Local Students to Take Part in Paper Mill's 2016 Summer Conservatory

Paper Mill Playhouse, recipient of the 2016 Tony Award for Regional Theatre, has selected students to be a part of the theater's prestigious Summer Musical Theatre Conservatory for 2016.

Members of the competitive Conservatory who earned coveted spots in the Senior (ages 15-18), Junior Plus (ages 13-14), and Junior Companies (ages 10-12) are directed and choreographed by Paper Mill Playhouse's professional artistic staff in a fully produced, original concert on the Paper Mill mainstage titled New Voices of 2016: Everything Old Is New Again! The concert is the culmination of the five-week program. Also appearing are numerous winners and nominees of the 2016 Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards presented by the Investors Foundation, who won scholarships to attend the Conservatory.

Performances of New Voices of 2016: Everything Old Is New Again! will be held on Friday, July 29th at 7:30pm and Saturday, July 30th at 1:30pm and 7:30pm at Paper Mill Playhouse, 22 Brookside Drive, Millburn, NJ. Single tickets range in price from $25 to $45. Tickets may be purchased by calling (973) 376-4343, online at www.papermill.org, or visit the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express are accepted.

"From the first day of class all the way through opening night of New Voices, we require our students to rise to the demands of this rigorous program," stated Lisa Cooney, Paper Mill Playhouse Director of Education. "We ask them to work harder than they ever have before as young performers, and we strive to build an incredible ensemble company, while each student hones their own individual performance skills. Our faculty pushes the students to believe in themselves as professional artists and treats them as such. We find summer after summer that our students meet our expectations and more. When they move on to college or the professional world, they are ready for the challenges they'll face, and time and again they thrive and ultimately live their dream of being a professional performer. It's gratifying when they make a name or themselves on Broadway or in Hollywood, but even if they do not, the skills they learn and the work ethic they develop will serve them in any field."

The Paper Mill Playhouse Summer Musical Theatre Conservatory is a program of rigorous study allowing students to enhance their individual performance potential while developing a broad base of theater experience and knowledge. Students participate in intensive classes including musical theater performance, acting, dance, and improvisation, while also attending guest workshops led by professional actors, directors, and casting agents. The final weeks are devoted to rehearsals for the New Voices Concert, performed annually on the Paper Mill Playhouse stage. The Conservatory offers the unique opportunity for gifted and talented young performers to work at their own level and challenge themselves to achieve new goals and learn new skills. Key to the curriculum is the development of self-discipline, respect, and a commitment to excellence that will serve these young artists throughout their lives.

"New Voices is an amazing opportunity to see the stars of tomorrow," stated Mark S. Hoebee, Paper Mill's Producing Artistic Director. "This fully produced, original concert features over 100 incredible performers. It is amazing to see these young performers grow into professional artists and grace our stage with an inspiring, heartfelt performance."

Students from Paper Mill Playhouse's Conservatory have gone on to appear in numerous Broadway productions, film, television, and regional theater.

Conservatory Alumni include:

Anne Hathaway - Twelfth Night, Film: LES MISERABLES (2013 Academy Award Winner), Rachel Getting Married (2009 Academy Award & Golden Globe nominee), Get Smart, Brokeback Mountain, The Devil Wears Prada, & Disney's The Princess Diaries

Laura Benanti - Broadway: She Loves Me, Gypsy (2008 Tony Award winner), Into the Woods, The Wedding Singer, Swing!

Julia Knitel - Broadway: Beautiful: the Carole King Musical (u/s Carole King); Bye Bye Birdie

Robert McClure - Broadway: Something Rotten, Honeymoon in Vegas, Chaplin, Avenue Q

Shanice Williams- NBC's The Wiz Live!

Joshua Dela Cruz - Broadway's Disney's Aladdin (Aladdin Understudy)

Ali Stroker - Broadway: Spring Awakening, Oxygen's The Glee Project: Season 2; Paper Mill's 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Olive Ostrovsky)

Nikki M. James - Broadway: LES MISERABLES, Book of Mormon (2011 Tony Award winner), All Shook Up

Avery Espiritu: Broadway: The King and I

James Ignacio - Broadway: The King and I

Alex Drier - Broadway: Finding Neverland, Assembled Parties

Daisy Hobbs - Broadway: Disney's Aladdin

Matthew Scott - Broadway: Jersey Boys, A Catered Affair (Ralph), Sondheim on Sondheim

Collin Kelly-Sordelet - Broadway: The Last Ship (Young Gideon)

Jared Gertner - 2014 Olivier Award nominee West End, Broadway & National Tour of The Book Of Mormon (Elder Cunningham)

Veronica J. Kuehn - Broadway: Mamma Mia!, Xanadu; Off Broadway: Avenue Q

Neil McCaffrey - Broadway: Mary Poppins (Michael Banks), Bye, Bye Birdie (Randolph Macafee), Billy Elliot (Michael)

Monette McKay - Broadway: Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, Memphis, Mamma Mia!

Constantine Rousouli - Broadway: Hairspray (Link), Ghost the Musical, Wicked

Jonathan Schwartz - Broadway's Disney's Aladdin (Omar)

Elizabeth Egan Gillies - Nickelodeon's Victorious; Broadway: 13! The Musical

Lael Van Keuran - Broadway: Sister Act

Matt Ban - Broadway: Rock of Ages (Dennis)

Connor Buckley - Star of Fox-TV's Surviving Jack with Chris Meloni (role of "Jack Dunlevy")

2016 CONSERVATORY PERFORMERS BY TOWN:

Matthew	Sahadi	Basking Ridge
Helen	Shen	Basking Ridge
Hannah	Skokan	Bedminster
Adam	Cantor	Berkeley Heights
Victoria	Rivard	Berkeley Heights
Ellie	Kallay	Bloomfield
Jennifer	Brady	Bound Brook
Hannah Sky	Caldwell-Pretlow	Bound Brook
Maeve	Touhey	Bridgewater
Mollie	DeFilippo	Caldwell
Francesca	Catrone	Cedar Grove
Emma	Wilcox	Cedar Knolls
Liam	Driscoll	Chatham
Andrew	Palmieri	Chatham
Teax	Armijo	Chester
Garrett	Forrestal	Cranford
Dominique	Diggs	East Orange
Carmine	Mastrokostas	Eatontown
Gabby	Gomez	Elizabeth
Arwen-Vira	Marsh	Elkins Park
Trevor	Braun	Fair Lawn
Alexa	Aquino	Franklin Lakes
Claire	Wolfson	Frenchtown
Jacob	Lesser	Gillette
Stephen	Hoebee- Elardo	Glen Ridge
Sofia	Fusco	Glen Rock
Serena	Brown	Hackettstown
Caleb	Hafen	Hackettstown
Victoria	Duffy	Hawthorne
Wasif	Sami	Hillsborough
Sarah	Coleman	Holmdel
Jacob	Canderozzi	Jackson
Thomas	Short	Jersey City
Alexa	Karp	Kenilworth
Melody	Stubbs	Kenilworth
Lauren	Medina	Lebanon
Andrew	Plinio	Lebanon
David	Marques	Linden
Vanessa	Sierra	Linden
Anna	McCarthy	Madison
Molly	McCarthy	Madison
Ben	Sadowski	Madison
Sam	Chuck	Mahwah
Alex	Iozzio	Maplewood
Hunter	Kovacs	Maplewood
Georgia	Post-Lipnick	Maplewood
Charlotte	Post-Lipnick	Maplewood
Milo	Shields	Maplewood
Lila	Zinner	Maplewood
Maya	Karp	Marlboro
Elizabeth	LeClerc	Martinsville
Joseph	DeGrandpre	Mendham
Deidre	Thompson	Mendham
Wyatt	McManus	Mickleton
Jordan	Reina	Milford
Amanda	Heckmann	Millburn
Halle	Just	Millburn
Justin	Comini	Montclair
Ella	Fine	Montclair
Will	Flamm	Montclair
Julia	Ravenna	Montebello
Jeffrey	Gallup	Montville
Matt	Adamo	Morristown
Andrew	Goren	Mount Laurel
Toleeya	Napolitano	Mountain Lakes
Michele	Roman	Neptune
Justin	Flores	New Milford
Mikayla	White	Old Bridge
Amaya	White	Old Bridge
Megan	Bodmer	Oxford
Bill	Fitzpatrick	Park Ridge
Taylor Leigh	Bera	Parlin
Nicole	Streger	Peapack
Michael	Akakpo	Rahway
Brandon	Grajales	Rahway
Najah	Hetsberger	Rahway
Katelynn	Perez	Rahway
Arionna	Sterling	Rahway
Kate	Mazza	Red Bank
Alexander	Birchwale	Ridgefield
Sarah	Thorn	Ridgefield
Spencer	Gonzalez	Ridgewood
Mia	Lowy	Ridgewood
Angelina	Boris	River Edge
Victoria	Csatay	Rivervale
Mackenzie	Schaefer	Rockaway
Alyssa	Shoemaker	Rockaway
Valentina	Zazzali	Saddle River
Caitlyn	Kops	Scarsdale
Sara	Miller	Scotch Plains
Tahlia	Bernstein	Short Hills
Sydney	Brenton	Short Hills
Jonathan	Charette	Short Hills
Judith	DiMinni	Short Hills
Rachel	Gesner	Short Hills
Veronica	Gonzalez	Short Hills
William	Kaiser	Short Hills
Alexa	Kerner	Short Hills
Aashni	Sawhney	Short Hills
Simran	Sawhney	Short Hills
Naomi	Fisch	South Orange
Olivia	Pryor	South Orange
Olivia	Row	Sparta
Maginnis	Buckley	Summit
Caroline	Collins	Summit
Samantha	Kelleher	Summit
Sydney	Veloso	Summit
Charlotte	Wesson	Summit
Brooke	Nagel	Towaco
Jonathan	Duvelson	Union
Crystal	Wright	Union
Maya	Fortgang	Verona
Gary	Bowman	Voorhees
Luke	Berninger	Wayne
Nick	Berninger	Wayne
Timothy	Thompson	Wayne
Duncan	Cook	Westfield
Madeline	Hudelson	Westfield
Sarah	Rappoport	Westfield
Emma	Stern	Westfield

The Summer Musical Theater Conservatory and New Voices 2016 are generously supported by the Investors Foundation.

Paper Mill Playhouse, a not-for-profit arts organization, is one of the country's leading regional theaters. Paper Mill Playhouse programs are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Paper Mill Playhouse is a member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Council of Stock Theatres, and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.

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