Photo Flash: Paper Mill Playhouse Wins Record Three 2017 Discover Jersey Arts People's Choice Awards

Paper Mill Playhouse has won three 2017 Discover Jersey Arts People's Choice Awards. Paper Mill Playhouse was awarded, "Favorite Theater at See a Musical," "Favorite Theater Camp," and "Favorite Choral Group" on Friday by the ArtPride New Jersey Foundation at the annual New Jersey Conference on Tourism in Atlantic City. Scroll down for photos!

The awards presented to Paper Mill Playhouse were accepted by Managing Director Todd Schmidt. Presented by Discover Jersey Arts, a program of the ArtPride New Jersey Foundation and New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the annual Awards highlight the work of New Jersey's vital and diverse arts community.

The categories ranged from theater and performing arts center, to museum and gallery, to symphony and Dance Company (along with many more -- there were 16 in all). More than 100 nonprofit arts groups and arts districts were nominated for the 2017 Awards by members of the arts community. From the nominations, the public chose their favorites in the 16 categories, with nearly 18,000 ballots cast for arts organizations statewide.

"Paper Mill Playhouse is both humbled and honored to receive three People's Choice Awards," remarked Todd Schmidt, Paper Mill Playhouse Managing Director. "These awards are a gift from the audiences and students we serve throughout the State of New Jersey."

"We are so thankful for the outpouring of support from community that we serve," said Mark S. Hoebee, Producing Artistic Director of Paper Mill Playhouse. "We are overjoyed to receive an award for the Paper Mill Playhouse Broadway Show Choir and our Paper Mill Players Theater Camp, part of our Theatre School which has served the community and the state for nearly 30 years. Programs like our show choir, Theatre School, classes for students with autism and other developmental disabilities and our Summer Musical Theatre Conservatory give students a supportive environment in which to study and explore elements of performance and learn essential life skills."

"For the ninth year in a row, the people of New Jersey have told us loud and clear that the arts matter," said Nick Paleologos, Executive Director of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. "In every corner of the state, from the smallest town to the biggest city, we rely on the work of these exceptional artists and arts organizations to make our communities vibrant, unique places to live, work and visit."

"The arts organizations highlighted in the JerseyArts.com People's Choice Awards will not come as a surprise to many. The winners and nominees alike inspire hundreds every day," said Adam Perle, President & CEO of ArtPride New Jersey. "These groups help our neighborhoods reach new heights and give us permission to fly to Neverland, dance on rooftops or simply take a longer, deeper look at the beauty that surrounds us. All of the nominees should be very proud of the important and impactful work they are doing."

For detailed results and more information, visit www.JerseyArts.com/peopleschoice. The JerseyArts.com People's Choice Awards are coordinated through the Discover Jersey Arts program, a cosponsored project of the ArtPride New Jersey Foundation and New Jersey State Council on the Arts aimed at increasing the awareness of and participation in the arts.

The 2017 JERSEYARTS.COM PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS WINNERS:

Favorite Theater to See a Musical:

Paper Mill Playhouse (Millburn)

Favorite Theater Camp:

Paper Mill Players (Millburn)

Favorite Choral Group:

Paper Mill Playhouse Broadway Show Choir (Millburn)

Favorite Large Performing Arts Center:

New Jersey Performing Arts Center - NJPAC (Newark)

Favorite Small Performing Arts Center:

South Orange Performing Arts Center -SOPAC (South Orange)

Favorite Theater to See a Play:

McCarter Theatre (Princeton)

Favorite Art Museum:

Grounds for Sculpture (Hamilton)

Favorite Art Gallery:

Arts Council of Princeton (Princeton)

Favorite Symphony/Orchestra:

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra- NJSO (Newark)

Favorite Dance Company:

American Repertory Ballet (Princeton)

Favorite Opera Company:

Opera at The Princeton Festival (Princeton)

Favorite Music Festival:

Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Festival (Asbury Park, Long Branch, Point Pleasant)

Favorite Film Festival:

Montclair Film Festival (Montclair)

Favorite Adult Art Class:

Montclair Art Museum's Yard School of Art (Montclair)

Favorite Art Camp: Montclair

Art Museum's SummerART Camp (Montclair)

Favorite Downtown Arts District:

Red Bank

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