since their inception in 1996, the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theatre, presented by the Investors Foundation, have ignited the careers of many notable performers, all of whom attended high school in New Jersey. Paper Mill Playhouse has announced the 2021 nominees. Award recipients will be announced June 7.
Among the top nominated high school performances and student achievement efforts, Delaware Valley Regional High School has five nominations, Ridge High School has four nominations, and St. Peter’s Preparatory School, Union High School and Madison High School each have three nominations.
Columbia High School was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Large Ensemble for its performance of “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from “Hairspray.”
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic caused rolling school building closures and social-distancing restrictions, leaving many New Jersey high schools unable to produce a traditional musical at their schools with a live audience. Despite the restrictions, theater educators found new ways to teach students with strict COVID-19 protocols in place, or explored new concepts for virtual rehearsals and performances.
With this in mind, Paper Mill launched an abridged Rising Star Awards program that preserves essential elements that serve both students and teachers and continues to provide a meaningful recognition platform for the school community. Paper Mill welcomed video submissions of student performances for a shorter list of categories.
“We are very excited to celebrate excellence in high school musical theater with the students of New Jersey,” said Mark S. Hoebee, Paper Mill Playhouse’s producing artistic director. “For many New Jersey schools, the prestigious honor of a Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star nomination is the culmination of their hard work in a high school musical. Many of our Rising Star nominees and winners are now working professionally and have won esteemed industry awards while working in theater, television and film.”
“After a most difficult year, the Rising Star Awards are a testament to the determination and commitment of student performers and the dedication of the teachers involved in high school theater programs,” Investors Bank Chairperson and CEO Kevin Cummings said. “Investors Bank is proud to present the awards and to encourage students to rise up each day in pursuit of their dreams. You are the essence of the show business mantra, ‘the show must go on.’”
In addition to recognizing performances, Paper Mill Playhouse will award $5,000 in scholarships at the awards ceremony.
Students receiving a final nomination in the outstanding performance by an actor and actress categories will receive a full scholarship prize to attend Paper Mill Playhouse’s competitive professional training program, the Summer Musical Theater Conservatory, at the Millburn theater during the month of July. Conservatory students take advanced classes in singing, acting and dance on a hybrid schedule — both in-studio and online — and will appear in the filmed musical theater montage, “New Voices of 2021: Stand By Me.”
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