Photo Coverage: Paper Mill Playhouse Rally

Paper Mill Playhouse's rally - which was staged with the goal of keeping the venerable Millburn, New Jersey theatre from closing - took place on Monday, April 9th at 7 PM. 

The evening featured the participation of, among others, Jersey Boys' and Tony Award Winner-John Lloyd Young, Judy McLane, Leslie Kritzer, George Dvorsky, Glory Crampton, Nell Benjamin, Kelli Rabke, Michele Ragusa, Matthew Scott, James Brennan, Danette Holden, and the Seven Brides for Seven Brothers cast, along with hundreds of students touched by Paper Mill Playhouse.  Political leaders, including Senate President-Governor Richard Codey, Sen. Tom Kean Jr., Former Governors Brendon Byrne and Tom Kean Sr., were also present.  In addition, nearly 4,000 theatre lovers and patrons attended the event. 

As previously announced, the Paper Mill Playhouse is in danger of not lasting past this theatre season.  Although the theater is engaged in accelerated negotiations to obtain a loan that would allow it to finish the season, it is premature to claim that the theater will remain open. Since Tuesday's announcement that the theater was in danger of shutting its doors on Friday, April 6, it has received hundreds of thousands of dollars of cash donations. Because of this unprecedented support, the Board of Trustees, which met in emergency session on Thursday evening, decided to continue the rehearsal process for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which is scheduled to open on Wednesday, April 11.  Donations from theatre lovers and supporters of the Paper Mill are very much welcome.

Paper Mill Playhouse, a not-for-profit arts organization, is one of the country's leading regional theatres and is supported in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, A Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, in addition to contributions from many corporations, foundations, businesses and individuals.  Paper Mill Playhouse is a member of the Theatre Communications Group, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Council of Stock Theatres, and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.

The Paper Mill Playhouse is located at Brookside Drive in Millburn, NJ 07041.  Visit www.papermill.org for more on the theatre or to make a donation.

Before the show:

Paper Mill Artistic Associate Patrick Parker and Judy McLane

Judy McLane

Judy McLane and Patrick Parker

Patrick Parker and Susan Speidel - Paper Mill Director of Education

Paper Mill Conservatory Students

Danette Holden

Andrew Sfiris, Matthew Scott (Jersey Boys) and John O'Neill checking out an arrangement of the show's finale song

Matthew Scott - Jersey Boys, Former Paper Mill Conservatory Student and three tine Rising Star Winner

Senator Thomas Kean, Diane Claussen – Paper Mill Managing Director, and Mark S. Hoebee - Paper Mill Acting Artistic Director

Former Governors Brendan Byrne and Richard Codey

Kenneth Thorne- Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Diane Claussen, Mark S. Hoebee and Brendan Byrne

Richard Codey - Former Governor, Senate President, and Daniel J. Baer - Mayor of Millburn

Mark S. Hoebee, Diane Claussen, Brendan Byrne and Richard Codey

John Lloyd Young - Jersey Boys Tony Award-winner, Alumnus of Paper Mill

The Rally

Supporters and well-wishers

Diane Claussen, Mark S. Hoebee and Ken Thorne

Ken Thorne

Diane Claussen, Ken Thorne and Mark S. Hoebee

Cast of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, opening this weekend at Paper Mill, and Town Elder Band

Ed Watts and Michelle Dawson

Ed Watts

Ed Watts and Carl Warden

Mayor Dan Baer

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr.

Don Rubel signing for the deaf - another program and service that the Paper Mill provides

Governors Kean and Bryne

Danette Holden sings "On the Other Side of the Tracks"

Danette Holden

Dianne Claussen

Kymmee Van Cleef, signing for the deaf

Governors Byrne and Kean

Paper Mill Press Director Shayne Miller

Leslie Kritzer

Glory Crampton

James Brennan

Michele Ragusa

George Dvorsky

Kelli Rabke sings "Over the Rainbow"

Mark S. Hoebee and Diane Claussen

Nell Benjamin, Barrett Foa, Gordon Greenberg and Diane Claussen

Gordon Greenberg, Nell Benjamin and Barrett Foa

Barrett Foa

Nell Benjamin, Gordon Greenberg and Barrett Foa

Senators Richard Codey and Thomas Kean Jr.

Judy McLane

Judy McLane

Michael Mooney—Access Programs and accessibility for disabled Patron Sally Meyers and her grandson Eric - blind patrons share the impact the theatre program has had on their enjoyment of shows at Paper Mill

Michael Mooney

Colleen Platt—doing the closed captioning that is used for the shows at the theatre

John Lloyd Young

Matthew Scott

Matthew Scott donating a Jersey Boys ticket

Susan Speidel - Paper Mill Director of Education and Mickey McNany – Paper Mill Theatre School Director

Students from the Paper Mill sing "Imagine"

Scott Fergang - Paper Mill Board of Trustees encouraging everyone to donate on the way out

Matthew Scott leads into "There's No Business Like Show Business"

...and everyone joins in!

The happy crowd

One of the students from the Paper Mill conservatory

After the show:

Judy McLane and Glory Crampton

Paper Mill employee Emily De Hope, John Lloyd Young and Aimee De Hope