Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards recognizes the artistry, dedication, and collaboration that bring New Jersey’s high school musical productions to life!
MORE THAN 100 PERFORMANCES Participated IN 2026 ADJUDICATION
This year, 114 New Jersey high schools across 19 counties participated in full adjudication of their productions from February to April, 2026. These performances were attended by a team of 55 passionate and skilled adjudicators specializing in music, dance, design, education, and more. Each production receives in-depth feedback and insights to support the continued development of all theatrical disciplines within the school’s community. Participating educators across the state can use this feedback to continue developing professional skills and pedagogical techniques from year to year.
Learn more about the participating schools and their productions:
Participating Schools List Participating Schools Map
AND THE NOMINEES ARE…
More than 25 adjudicators engaged in a rigorous in-person review process to identify particularly exceptional artists for award nomination. Additional committees reviewed Spotlight Award submissions and scholarship applications. Paper Mill Playhouse Education & Artistic staff abstain from participation in adjudication and voting.
A total of 40 schools across the state received nominations within adjudicated performance categories this year. The nominees were announced on Monday, May 11 on Paper Mill’s YouTube Channel.
Below you will find the full list of nominees for the 2026 Rising Star Awards
Design
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
Nominees
Mary Hill, Ewing High School, In the Heights
Paul Canada, Gill St. Bernards, Dracula
Addyson Pineda, Jayla Wright, Anneliese Wilson, and Colette Jackson-Belle, High Tech High School, Catch Me if You Can
Linda & Blake Spence, Madison High School, Alice by Heart
Janet van Allen & Christie Hall, Piscataway High School, Urinetown
Maggie Clark, Shawnee High School, Newsies
Honorable Mentions
Noemi Merenyi & Angela Leone, Camden Catholic High School, The Addams Family
Madison Hasset, Violet Harris, and Olivia Huszar, Howell High School, Chicago
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN HAIR AND MAKE-UP DESIGN
Nominees
Lee Amorrosso, Gill St. Bernards, Dracula
Julianna Caputo, Piscataway High School, Urinetown
Nancy Gaidos, North Hunterdon High School, Shrek the Musical
Bonnie Grube, Ridge High School, Mary Poppins
Derek Alfano and Derek Bedell, Saint Joseph Regional High School, Pippin
The Cast of Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School’s Guys and Dolls
Honorable Mentions
Sabina Albirt, Northern Valley Regional High School Demarest, Fiddler on the Roof
Shawanna Whidbee and Leslie Fiorellini, Passaic County Technical Institute, Mean Girls
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN LIGHTING DESIGN
Nominees
Eric Baker, Cedar Creek High School, 9 to 5
Clinton B. Ambs, Delaware Valley Regional High School, The Spongebob Musical
Brian Sosa & Nelson Lopez, Jose Marti STEM Academy, Side Show
Cameron Filepas & Daania Fakhar, Madison High School, Alice by Heart
Alan Van Antwerp, The Pingry School, Cabaret
Ashley Kok, Saddle River Day School, Footloose
Honorable Mentions
Chloe Ditloff, Ewing High School, In the Heights
Shawanna Whidbee & Leslie Fiorellini, Passaic County Technical Institute, Mean Girls
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN SCENIC DESIGN
Nominees
Sarah Nasson, Bridgewater-Raritan High School, Little Shop of Horrors
Teresa Carr, Delaware Valley Regional High School, The Spongebob Musical
Anthony Freitas, Jose Marti STEM Academy, Side Show
Anthony Freitas, Madison High School, Alice by Heart
Matt Nickles, Piscataway High School, Urinetown
Jason M. Stewart, Ridge High School, Mary Poppins
Honorable Mentions
Mary Boner & Michael Charboneau, Cedar Creek High School, 9 to 5
McAfee Madden & Kyle Binkley, Ewing High School, In the Heights
Creative
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHOREOGRAPHY
Nominees
Heather Fleischman, Delaware Valley Regional High School, The Spongebob Musical
Noelle Martone, Ewing High School, In the Heights
Brittany Cohen, Howell High School, Chicago
Jennifer Ackermann, Passaic County Technical Institute, Mean Girls
Cecilia Mitchell, Tenafly High School, A Chorus Line
Denise Kulhan, Wallkill Valley Regional High School, Shrek the Musical
Honorable Mentions
Melissa Calicchio, Colonia High School, The Spongebob Musical
Meghan Stapenski, High Tech High School, Catch Me if You Can
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC DIRECTION
Nominees
Sarah Jordan, Madison High School, Alice by Heart
Mary Kenny, OCVTS Grunin Performing Arts, Mamma Mia
Emily Fencik, Saint Peter’s Preparatory School, Pippin
Robert Geyer, Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, Guys and Dolls
Alex Bochino, Summit High School, Big Fish
Christine Molnar, Wallkill Valley Regional High School, Shrek the Musical
Honorable Mentions
Andrew Chojnacki, Delaware Valley Regional High School, The Spongebob Musical
Susan Connors, Howell High School, Chicago
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION
Nominees
Angela Leone, Camden Catholic High School, The Addams Family
Stefanie Grossman, Delaware Valley Regional High School, The Spongebob Musical
Alexander Minter, Ewing High School, In the Heights
Ariane Ryan, Jose Marti STEM Academy, Side Show
Blake Spence, Madison High School, Alice by Heart
Melissa Silva, Passaic County Technical Institute, Mean Girls
Honorable Mentions
Jodi Capeless, Immaculate Heart Academy, High School Musical
Christine Molnar, Wallkill Valley Regional High School, Shrek the Musical
Performance
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A STUDENT ORCHESTRA
Nominees
Hopewell Valley Central High School, Pippin
Howell High School, Chicago
Madison High School, Alice by Heart
Morristown High School, Fiddler on the Roof
Passaic County Technical Institute, Mean Girls
Summit High School, Big Fish
Honorable Mentions
Livingston High School, Shrek
Ridgewood High School, Annie
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A CHORUS
Nominees
Ewing High School, In the Heights
Madison High School, Alice by Heart
Piscataway High School, Urinetown
Ridge High School, Mary Poppins
Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, Guys and Dolls
Wallkill Valley Regional High School, Shrek the Musical
Honorable Mentions
High Tech High School, Catch Me if You Can
Howell High School, Chicago
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE GROUP
Nominees
“Rusty, Urleen, and Wendy Jo” in Footloose, Cherry Hill High School East
“The Merry Murderesses” in Chicago, Howell High School
“Cheerleaders” in High School Musical, Immaculate Heart Academy
“The Stepsisters” in Once Upon A One More Time, Ocean Township High School
“The Orphans” in Annie, Ridgewood High School
“Hot Box Girls” in Guys and Dolls, Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School
Honorable Mentions
“Manson Trio” in Pippin, Hopewell Valley Central High School
“The Scroll Club” in Once Upon a One More Time, Ocean Township High School
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A FEATURED ROLE
Nominees
Alicia Eldridge as “Mrs. Darbus” in High School Musical, Immaculate Heart Academy
Melina Gonzalez as “Auntie” in Side Show, Jose Marti STEM Academy
Jeaninie Mashauri as “Lorraine” in All Shook Up, Moorestown High School
Mikaella Sapena as “Mrs. George” in Mean Girls, Passaic County Technical Institute
Anti Garcia as “Mrs. Corry” in Mary Poppins, Ridge High School
Anthony Oryniak as “Weselton” in Frozen, Spotswood High School
Honorable Mentions
Keely McAlary as “Carol Strong” in Catch Me If You Can, High Tech High School
Caroline Bentley as “Gingy” in Shrek the Musical, Livingston High School
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A MALE-IDENTIFIED SUPPORTING ROLE
Nominees
Nolen Petty as “Squidward Tentacles” in The Spongebob Musical, Delaware Valley Regional High School
Shaine Wilson-Gibson as “Benny” in In the Heights, Ewing High School
Charles Bird as “Frank Abagnale Sr.” in Catch Me if You Can, High Tech High School
Maxwell DeVivo as “Sam Carmichael” in Mama Mia, OCVTS Grunin Performing Arts
Darien Stoll as “Damian Hubbard” in Mean Girls, Passaic County Technical Institute
Xavier LeBlanc as “Herr Schultz” in Cabaret, The Pingry School
Honorable Mentions
Nathan Borgos as “Charlemagne” in Pippin, Hopewell Valley Central High School
Jacob Bagolie as “Lord Farquaad” in Shrek the Musical, Livingston High School
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A FEMALE-IDENTIFIED SUPPORTING ROLE
Nominees
Reese Dolinsky as “Roz Keith” in 9 to 5, Cedar Creek High School
Kyra Korman as “Ruza Wenclawska” in Suffs, Cherry Hill High School West
Mya Glasofer as “Vi Moore” in Footloose, Eastern Regional High School
Julianne Witte as “Madame Renfield” in Dracula, Gill St. Bernards
Sophie Spencer as “Miss Adelaide” in Guys and Dolls, Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School
Molly Walsh as “Rosie Mulligan” in Mamma Mia, Verona High School
Honorable Mentions
Haley Petrushun as “Abuela Claudia” in In the Heights, Ewing High School
Lilliana Fay as “Penelope Pennywise” in Urinetown, Piscataway High School
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A MALE-IDENTIFIED LEADING ROLE
Nominees
Alex Apgar as “SpongeBob SquarePants” in The Spongebob Musical, Delaware Valley Regional High School
Isaac Fernandez as “Usnavi” in In the Heights, Ewing High School
Ben Altstadter as “Shrek” in Shrek the Musical, Livingston High School
Camryn Burniston as “Bill Snibson” in Me and My Girl, Old Bridge High School
Luciano Guidetti as “Joe Gillis” in Sunset Boulevard, Paramus High School
Caiden Loyer as “Danny Zuko” in Grease, Sparta High School
Jayden Garnett as “Javert” in Les Miserables, West Deptford High School
Honorable Mentions
Evan Andrews as “Seymour Krelborne” in Little Shop of Horrors, Bridgewater-Raritan High School
Cody Weisman as “Carl Hanratty” in Catch Me if You Can, High Tech High School
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A FEMALE-IDENTIFIED LEADING ROLE
Nominees
Hannah D’Aquila as “Dee Dee Allen” in The Prom, Gloucester County Institute of Technology
Jihoamy Velasquez and Joanna Rodriguez as “Violet and Daisy” in Side Show, Jose Marti STEM Academy
Gianna Minardi as “Donna Sheridan” in Mamma Mia, OCVTS Grunin Performing Arts
Keilah Clarke as “Leading Player” in Pippin, Saint Joseph Regional High School
Skyler Grosswald-Wilson as “Sandra Bloom” in Big Fish, Summit High School
Chloe Geuther as “Princess Fiona” in Shrek the Musical, Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Honorable Mentions
Madeline Torchia as “Doralee Rhodes” in 9 to 5, Cedar Creek High School
Gillian Eldredge-Silberstein as “Beth March” in Little Women, Manasquan High School
OUTSTANDING OVERALL PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
Nominees
Delaware Valley Regional High School, The Spongebob Musical
Ewing High School, In the Heights
Jose Marti STEM Academy, Side Show
Madison High School, Alice by Heart
Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, Guys and Dolls
Wallkill Valley Regional High School, Shrek the Musical
Honorable Mentions
Passaic County Technical Institute, Mean Girls
Piscataway High School, Urinetown
Spotlight Awards
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ENSEMBLE MEMBER
Nominees
Lena Kanematsu, Tenafly High School
Jacob Zacks, Princeton High School
Olivia Covert, Christian Brothers Academy
Hope Shertenlieb, Pinelands Regional High School
Sofia Emery-Reed, North Hunterdon High School
Jordyn Mainor, Academy for Performing Arts at UCVTS
Honorable Mentions
Davnette McNamara, Morristown High School
Mark Anthony Labron James, Morris Knolls High School
OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE (Digital Submission)
Nominees
Haley Petrushun, Ewing High School
Sofia Emery-Reed, North Hunterdon High School
Mary Ann Wright, Ridgewood High School
Mia Mastroianni, Southern Regional High School
Emily Molbury, Sparta High School
Noah Ibrahim, Summit High School
Honorable Mentions
Gianna Roman, Sayreville War Memorial High School
Scarlet Strogov, Columbia High School
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Nominees
Amore Alphonse, Catherine Dizon, & Angelina Martinez, Ocean Township High School
Michael Berry, Princeton Day School
Eddie Fox, Weehawken High School
Shannon Goveia, Mount Olive High School
Athena Halewicz, Madison High School
Leah Harrell, Spotswood High School
Ben Jacobson, Ocean Township High School
Sahana Karthik, Princeton Day School
Eileen Kelly, Carteret High School
Kensie Lee, Academy of Performing Arts at UCVTS
Marayah Marinho, Ocean Township High School
Allyson McLoughlin, Morristown High School
Maddison McZorn, Cicely L Tyson Community School for Fine and Performing Arts
Abbigale Merry, Hillsborough High School
Ana Morales, Jose Marti STEM Academy
Lila Pfefferle, Delaware Valley Regional High School
Props Team, Princeton High School
Matthew Saam, Voorhees High School
Ainsley Valerio, Summit High School
Jacob Zacks, Princeton High School
THE EDUCATIONAL IMPACT AWARD
Nominees
Madison High School, Alice by Heart
Morristown High School, Fiddler on the Roof
New Jersey United Christian Academy, Little Women
The Pingry School, Cabaret
THE “THEATER FOR EVERYONE” INCLUSION AND ACCESS AWARD
Nominees
Jonathan Dayton High School, 9 to 5
Moorestown High School, All Shook Up
Morristown High School, Fiddler on the Roof
New Jersey United Christian Academy, Little Women
OUTSTANDING EDUCATOR AWARD
Nominees
Jessica Lisboa, North Star Academy
Carolyn Little & Anthony Ciccotelli, OCVTS Grunin Performing Arts
Christine Molnar, Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Annie Raczko, Spotswood High School
Michael Yoson, Piscataway High School
ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET: JUNE 9, 2026
We are looking forward to honoring the accomplishments of all 2026 Rising Star Awards participants at the awards ceremony at Paper Mill Playhouse on June 9th, 2026 at 7:30pm. This exciting evening will feature performances from a selection of nominees, as well as the announcement of this year’s award winners.
Tickets will be available to the general public for purchase on May 29th. If you are unable to attend in person but would still like to be a part of this special event, stay tuned for livestream details. We hope to see you there!
Thank You to Our Program Supporters
We are deeply grateful to the generous supporters who make the Rising Star Awards possible. The program is presented by the Investors Foundation and the Citizens Philanthropic Foundation, with additional support from Mark Lavigne, LLC.
Rising Star Scholarships are made possible through the generosity of Ruth Bedford in memory of Jane Burgio, Walt Santner in honor of Janet Sovey, James K. Mosser, and the Douglas Michael Krueger Scholarship Fund Trust. The Theater for Everyone Inclusion & Access Award is supported by the Cultural Access Network. We also thank Hearst Foundations, the Education & Outreach Partner of Paper Mill Playhouse, for their steadfast commitment to arts education and to the students and communities we serve.
Our work is also made possible by funds from New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
