Paper Mill Playhouse has selected students to be a part of the theater’s prestigious Summer Musical Theater Conservatory for 2019. Members of the competitive Conservatory who earned coveted spots in the Senior (ages 15-18), Junior Plus (ages 13-14), and Junior companies (ages 10-12) are directed and choreographed by Paper Mill Playhouse’s professional artistic staff in a fully produced, original concert titled, New Voices of 2019: Learn Your Lessons Well. The concert is a culmination of the five-week conservatory program. Also appearing are numerous nominees of the 2019 Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards presented by the Investors Foundation, who won scholarships to attend the Conservatory.

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Performances of New Voices of 2019: Learn Your Lessons Well will be held on August 2 at 7:30PM and August 3 at 1:30PM & 7:30PM at Paper Mill Playhouse. Tickets range in price from $25–$45.

The Paper Mill Playhouse Summer Musical Theater Conservatory is a program of rigorous study allowing 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, acting, dance, private voice lessons, and improvisation, while also attending guest workshops led by professional actors, directors, and casting agents. The final weeks are devoted to rehearsals for the annual New Voices Concert. 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. The New Voices Concert is the culmination of the five-week program.

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.  Click here to view Conservatory Alumni.

Conservatory alumna Julia Knitel, who played the role of Carole King on the national tour of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, states,

“Growing up, I was always in the ensemble. That was where I’d feel comfortable because I love being a team player. That’s one of the things that was so great about being at Paper Mill Playhouse, because in their Conservatory you had an equal amount of dancing, singing and acting training every day. I got a great foundation in being a team player and ensemble member, and serving a production. The producers and creatives of Beautiful saw in me something they couldn’t find elsewhere.”

Noted Broadway talent agents and casting directors flock to New Voices every summer. Victoria Kress, Abrams Artists Youth Theatrical Agent states,

“(I’m always) super excited to head to Paper Mill Playhouse for their New Voices show! Having trained some amazing performers, I know this night will prove to be no different! It’s one of my best scouting field trips of every summer.”

Nora Brennan, casting director for Matilda, Billy Elliot, and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, agrees,

“The kids were great, the show was fun and entertaining, and the material was tailored so that each child shone. Well done!” Paper Mill’s professional casting partner, Telsey + Company, attends annually and often offers workshops to our advanced students.

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2019 CONSERVATORY STUDENTS BY TOWN

The Summer Musical Theater Conservatory and New Voices are supported by Investors Foundation. Paper Mill Playhouse Education & Outreach are proudly sponsored by The Goren Family & Harmony Helper.

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MADISON HIGH SCHOOL TAKES TOP PRIZE

As one of the nation’s leading professional theaters and recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award, Paper Mill Playhouse has a well-earned reputation for launching both performers and shows to Broadway. Since their inception in 1996, the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater have ignited the careers of many notable performers, all of whom attended high school in New Jersey. Among the early nominees and winners are Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables), Tony Award winners Laura Benanti (Gypsy) and Nikki M. James (The Book of Mormon), Tony nominee Rob McClure (Chaplin), Shanice Williams, star of NBC’s The Wiz Live! and Olivier Award nominee Jared Gertner (The Book of Mormon).  The 2019 Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards Presented by Investors Foundation ceremony took place at Paper Mill Playhouse on Tuesday, June 4, at 7:30PM, featuring presenters from Broadway and beyond. The ceremony was broadcast live on television and online through Paper Mill Playhouse video partner, Hometowne Television (HTTV), of Summit, New Jersey.

Madison High School in Morris County took home the top prize of Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical for their production of Bright Star, along with five other trophies. Summit High School took home an impressive five Rising Star Awards and Harrison High School took home three trophies. Several schools won their very first Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Award this year. See below for a full list of award winners and scholarship recipients.

“Congratulations to this year’s Rising Star Award winners. All of the nominated students are winners. They have poured their hearts and souls into their performances and can take pride in their effort and dedication to their craft. Investors is so proud to celebrate not just the talented students, but the committed high school programs, administrators, faculty, and parents behind them,” said Investors Bank Chairman and CEO Kevin Cummings.

Paper Mill Playhouse also awarded $5,000 in scholarships at the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards Presented by Investors Foundation.  Five $1,000 cash scholarships were given to outstanding individual students who plan to continue studying theater performance or theater education in college. Paper Mill Playhouse was pleased to award a prize of $500 to Perth Amboy High School receiving the 2019 Educational Impact Award, which acknowledges a school that successfully connects the musical to the district’s curriculum, using the production as a teaching tool for the greater student body and local community.  Through the Rising Star “Theater for Everyone” Inclusion and Access Award and a partnership with The Cultural Access Network of New Jersey, a project of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Paper Mill Playhouse presented a cash award of $1,000 to Carteret High School to recognize excellence in the promotion and practice of creative inclusion of students and adults with disabilities as performers, designers, musicians and production staff. Additionally, this award seeks to recognize and reward a school that takes steps to ensure their performances are accessible to audiences with disabilities.

A total of 63 school districts received at least one nomination or honorable mention in 2019 out of the 100 entered schools. Among the top nominated high schools, Summit High School had 15 nominations, Morristown High School had 13 nominations, Madison High School had 12 nominations, Howell High School had 10 nominations, Hopewell Valley Central High School had 9 nominations, Delaware Valley Regional High School and Westfield High School each had 7 nominations, Academy of Holy Angels and Gill St. Bernard’s School each had 6 nominations and Chatham High school received 5 nominations. These totals did not account for Student Achievement Award nominations.

Past Rising Star nominees and recipients recently appeared in My Fair Lady (Laura Benanti), Beetlejuice (Rob McClure), American Psycho (Morgan Weed) Aladdin (Josh Dela Cruz, Jonathan Schwartz, Kathryn Allison), Les Misérables (Nikki M. James), Disney’s The Lion King (Jelani Remy), Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Julia Knitel), Jersey Boys (Matthew Scott), The Phantom of the Opera (Julia Udine), London’s West End production of The Book of Mormon (Jared Gertner); the Public Theater’s Grounded (Anne Hathaway). Shanice Williams, star of Hollywood Bowl’s Into the Woods, was nominated for a Rising Star Award in 2014.

The Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards Presented by Investors Foundation are modeled after the Tony Awards, and Paper Mill Playhouse’s program serves the entire state of New Jersey, with a full 100 entered productions from public, private and parochial high schools. Paper Mill Playhouse conceived and created the awards in 1996 to give schools the opportunity to showcase their musical arts programs on a statewide level. The musicals are adjudicated by Paper Mill Playhouse throughout the spring by a group of 70 evaluators, with each school receiving four independent evaluations.  Schools nominated for Outstanding Overall Musical and Leading Actor/Actress nominees performed at the event, and award recipients were presented with an engraved crystal award from Tiffany & Co.

Students receiving final nominations in the lead and supporting acting categories receive a scholarship to Paper Mill Playhouse’s competitive Summer Musical Theater Conservatory, a professional training program, which, along with advanced classes in singing, acting and dance, offers the nominees an opportunity to perform in the season finale concert, “New Voices of 2019: Learn Your Lessons Well” on August 2 and August 3 on the main stage at Paper Mill Playhouse.

2019 RISING STAR AWARD WINNERS

Featured Ensemble Group……………………………………. Dance Hall Girls, Westfield High School, SWEET CHARITY
Featured Ensemble Member…………………………………. Abigail Montesino, “Grace”, Fair Lawn High School, WORKING
Educational Impact Award……………………………………. Perth Amboy High School, 9 to 5
Inclusion & Access Award…………………………………….. Carteret High School, FOOTLOOSE
Hair & Make-Up Achievement…………………………….. Harrison High School, JAMES & THE GIANT PEACH
Costume Achievement…………………………………………… Harrison High School, JAMES & THE GIANT PEACH
Scenic Achievement……………………………………………….. Madison High School, BRIGHT STAR
Lighting Achievement……………………………………………. Harrison High School, JAMES & THE GIANT PEACH
Music Director………………………………………………………… Summit High School, PIPPIN
Orchestra ……………………………………………………………….. Summit High School, PIPPIN
Chorus……………………………………………………………….. Summit High School, PIPPIN
Performance in a Featured Role……………………………. Sara Bartoszek, “Peron’s Mistress”, High Tech High School, EVITA
Choreography/ staging………………………………………….. Summit High School, PIPPIN
Direction By A Teacher/Outside Director………….. Blake Spence, Madison High School, BRIGHT STAR
Actor In A Supporting Role………………………………….. Joseph Grisanzio, “Adolpho”, Howell HS, DROWSY CHAPERONE
Actress In A Supporting Role……………………………….. Alex Mroczko, “Margo Crawford”, Madison HS, BRIGHT STAR
Actor In A Leading Role……………………………………….. Jaron Cole, “Jimmy Ray Dobbs”, Madison HS, BRIGHT STAR
Actress In A Leading Role ……………………………………. Kassi McMillan, “Alice Murphy”, St. Joseph Rg. HS, BRIGHT STAR
Overall Production of A Musical………………………….. Madison HS, BRIGHT STAR

Scholarship Awards
◦ Investors Foundation Rising Star Awards Scholarship:  Matthew Green, Millburn High School
◦ Douglas Michael Krueger Scholarship for the Rising Star Awards:  Emery Myers, Rahway High School
◦ Jane Grey Burgio Memorial Scholarship for the Rising Star Awards:  Vicky Fleisch, Howell High School
◦ Janet Sovey Scholarship for Rising Star Awards: Moses Hyman, Cicely L. Tyson School of Performing & Fine Arts
◦ Mickey McNany Theater Education Scholarship for Rising Star Awards:  Lauren Mennen, Morristown-Beard School

Student Achievement Awards
◦ Patricia Vitug, Student Assistant Music Director, Carteret High School, FOOTLOOSE
◦ Erin Quinn, Assistant to the Directors, Madison High School, BRIGHT STAR
◦ Erin Cramer, Stage Manager, Moorestown High School, 9 TO 5
◦ Deanna Swanson, Graphic Designer, Morristown High School, THE ADDAMS FAMILY
◦ McKenna Moore, Stage Manager, Ridge High School, DISNEY’S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL
◦ Sarah Gorman, Pit Orchestra Keyboardist Rehearsal Accompanist, Scotch Plains-Fanwood HS, MAMMA MIA!
◦ Sophie Li, Stage Manager, Summit High School, PIPPIN
◦ Francesca Morella, Costuming, Voorhees High School, BIG FISH
◦ Matthew Nowell, Lighting, Voorhees High School, BIG FISH
◦ Brandon Rivera, Stage Manager, Perth Amboy High School, 9 TO 5

Rising Star Awards – Presented by Investors Foundation is generously supported by The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation.
Rising Star scholarships are made possible by Ruth Bedford in memory of Jane Burgio, Walt Santner in honor of Janet Sovey, and the Douglas Michael Krueger Scholarship Fund Trust. The Theatre for Everyone Inclusion and Access Award is supported by the New Jersey Theatre Alliance. The Mickey McNany Theater Education Scholarship is provided by Paper Mill Playhouse. Paper Mill Playhouse Education & Outreach are generously sponsored by The Goren Family & Harmony Helper.
Paper Mill Playhouse programs are made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Paper Mill Playhouse is grateful for generous contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals.

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Paper Mill Playhouse is proud to announce the appointment of Michael Stotts as the theater’s Managing Director. A search committee consisting of members of Paper Mill Playhouse Board of Trustees (including James V. Fakult, Board Chair, President, Jersey Central Power & Light and Andy Gottesman, Vice Chair and Search Committee Chair, Chief Executive Officer of Gottesman Real Estate Partners) and key staff conducted a nationwide search to find the right candidate to join Producing Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee to co-lead Paper Mill Playhouse into its next chapter. The committee was seeking a candidate that would embrace and articulate the artistic and institutional vision, and the educational and outreach mission, of Paper Mill Playhouse to staff, board, and patrons, as well as the New Jersey region and the national theater community. Michael (“Mike”) Stotts will oversee the organizational, financial, and business affairs of Paper Mill Playhouse.

A graduate of Queen’s University, Ontario and Columbia University, New York, Stotts has over 32 years of arts management experience, with 28 years in senior leadership positions. He is a motivating leader and strategic thinker with significant experience in producing, marketing, fundraising, finance, contract negotiation/labor relations, board development and human resources. For the past 12 years he served as Managing Director of Hartford Stage in Connecticut, where he led a multi-year campaign to expand and renovate the Stage’s theater facility He held the same position at Long Wharf Theater in New Haven, CT, George Street Playhouse and Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey. In 2006, Stotts was hired by Paper Mill Playhouse as a consultant for institutional planning and advancement, where he assisted with fundraising, strategic planning and capital campaign research. As a respected arts leader, Stotts has been a guest lecturer at several universities, and he has served on more than a dozen not-for-profit boards and committees in Connecticut and New Jersey. He has produced several shows that made the transfer to Broadway including Hartford Stage productions of Anastasia, of which he is a co-producer of the Broadway production, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (2014 Tony Award for Best Musical) and Long Wharf Theatre’s production of Sixteen Wounded, and to Off-Broadway including Horton Foote’s The Orphans’ Home Cycle, among many others.

After nearly 80 seasons of live theater, Paper Mill Playhouse welcomes more than 200,000 visitors each year. The annual scope of Paper Mill’s work includes more than 180 mainstage performances, 70 audience enrichment and access programs, 150 education classes, outreach programs, and shows for young audiences. Over the last ten years under the leadership of Mark S. Hoebee, Paper Mill Playhouse has seen a remarkable renaissance with an established business model that boasts of solid financial results and has laid a foundation for significant growth through an exciting new strategic plan.

“Paper Mill Playhouse is in a great place, with a strong financial foundation, national recognition, world-class artistry and award-winning education and access programs. We are extremely pleased to have an accomplished leader like Mike join Mark Hoebee and the outstanding team at Paper Mill and look forward to building on the tremendous growth and success we have experienced over the past several years.” stated Board Chair James V. Fakult.

Much of Paper Mill Playhouse’s recent institutional achievement can be attributed to its success in developing new musicals and launching national tours of existing shows. Premiering and subsequent transfers of  Newsies (in association with Disney Theatrical Group), Bandstand (in association with Tom Smedes Productions LLC), Honeymoon in Vegas (in association with Dena Hammerstein and Roy Gabay) and A Bronx Tale (in association with Dodger Productions) to Broadway, as well as launching national tours of Little House on the Prairie, The Bodyguard, and the 25th Anniversary Production of Les Misérables, has established Paper Mill Playhouse as a leading incubator of new musicals. Receipt of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award speaks to the success of the artistic accomplishments of the last decade.

Paper Mill Playhouse is justly proud of its impressive array of education programs that reach nearly 40,000 students each year. Programs as varied as the Adopt-A-School Project, Theater for Everyone, Theater School, Broadway Show Choir, Rising Star Awards, and the Summer Musical Theater Conservatory are examples of this important work. Of many accomplishments in the education realm, one of the most notable is that the playhouse presented the country’s first full-service, autism-friendly performance in 2011. This year, the Theatre for Everyone initiative will serve 3,000 children at these autism-friendly performances and classes especially designed for students with developmental disabilities.  Stotts’s experience includes overseeing the growth of the Hartford Stage education programs into the leading provider of theatre education programs in the state of Connecticut.

Paper Mill Playhouse has developed an Autism Advisory Team to assist in the theater’s programs for people with autism and other developmental disabilities. Findings from this team are shared with other performing arts organizations that are interested in serving these communities. In addition, Paper Mill Playhouse is deeply rooted in its own community and the state of New Jersey. Members of Paper Mill Playhouse’s staff serve on an array of boards, committees, charitable and business organizations to expand its impact on the region.

“Mike will be able to hit the ground running, re-establish his deep roots in New Jersey and continue to build on the strong relationships and ties that bind together Paper Mill Playhouse and its community,” remarked Andy Gottesman Paper Mill Playhouse Vice Chair and chair of the search committee.

Paper Mill Playhouse just completed a critically acclaimed remounting of John Doyle’s The Color Purple to open its 80th anniversary season. The Millburn theater will produce a season of all musicals in its 2018-2019 lineup including a world premiere and an East Coast premiere. Paper Mill Playhouse’s 80th anniversary season also includes Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn (November 21-December 30), based on the beloved Bing Crosby/Fred Astaire film. This heartwarming, toe-tapping production features more than 20 classic songs from the Berlin catalog, including “Easter Parade,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “Steppin’ Out with My Baby,” and “White Christmas.” In the winter, Paper Mill Playhouse presents the world-premiere musical My Very Own British Invasion (January 31-March 3), directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell. The 1960s British music scene comes to life with songs from Herman’s Hermits, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Petula Clark, The Moody Blues, and other legendary bands of the era. The spring brings the East Coast premiere of Benny & Joon (April 4-May 5). Based on the 1993 film which starred Johnny Depp and Mary Stuart Masterson, this new musical is a smart, funny, tender-hearted celebration of love: between children and parents; romantic partners; friends; and, most of all, siblings. The final production of the season, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (May 29-June 30) is an international sensation that has played to more than 35 million people in 13 countries. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature, the stage production includes all of the original songs from the movie by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, plus additional gems by Menken and Tim Rice.

ABOUT MIKE STOTTS
Mike Stotts has over 32 years’ experience working in the professional theater, including 28 years leading four regional theaters as Managing Director. He is currently in his 13th season as Managing Director of Hartford Stage in Hartford, CT, one of the preeminent theaters in the country, where he led a multi-year, expansion and renovation of the Stage’s theatre facility, completed in the summer of 2018. Working in collaboration with artistic directors, Darko Tresnjak, and Michael Wilson before, he has produced over 70 plays at Hartford Stage, including over 25 world premieres. Prominent productions include Anastasia, currently running on Broadway, national tour and in Madrid, Spain; A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, which received its world premiere at Hartford Stage in 2012 and went on to Broadway and won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Musical; the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegria Hudes; and in 2010 Horton Foote’s The Orphans’ Home Cycle, which enjoyed a celebrated run in Hartford and subsequently at the Signature Theatre in New York, where it won the Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel and Outer Critics Circle awards, among others. Since arriving at Hartford Stage in 2006, he has overseen the growth of the education programs, which have expanded to serve nearly 21,000 students annually. In 2013, he spearheaded the acquisition of the Hartford Children’s Theatre and the integration of its programs into the Hartford Stage Studio program. Prior to Hartford Stage, he served as Managing Director at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, CT, George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, NJ and the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey in Madison, NJ.  He began his career in the general management office at the Manhattan Theatre Club. Stotts currently serves on the board of directors of Billings Forge Community Works, and is a corporator of Hartford Hospital, the Hartford Public Library and the iQuilt Partnership. He was a co-founder and president of the Connecticut Arts Alliance and continues to serve on that board. He served as co-chair of Hartford Performs from 2010 to 2016, and on the boards of the Edward C. and Ann T. Robert Foundation, the National Corporate Theatre Fund (now Theatre Forward), New Jersey Theatre Alliance and ArtPride, NJ. Stotts is originally from Calgary, Alberta. He obtained a B.A. in Economics and Drama at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and an MFA from Columbia University in New York. In 2016, he attended Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management at the Harvard Business School, and in the fall of 2018 he was a member of a delegation of US arts leaders at the 7th Annual Workshop on Theatre Management at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, China.

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Starring Tony Award Winner Beth Leavel As Miss Hannigan,
and Tony Award Nominee, Christopher Sieber, as Oliver Warbucks.

Performances begin Nov 22, 2017, At 7:00PM.  Limited engagement through Dec 31, 2017.

Opening night set for Sun, Nov 26, 2017, At 7:00PM.
A special autism-friendly performance was added on Wed, Dec 27, 1:30PM.

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It’s the hard-knock life! Paper Mill Playhouse has announced today the cast and creative team of the hit Broadway Tony Award-winning musical Annie, based on “Little Orphan Annie,” with book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse, and lyrics by Martin Charnin, directed by Paper Mill’s Producing Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee, with choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter and musical direction by Jeffrey Saver. Performances begin Wednesday, Nov 22, 2017, at 7:00PM, for a limited run through Sunday, Dec 31, 2017.

Annie, the world’s best-loved family musical returns to Paper Mill Playhouse just in time for the holidays. Little Orphan Annie is taken from her orphanage, and the clutches of cruel Miss Hannigan, to stay at billionaire Oliver Warbucks’ mansion for the holidays. When Annie wins the hearts of Warbucks and his staff, they set out on an epic mission to find Annie’s parents.  Winner of the Best Musical Tony Award, Annie includes such unforgettable songs as “It’s the Hard-Knock Life,” “Easy Street,” “A New Deal for Christmas,” plus the eternal anthem of optimism, “Tomorrow.”

The principal cast will feature Paper Mill Playhouse favorite Tony Award winner Beth Leavel as the irascible Miss Hannigan and Tony Award nominee Christopher Sieber as Oliver Warbucks, Erin Mackey as Grace Farrell, Cooper Grodin as Rooster Hannigan, Kim Sava as Lily St. Regis, Kevin Pariseau as Franklin D. Roosevelt, and alternating in the role of Annie are Peyton Ella and Cassidy Pry.

The Annie orphans will include Gabby Beredo as Pepper, Tessa Noelle Frascogna as Molly, Michelle Henderson as Duffy, Eve Johnson as Tessie, Lauren Sun as July, and Sloane Wolfe as Kate.

Rounding out the cast are Damien Brett, Shavey Brown, AnnEliza Canning-Skinner, Lynn Masako Cheng, Stacia Fernandez, Michael Coale Grey, Ruby Griffin, David Hess, Stacey Todd Holt, Joshua Israel, Allen Kendall, Kate Marilley, Bronwyn Tarboton, and Amy Van Norstrand.

Annie will be performed eight times a week, Wednesday – Sunday. The performance schedule is Wednesday at 7:00PM, Thursday at 1:30PM & 7:00PM, Friday at 7:00PM, Saturday at 1:30PM & 7:00PM and Sunday at 1:30PM & 7:00PM.

Tickets are on sale now starting at $34. Tickets may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online by clicking here. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express accepted. Groups of 10 or more can receive up to a 40% discount on tickets and should call 973.315.1680. Students may order $23 rush tickets over the phone or in person at the Paper Mill Playhouse box office on the day of the performance. Paper Mill Playhouse’s 2017/2018 season is proudly sponsored by Investors Bank.

Subscribe & Save:  4-show, and 3-show packages are available with outstanding benefits, including significant savings. To subscribe, call 973.379.3717, come to the Paper Mill Box Office, or click here.

The production team includes original set design by Beowulf Boritt, scenic coordination by Jared Rutherford, original costume design by Susan Benzinger, costume design for Paper Mill Playhouse by Leon Dobkowski, lighting design by Charlie Morrison, sound design by Randy Hansen, hair, wig and makeup design by Leah J. Loukas, and animals by William Berloni.  The production stage manager is Victoria Navarro. Casting is by Telsey + Company, Rebecca Scholl, CSA.

Paper Mill Playhouse will offer a special autism-friendly performance of Annie on Wednesday, December 27, at 1:30PM. This performance is designed specifically for children on the autism spectrum and or with other developmental disabilities and their families, and is planned in cooperation with Paper Mill Playhouse’s Autism Advisory Team. The theater environment will be altered for this performance, providing a sensory-friendly, comfortable and judgment-free space that is welcoming to all families. The performance itself will be adjusted with special attention paid to lighting and sound.  Major funding for autism-friendly programs is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support provided by C.R. Bard Foundation, The Karma Foundation, MetLife Foundation, Nordstrom, PSEG Foundation, and Summit Area Public Foundation. For more information on Paper Mill Playhouse’s programs for people with autism and other developmental disabilities visit www.PaperMill.org/autism.

Beth Leavel (Miss Hannigan) received Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and L.A. Drama Critics Circle Awards for her performance as the title character in The Drowsy Chaperone. Broadway credits also include Mrs. Adams in Bandstand (also at Paper Mill Playhouse), Florence Greenberg in Baby It’s You (Tony, Drama Desk, OCC nominations), Elf, Mamma Mia!, Young Frankenstein, 42nd Street (revival), Crazy for You, The Civil War, Show Boat, and Anytime Annie (her debut) in 42nd Street. Last year she starred in the world premiere of The Prom at Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. Numerous Off Broadway and regional theater productions (including Boeing-Boeing at Paper Mill), commercials, and television appearances.

Christopher Sieber (Oliver Warbucks) Broadway: Matilda, Pippin, La Cage aux Folles, Shrek (Tony nomination), Spamalot (Tony nomination), Thoroughly Modern Millie, Into the Woods, Chicago, Beauty and the Beast, Triumph of Love, A Christmas Carol. Coming soon: The Prom. Off Bway: The Kid, The Boys in the Band. TV: “Two of a Kind,” “It’s All Relative,” “Ed,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Elementary,” “The Good Wife,” lots of daytime TV with recurring characters. Paper Mill: Paper Moon, South Pacific, Peter Pan, and Hairspray!

Erin Mackey (Grace Farrell) is happy to return to Paper Mill Playhouse, after previously playing Nellie in South Pacific. Broadway: In Transit, Amazing Grace, Chaplin, Anything Goes, Sondheim on Sondheim, Wicked (Los Angeles and Chicago companies as well). Off Broadway/Regional: Sweeney Todd (Lincoln Center/NY Philharmonic, also aired on PBS), South Pacific and Sunday in the Park with George (Guthrie), Lady, Be Good! (Encores), The Light in the Piazza (South Coast Repertory), Phantom (PCLO). Film/TV: The Intern, Blue Bloods, Gossip Girl, The Parent Trap.

Cooper Grodin (Rooster Hannigan) is thrilled to return to Paper Mill, where he was seen opening the new production of Les Misérables! Credits: title role in the new national tour of The Phantom of the Opera, title role in the first Asian tour of Zorro, Into the Woods at Shakespeare in the Park, Evita at Vancouver Opera, Atlantic Theater Company’s reading of The Band’s Visit directed by Hal Prince, Drama Desk–nominated revival of The Golden Land. Cooper will be seen in the upcoming ABC series “Deception.” Original pop album It’s the Little Things available on iTunes.

Kim Sava (Lily St. Regis) is thrilled to be making her Paper Mill debut! She just stepped off the first national tour of Matilda, where she had the honor of playing the Acrobat, understudying Mrs. Wormwood and Miss Honey. Credits: Mrs. Wormwood in Matilda (Toronto); Barry Manilow’s Harmony (Alliance, Ahmanson); Guys and Dolls, Pegeen in Mame (Goodspeed); Cutman (Goodspeed reading), Fiddler on the Roof, Rocky Horror (Pioneer); Ariel in Footloose (Fireside); Rizzo in Grease (Tuacahn); Man of La Mancha (Shakespeare Theatre of NJ);Annie (Fulton); A Christmas Carol (NSMT); The Producers, Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Misérables (MSMT); All Shook Up (Carousel).

Kevin Pariseau (Franklin D. Roosevelt) is delighted to be back at Paper Mill, having performed here as Charles Thomson in 1776 and as Roger DeBris in The Producers last season. Broadway/Off Broadway: Legally Blonde (ACCA Award); Show Boat (NY Philharmonic); The Explorers Club; I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. Regional: Chicago (Riverside), Beatsville (Asolo Rep), Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Engeman Theatre), It’s a Wonderful Life (Bucks County Playhouse), Nerds (Philadelphia Theatre Company). Film/Television: “Boardwalk Empire,” Tower Heist, Morning Glory. Audiobooks: Over 120 recordings including The Winds of War (Audie nomination), War and Remembrance, and The Kama Sutra.

Peyton Ella (Annie) is thrilled to reprise role of Annie after Westchester Broadway Theater! Credits: NBC’s The Sound of Music Live! (Gretl), Grey Gardens (Ahmanson), NY Philharmonic’s Show Boat (also on PBS), “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Gypsy (Netflix), Whistle Down the Wind (54 Below), School of Rock: Youth Production (Summer), A Little Princess (KOTA).

Cassidy Pry (Annie) is from New Jersey and is extremely grateful to be performing at Paper Mill in her dream role! Favorite shows include Seussical Jr. (Gertrude McFuzz); workshops inspired by Into the Woods (Witch), Matilda (Matilda), and Little Shop of Horrors (Urchin); the Broadway Workshop Revue; and the Shawnee Playhouse kids’ cabarets. Member of the 2016 and 2017 NJ All State Elementary Honors Choirs and selected for the 2018 All East Elementary Honor Choir.

Mark S. Hoebee (Director) joined the artistic team at Paper Mill Playhouse in 2000. Under his leadership, Paper Mill was presented with the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award; launched the American premiere of the 25th Anniversary Production of Les Misérables in 2010, working alongside Cameron Mackintosh; and was home to the world premieres of Newsies in 2011, in partnership with Disney Theatrical Productions, Honeymoon in Vegas in 2013, Ever After and Bandstand in 2015, and A Bronx Tale in 2016. Paper Mill also hosted the American premieres of Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Bodyguard starring Deborah Cox, launching the national tour. On Broadway, Mark directed the Actors Fund benefit of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas starring Jennifer Hudson. He has directed national tours of Victor/Victoria starring Toni Tennille, Dreamgirls, Company, and An Evening of Lerner and Loewe starring Diahann Carroll. His directing credits at Paper Mill include West Side Story; Mary Poppins; Dreamgirls; Hello, Dolly! starring Tovah Feldshuh; Harold and Maude: The Musical with Estelle Parsons; The Will Rogers Follies starring John Davidson; Meet Me in St. Louis; The King and I; Miss Saigon; Disney’s High School Musical; Peter Pan; Smokey Joe’s Cafe; Oliver!; Damn Yankees; Thoroughly Modern Millie; Curtains; and The Full Monty starring Broadway legend Elaine Stritch. He resides in Glen Ridge with his partner Larry Elardo, Coordinating Producer for the CBS Evening News, and their children, Stephen and Ashley.

JoAnn M. Hunter (Choreograper) is back at Paper Mill Playhouse after previously choreographing Curtains, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Oliver! and Grease. Ms. Hunter choreographed the world premiere of The Nutty Professor directed by Jerry Lewis (Broadway World Award, Best Choreography). On Broadway, Ms. Hunter choreographed School of Rock, Disaster! and On A Clear Day You Can See Forever and she performed in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Kiss Me, Kate, Chicago and more.

Jeffery Saver (Music Director) composed the musicals Dodsworth and Time After Time with collaborator Stephen Cole. He has written and arranged special material for Chita Rivera, Christine Baranski, Rosie O’Donnell, Dorothy Loudon, Joel Grey, Bebe Neuwirth, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, and others. As a music director and pianist, his Broadway credits include Allegiance (starring Lea Salonga and George Takei), End of the Rainbow (Broadway and LA productions), Sister Act, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, The Secret Garden, The Rink, and A Chorus Line.

Beowulf Boritt (Original Scenic Design). Paper Mill: The Honeymooners, A Bronx Tale. Broadway: Act One (Tony Award), The Scottsboro Boys (Tony nomination), Thérèse Raquin (Tony nomination), Meteor Shower, Prince of Broadway, Sunday in the Park with George (2017), Come from Away, A Bronx Tale, Hand to God, On the Town, Sondheim on Sondheim, …Spelling Bee, Lovemusik, Rock of Ages, Chaplin, Bronx Bombers, Grace, The Two and Only. Off Broadway: 100 shows including The Last Five Years, The Toxic Avenger, and Miss Julie. Work ranges from NYC Ballet to the Ringling Bros. Circus and internationally in England, Russia, China, Australia, and Japan. He received the 2007 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Set Design.

Suzy Benzinger (Original Costume Design). Broadway: Movin’ Out, Miss Saigon, Saturday Night Fever, Ain’t Broadway Grand. Film: Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine, Café Society, Deconstructing Harry, and Celebrity; Club Paradise; Whatever Works. Off Broadway and Regional: In the Secret Sea, Uncle Vanya, The Seagull, Carmen, Dear World, Gypsy, The Boys in the Band, world premieres of Jones and Schmidt’s Mirette and Lori McKelvey’s Camila. Ms. Benzinger is the recipient of the Irene Sharaff Young Master Award.

Charlie Morrison (Lighting Design) Paper Mill: Mary Poppins, West Side Story, Elf, Grease, The Little Mermaid, Curtains, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, The Full Monty, Meet Me in St. Louis, Hello, Dolly! National and international tours: The Little Mermaid; The Producers; Hello, Dolly!; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Miss Saigon; Aida; How the Grinch Stole Christmas; Man of La Mancha; Guys and Dolls; Groovaloo; My Fair Lady; The King and I; 42nd Street; The Who’s Tommy; and many others. Regional: Shakespeare Theatre Company (DC), Guthrie, Goodspeed, Seattle Rep, Dallas Summer Musicals, TUTS, 5th Avenue, Kansas City Starlight, Pittsburgh CLO, George Street Playhouse, PlayMakers Rep, Tulsa Opera, and more. Winner of two Helen Hayes Awards (seven nominations).

Randy Hansen (Sound Design). Over a wonderful career, Randy has designed sound for more than 130 musicals and 40 plays. Many memorable moments include working with the opera star Jessye Norman, the Indianapolis and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Having recently opened a national tour of The Little Mermaid that is touring throughout 2017, Randy is thrilled to be back at Paper Mill for Annie. In New York City he was the president of Audible Difference, Inc., a sound design company that over the past 30 years has served the fashion industry in New York and Paris.

Jared Rutherford (Scenic Coordination). Paper Mill Playhouse: A Bronx Tale (associate). Broadway: A Bronx Tale (associate), Hand to God (assistant). West End: Young Frankenstein. International (Associate): The Secret (China), Chaplin: The Musical (Russia). Other US associate credits include Little Dancer at the Kennedy Center, Bent at Mark Taper Forum, The Laramie Project at Ford’s Theatre, and national tours of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Annie, and 42nd Street. Television (Art Director): The President Show (Comedy Central), America’s Best Cook (Food Network), The Wendy Williams Show, Late Night with Seth Meyers (swing art director, NBC).

Leah J. Loukas (Hair, Wig and Makeup Design) Paper Mill Playhouse: The Sound of Music, The Little Mermaid, Oliver!, South Pacific, Grease, Elf, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Ever After, A Christmas Story, Million Dollar Quartet, Mary Poppins. Broadway: Marvin’s Room; Sweat; Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812; Oh, Hello; The Heidi Chronicles; On the Town; A Night with Janis Joplin; Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike; American Idiot; Irena’s Vow. Regional and Off Broadway theaters include the Muny, Dallas Theater Center, and La Jolla Playhouse. Public Theater (NYC): Julius Caesar, Sweat, Plenty, Barbecue, Fortress of Solitude, The Taming of the Shrew, Love’s Labour’s Lost and Into the Woods.

Leon Dobkowski (Costume Design for Paper Mill Playhouse). For Paper Mill: Mary Poppins, A Christmas Story, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Other design credits include The Wizard of Oz, Mamma Mia!, Newsies, Seussical (St. Louis Theater Circle Award), and Tarzan (Judy Award), all at the Muny; South Pacific (Asolo Repertory); The Weir and The Dead, 1904 starring Kate Burton and Boyd Gaines (Irish Rep); The Little Mermaid, Legally Blonde (Music Theatre Wichita); The Wiz (Maltz Jupiter); Mickey & Minnie’s Doorway to Magic (Disney Live); George M! (Westchester Broadway); Romeo and Juliet (Yale Rep); Peter and the Starcatcher, Once (Weston Playhouse); and Claudio Quest (NYMF, Outstanding Overall Design). MFA, Yale School of Drama.

William Berloni (Animal Director and Trainer). 2011 Tony Honor, 2017 Drama League Unique Contribution to the Theater Award, 2014 Outer Critics Circle Special Achievement Award. Select Broadway: The Crucible, The Audience, Bullets Over Broadway, Lady Day…, Annie (original and all revivals), A Christmas Story, The Wiz, The Wizard of Oz. Hundreds of Off Broadway and regional productions, tours, television (From Wags to Riches with Bill Berloni, Sesame Street, Peter Pan Live!, The Wiz Live!), and film (Paterson, It Comes at Night). Author of Broadway Tails, Doga: Yoga for Dogs, and Sandy: The Autobiography of a Star; director of animal behavior at the Humane Society of New York. Follow on Facebook, Twitter (@BillBerloni), and www.theatricalanimals.com.

Victoria Navarro (Production Stage Manager). Broadway: The Lion King, The Color Purple. National tours include Matilda, Annie, Oliver!, and Seussical. Opera: Santa Fe Opera, Virginia Opera.

Telsey + Company (Casting). Broadway/Tours: SpongeBob SquarePants; Once on This Island; The Parisian Woman; M. Butterfly; Anastasia; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; Hello, Dolly!; Come from Away; Waitress; Hamilton; Kinky Boots; Wicked; On Your Feet!; Something Rotten!; The King and I; An American in Paris. Off Broadway: Sweeney Todd, Atlantic, Classic Stage, MCC, Second Stage. Regional: Alley, Deaf West, Goodman, Hartford Stage, La Jolla, McCarter, New York Stage and Film, Pasadena Playhouse, Wallis Annenberg Center, Williamstown. Film: Miss Sloane, Into the Woods, Margin Call, Rachel Getting Married, Across the Universe, Camp, Pieces of April. TV: This Is Us, NCIS: New Orleans, House of Cards, Rise, I’m Dying Up Here, One Day at a Time, Graves, Atypical, commercials. www.telseyandco.com

Paper Mill Playhouse, a leader in accessibility, will offer audio-described performances for Annie on Saturday, Dec 16, 2017, at 1:30PM and Sunday, Dec 17, 2017, at 1:30PM. Prior to these performances at noon, the theater will offer free sensory seminars. Sensory seminars offer an opportunity for patrons with vision loss to hear a live, in-depth description of the production elements of the show and hands-on interaction with key sets, props, and costumes.  There will be a sign-interpreted and open-captioned performance on Sunday, Dec 17, 2017, at 7:00PM.

Free Audience Enrichment Activities for ANNIE

Conversation Club: Join us Thursday evenings, November 30, Dec 7, 14, or 21, one hour before curtain for an informal, informative gathering. You’ll learn more about the performance you’re about to see.

The Director’s Viewpoint: One hour before curtain at 6:00PM on Wednesday, November 22, we host a pre-show discussion in the Renee Foosaner Art Gallery.

Q&A with the Cast: After the matinee on Saturday, December 16, stick around for a lively Q&A with cast members directly following the performance.

“ANNIE”
BOOK BY THOMAS MEEHAN
MUSIC BY CHARLES STROUSE
LYRICS BY MARTIN CHARNIN
BASED ON “LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE”
MUSIC DIRECTION BY JEFFREY SAVER
CHOREOGRAPHED BY JOANN M. HUNTER
DIRECTED BY MARK S. HOEBEE

The post A Family Classic, Annie, Hits The Stage In Time For The Holidays appeared first on Paper Mill Playhouse.