Photo Coverage: Laura Benanti & Paper Mill Playhouse Honor Alan Menken

ALAN MENKEN has won a total of eight Oscars, more than any other living individual, and has been Oscar-nominated a total of twenty times. Theatre scores: God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater; Real Life Funnies; Atina: Evil Queen of the Galaxy; Little Shop of Horrors; Kicks; Patch, Patch, Patch; The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz; Beauty and the Beast; A Christmas Carol; King David; Weird Romance; Der Glöckner von Notre Dame; The Little Mermaid; Leap of Faith; and Sister Act. Film scores: Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Newsies, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Life with Mikey, Hercules, Home on the Range, The Shaggy Dog, Noel, Enchanted and Tangled. Honors: eight Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, ten Grammys, New York Drama Critics Circle Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk, two Tony nominations, the Olivier Award, London's Evening Standard Award, membership in the Songwriters' Hall of Fame, a doctorate in fine arts from New York University and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Upcoming: Stage adaptations of Aladdin, Newsies and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Ms. Benanti was the first Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Award winner for a Leading Actress in a Musical. She was honored with the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Drama League nomination for her portrayal of Louise/Gypsy Rose Lee in the Patti LuPone revival of Gypsy. She previously starred in the Encores! production. Broadway: The Sound of Music (Maria, opposite Richard Chamberlain), Swing! (Tony nomination: Best Featured Actress), Into The Woods (Cinderella; Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, LA Ovation and Tony nominations), Nine (Claudia, opposite Antonio Banderas; Outer Critics Circle, Drama League nominations), The Wedding Singer (Julia Sullivan), In The Next Room, or The Vibrator Play (Lincoln Center), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Lincoln Center). Encores: Gypsy (Louise), Wonderful Town (Eileen). Benefits: The Secret Garden (Lily), Hair, Pippin (Catherine) and Children of Eden. Off-Broadway: Why Torture Is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them, Time and Again (Julia, MTC). LA Opera: A Little Night Music (Anne). Williamstown: The Winter's Tale (Perdita, opposite Kate Burton). Film: Falling for Grace (Princess Alexandra), Take the Lead. Television: "Open Books" (CBS), "Life on Mars" (ABC), "Eli Stone" (ABC), "Starved" (FX). Recordings: several Broadway cast recordings, as well as "NEO," "The Stephen Schwartz Album" and "The Maury Yeston Songbook." Laura Benanti was raised in Kinnelon, New Jersey.

Senator Thomas H. Kean, Jr., New Jersey Senate Republication Leader was also honored with the Byrne Kean Arts Advocate Award. The first Byrne Kean Arts Advocate Award was presented to Brendan Byrne and Tom Kean, Sr. in 2010 for their passionate work on behalf of New Jersey's arts community. 

For over seven decades Paper Mill Playhouse has been one of the nation's leading not-for-profit theaters. They continue to bring world-class artists and outstanding musicals and plays to the community while enriching the lives of over 50,000 young people each year through renowned education outreach, artists training and access programs.

Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter Keddy