Paper Mill Playhouse is the most honored organization in the award’s ten-year history. Paper Mill Playhouse was awarded, “Favorite Theater at See a Musical,” and “Favorite Choral Group” by the ArtPride New Jersey Foundation. 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.
Allison Tratner, Mark S. Hoebee, Adam Pearle
The awards presented to Paper Mill Playhouse were accepted by Producing Artistic Director, Mark S. Hoebee.
“We’re so grateful for this designation and to be among the top arts organizations in the state,”
said Hoebee.
This year, more than 18,000 arts lovers cast their ballots for their favorite local groups and downtowns. Paper Mill Playhouse garnered over 10,000 votes between the two categories and was amongst those honored this morning at ArtPride New Jersey’s headquarters at Lyceum Hall Center for the Arts in Burlington, N.J.
Paper Mill Playhouse, recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is where American musical theater is celebrated, cherished, and pushed in exciting new directions. A beloved New Jersey arts institution since 1938 and a nationally renowned not-for-profit regional theater, Paper Mill has been consistently recognized for the high-quality artistry of its reimagined classic musicals as well as its commitment to supporting the development of new works and the careers of Broadway’s best talent and emerging artists both onstage and behind the scenes. Paper Mill Playhouse boasts award-winning access services and outreach initiatives as well as performer training programs that impact more than 35,000 students each year. Paper Mill Playhouse productions have launched national tours and gone on to Broadway—including Disney’s Newsies, Les Misérables, Honeymoon in Vegas, A Bronx Tale, and Bandstand—as well as television broadcasts on Showtime and PBS and original cast recordings. Paper Mill Playhouse is a member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Council of Stock Theatres, and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.
The Paper Mill Playhouse Broadway Show Choir is a tuition-free, audition-based performance show choir that stems from Paper Mill Playhouse’s award-winning Arts Education and Outreach programs. The choir consists of 60 singer/dancers between the ages of 15 and 22. The Paper Mill Playhouse Broadway Show Choir acts as ambassadors to Paper Mill Playhouse with an array of performance opportunities throughout the community and beyond. Over the past five seasons, the Paper Mill Playhouse Broadway Show Choir has delighted more than 350,000 people across the region with rousing renditions of Broadway, pop and classics. The choir has performed at prestigious venues including MetLife Stadium, Lincoln Center, Sun Arena, NJPAC, The State Theatre, Mayo Center, Bergen PAC, Paper Mill Playhouse, The Empire State Building, Asbury Park Convention Center, SOPAC, among others. This January, the show choir performed with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra for their Sci-Fi Spectacular. The choir will be on-tour throughout the state, April through June. The Paper Mill Playhouse Broadway Show Choir is presented by Overlook Medical Center.
“For more than a decade, the People’s Choice Awards has blown us away, and this year is no exception,”
said Allison Tratner, Interim Executive Director of the State Arts Council, during today’s awards ceremony.
“The outstanding nominees get better every year, and their passionate patrons and fans come out and vote by the thousands, making it known that the arts in New Jersey are not to be missed.”
Paper Mill Playhouse was one of 116 arts organizations and 11 downtown districts nominated in 18 categories, including favorite art museum, opera company, small theater, choral group and more. Nominees were determined by their peers in the Jersey Arts Marketers network, made up of hundreds of arts groups from around the state.
“The arts are an unwavering force in N.J. They make an incredible impact on the economy and bring our communities together to move them forward,”
said Adam Perle, President & CEO of the ArtPride New Jersey Foundation.
“And, after celebrating 10 years of the awards, it’s clear that the arts matter to New Jerseyans.”
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PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, a not-for-profit arts organization under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director) and Todd Schmidt (Managing Director) and recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, 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, a partner agency of the National Endowment for 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.
ABOUT JERSEYARTS.COM AND DISCOVER JERSEY ARTS
JerseyArts.com is the official website of Discover Jersey Arts, a cosponsored project of the ArtPride New Jersey Foundation and New Jersey State Council on the Arts dedicated to increasing the awareness of and participation in the arts in New Jersey. The site features a comprehensive cultural event calendar and arts directory; feature stories, videos and podcasts; details on Jersey Arts Membership, including discounts and exclusive member events; an online gallery of New Jersey artists; and other content about the state’s cultural community
ABOUT THE NEW JERSEY STATE COUNCIL ON THE Arts
The New Jersey State Council on the Arts is a division of the NJ Department of State. It receives funding in direct appropriations from the State of New Jersey through a dedicated Hotel/Motel Occupancy fee and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. Since 1966, its volunteer members and professional staff have worked to improve the quality of life in New Jersey through strategic support of the arts. To learn more about the Council, please visit www.artscouncil.nj.gov.
ABOUT THE ARTPRIDE NEW JERSEY FOUNDATION
The ArtPride New Jersey Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) organization that promotes the value of the arts to New Jersey’s quality of life, education and economic vitality through research and a variety of programs and services. For more information about ArtPride, visit ArtPrideNJ.com.
