Paper Mill Playhouse Conservatory's Presents World Premiere of NEW VOICES: PURE IMAGINATION

Paper Mill Playhouse has announced the World Premiere of New Voices of 2020: Pure Imagination, a musical theater montage featuring students of the 2020 Summer Musical Theater Conservatory. New Voices of 2020: Pure Imagination will premiere on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at 7:00 pm on Paper Mill's Facebook page and YouTube channel.

In March of 2020, Paper Mill Playhouse, like every business and school in the state of New Jersey, was forced to close temporarily in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The theater's Summer Musical Theater Conservatory - a professional training program for the next generation of musical theater performers - made the decision not to cancel classes and moved the program to an online format. Paper Mill faculty and creative staff used new ways to deliver musical theater instruction via Zoom, and our video-savvy students were empowered to tell their musical stories using an entirely different medium - film. The annual New Voices concert, which has helped to launch the careers of many notable alumni, has been reimagined from a live stage concert to an inspiring video montage of work conceived and proudly performed by our students.

Paper Mill Producing Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee noted, "This summer's student company, in particular, has persevered despite many recent disappointments and obstacles. I look forward to sharing their incredible work with the world. We couldn't be more proud of their effort and dedication"

The theater's prestigious Summer Musical Theater Conservatory prepares students for professional theater industry. The program of rigorous study allows 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, dance, private voice and monologue coaching, and improvisation, while also attending guest workshops led by Broadway industry professionals. The final weeks are devoted to rehearsals for the New Voices performance. 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.

"From the first day of class all the way through performing for 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."

Many of the students from Paper Mill Playhouse's Conservatory have gone on to appear on Broadway, in regional theater productions, in film and on television.

Conservatory Alumni include:

Anne Hathaway - Twelfth Night, Film: Les Misérables (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

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

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!

Jelani Remy: Broadway's Ain't To Proud, The Lion King, Smokey Joe's Café

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

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

Avery Espiritu: Broadway: The King and I

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 - 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), Bye, Bye Birdie (Randolph), 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)

Darius Jordan Lee: Broadway's Ain't To Proud

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

Lael Van Keuran - Broadway: Sister Act

Matt Ban - Broadway: Rock of Ages (Dennis)

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