Paper Mill Accepting Applications For Rising Star Awards

Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Artistic Director, Mark W. Jones-Executive Director) is proud to announce another year of celebrating the best and brightest offerings in New Jersey High School Musicals as plans get under way for the 14th Annual Rising Star Awards.

Since their inception in 1996 the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theatre have ignited the careers of many notable performers, all of whom attended high school in New Jersey. The Rising Star Awards are modeled after the Tony® Awards and Paper Mill's program serves the entire state of New Jersey with 100 entered productions from public, private and parochial high schools. The musicals are adjudicated throughout the spring by a group of 65 Evaluators, with each school receiving four independent evaluations. The 2009 Rising Star Award gala awards ceremony at Paper Mill Playhouse is set for June 16th when the nominees perform and the award recipients are presented with a crystal award from Rising Star Award partner Tiffany's & Co. Any school that produces a musical between January 22nd and April 19th 2009, is eligible. Only the first 100 schools to apply will be entered into the program.

In addition to honors in performance, design and production categories, the Rising Star Awards recognize other aspects of the process. Special Student Achievement Awards (based on nominations made by teachers and evaluations by a select committee) and an Educational Impact Award (recognizing a school's efforts to connect their musical production to the district's curriculum) are presented each year. Paper Mill Playhouse also awards $60,000 in scholarship money at the Rising Star Awards. Three $1000 cash scholarships to outstanding individual students participating in entered Rising Star Award productions, who plan to continue studying theatre in college. A technical theatre scholarship is sponsored annually by Scaramouche Costumes, LLC. Paper Mill has also partnered with Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey to offer a renewable scholarship worth $14,000 each year to a selected student participating in an entered Rising Star Award production wishing to major in musical theatre.

Lastly, students receiving final nominations in the lead and supporting acting categories automatically receive a full scholarship to Paper Mill Playhouse's competitive Summer Musical Theatre Conservatory, a professional training program, which along with advanced classes in singing, acting and dance, offers the nominees an opportunity to perform on the stage at Paper Mill in our August season finale concert, "New Voices 2008:.

Paper Mill Director of Education, Lisa Cooney adds, "What's happening in high schools musical productions here in New Jersey and around the country is remarkable. Programs like the Rising Star Awards have raised the bar and create opportunities for student performers and theatre technicians to be recognized for their achievements, while giving them access to thousands of dollars in scholarship money. Many of Paper Mill's Rising Star nominees and winners are now working professionally and we consistently hear from top tier colleges and casting directors that the Paper Mill Rising Star Award is a significant accolade for an aspiring theatre artist."

Applications are available through the Education Department at Paper Mill Playhouse. The deadline for entries is January 14, 2009. For information on applications please call (973) 379-3636, ext. 2467.

Paper Mill's Education Outreach programs are generously supported by The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, PNC Bank, Shirley Aidekman-Kaye, and The Mall at Short Hills. Paper Mill's programming is made possible, 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. Paper Mill Playhouse received funding through a grant from the New Jersey Department of State.

Paper Mill Playhouse, a not-for-profit arts organization, is one of the country's leading regional theatres. Paper Mill Playhouse programs are made possible, 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. Additional major support is provided by generous contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. Paper Mill Playhouse is a member of Theatre Communications Group, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Council of Stock Theatres, and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.

 

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