“TOGETHER AT HOME” 

FRIDAY, JUNE 4, 2021 

Honoring Merck with an evening featuring special guests Andy Blankenbuehler, Deborah Cox, Beth Leavel, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Rob McClure, Alan Menken, Chita Rivera, Stephen Schwartz, Susan Stroman, and more
plus students from Paper Mill education programs.

(Millburn, NJ) Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Producing Artistic Director, Mike Stotts-Managing Director) is hosting its largest fundraising event of the year, the Paper Mill Playhouse Together at Home Gala, to be held virtually on Friday, June 4, 2021. The event will be hosted on Virtual Tables, a unique, interactive platform designed to evoke the excitement and glamour of Paper Mill’s in-person galas. The virtual cocktail party begins at 6:30pm, followed by a star-studded one-hour program at 7:00pm that will include performances, tributes, and a live auction including a chance to bid on tickets to Elton John’s Final Farewell at Madison Square Garden Concert and a New York Yankees luxury suite experience for two people to watch the game with world series champion players. Silent auction will be active during the event and continue until 10:00pm the night of the event. 

The gala is proudly sponsored by Investors Bank, FirstEnergy, and David Yurman. In addition to VIP tickets, show-only tickets are available for a suggested donation of $30. All proceeds from the gala support Paper Mill’s world-class productions, professional training programs, celebrated arts education programs, and community outreach. 

“This year’s event is more critical than ever,” said Mike Stotts, Paper Mill’s managing director. “The proceeds from our gala will help ensure that we are ready to launch an exciting season of live theater this fall, bring students back to our Theater School for in-person instruction, and serve our most vulnerable children through our Theater for Everyone program.” 
 

“This gala promises to be an entertaining and fun way to support the theater when we need it most,” said Producing Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee. “We’ve lined up several of Paper Mill’s favorite artists to perform and reminisce about their experiences at our theater. There will also be a chance to bid on many exciting auction items. After a long and trying year, this will be an especially joyful celebration.” 

This year’s honoree is Merck, a longtime partner of Paper Mill and steadfast supporter of the performing arts. Paula Alston, Vice President of Facilities at Merck, will receive the Byrne/Keane Arts Advocate Award. And special recognition will be given to the Paper Mill staff for their tireless dedication over the past year.  

“We are thrilled to honor our longtime partner Merck, whose support makes some of our core programs possible,” said Gala Chair Carolyn Ferolito. “And it was especially important to us to recognize the devoted staff members of Paper Mill, who went above and beyond to keep our theater afloat while the world was shut down. Our staff members often don’t get accolades for the critical work they do behind the scenes, but all of them are stars. And this year more than ever, they deserve a standing ovation.”  

For more information on the Paper Mill Playhouse Gala or to purchase individual tickets, tables, or raffle tickets, please contact Leigh Schaedel at 973-315-1663 or lschaedel@papermill.org, or visit Paper Mill’s website at www.papermill.org/support-us/events/. 

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is a nationally renowned, not-for-profit theater under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director) and Mike Stotts (Managing Director). A beloved NJ arts institution since 1938, Paper Mill creates and produces groundbreaking new musicals and reimagined classics. Several productions have gone on to Broadway and launched national tours, including Disney’s Newsies, Les Misérables, Honeymoon in Vegas, A Bronx Tale, and Bandstand. The theater is also the home of an award-winning center for musical theater education and artist training, with outreach programs that impact thousands of students each year. As one of the nation’s premier musical theaters, Paper Mill fosters a creative environment to advance the art form, educate students, develop future theater lovers, nurture inclusion, and provide access for all. 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. 

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SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD
A JOLLY HOLIDAY WITH DISNEY ON BROADWAY
CLUE
THE WANDERER (World Premiere)
SISTER ACT

MILLBURN, NJ (May 18, 2021) — Paper Mill Playhouse Producing Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee and Managing Director Michael Stotts have announced the lineup for the upcoming reopening season and look forward to welcoming audiences back to the theater for live performances.

The Paper Mill Playhouse 2021–2022 lineup includes three eagerly anticipated productions that were postponed from previous seasons—Sister Act, Clue, and the world-premiere musical The Wanderer. Season subscriptions are on sale now and are available by visiting the theater’s website at www.PaperMill.org. Paper Mill Playhouse’s 2021–2022 season is proudly sponsored by Investors Bank.

Paper Mill will open its 2021–2022 season with Songs for a New World, the groundbreaking musical that put Tony Award–winning composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown on the map (October 13–November 7, 2021). From the deck of a Spanish sailing ship bound for a new land to the ledge of a Fifth Avenue penthouse, Songs for a New World transports audiences through time to meet a startling array of characters on the brink of a life-changing decision. Brown (Honeymoon in Vegas, Parade, The Bridges of Madison County) weaves their stories together in a powerful collection of songs that examine life, love, and the choices we make. Carolyn Cantor (Paper Mill’s Diary of Anne Frank) directs.

Next up, Paper Mill brings audiences a delightful show for the whole family—A Jolly Holiday with Disney on Broadway (December 1, 2021–January 2, 2022). Some of Broadway’s brightest stars will perform hits from Disney’s biggest Broadway shows in this festive concert. Enjoy your favorite songs from The Lion King, Tarzan, Mary Poppins, Aladdin, Hercules, The Little Mermaid, Newsies, Beauty and the Beast, Aida, High School Musical, Freaky Friday, and Frozen. Like Mary Poppins herself, this show is guaranteed to make your heart feel light!

Murder and blackmail are back on the menu with Clue (January 26–February 20, 2022), which gets its Paper Mill production after a postponement from the fall of 2020. Casey Hushion (Paper Mill’s upcoming streaming production of Beehive) directs this hilarious farce-meets-murder-mystery based on the cult 1985 Paramount movie and inspired by the classic Hasbro game. Was it Mrs. Peacock in the study with the knife? Or Colonel Mustard in the library with the wrench? One of America’s most treasured pieces of pop culture comes to the stage in a production that will leave you dying of laughter.

The season continues with the long-awaited world-premiere musical The Wanderer (March 24–April 24, 2022), rescheduled from the 2019–2020 season, directed by Kenneth Ferrone and choreographed by Sarah O’Gleby. The new musical is based on the life and music of Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Dion DiMucci, an Italian-American kid from the Bronx who skyrocketed to fame as a teenage heartthrob in the 1950s and early ’60s with hits like “Runaround Sue,” “Teenager in Love,” and “I Wonder Why.” Now, his extraordinary journey comes to the stage in a moving and intimate new musical about a life lived in the glow of the spotlight and in the shadow of addiction. The Wanderer is the riveting true story of New York’s rebel king, the man Bruce Springsteen calls “the link between Frank Sinatra and rock and roll.” Starring Michael Wartella (Chasing Rainbows, Wicked) as Dion, Christy Altomare (Anastasia), and Joey McIntyre (Wicked, Waitress, New Kids on the Block). The Wanderer is written by Charles Messina (A Room of My Own) and is produced in association with Jill Menza and Charles Messina.

And finally, the sisters will sing when Sister Act takes the stage (June 1–26, 2022) after a postponement from the spring of 2020. Based on the 1992 hit film, this feel-good musical comedy smash sizzles with powerful music, spectacular dancing, and a story that’s guaranteed to lift your spirits. The madcap plot is set in motion when disco diva Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a murder and must go into hiding in a convent, where she helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own. Featuring original music by Tony and eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken (Newsies, Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors), Sister Act was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

“We are so thrilled that we are able to bring three of our previously postponed shows into next season—Sister Act, Clue, and the world premiere of The Wanderer,” said Mark S. Hoebee, Producing Artistic Director of the Millburn theater. “And the entire family of course will enjoy A Jolly Holiday on Broadway with Disney. We chose to kick off this reopening season with Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World, because right now all of us are re-emerging into a new world. At this moment, we need the power of theater to help us begin to heal and move forward. After this long, dark year, we are ecstatic to be able to welcome live audiences back to Paper Mill for a season filled with music, laughter, and light.”

“We simply could not have made it through this crisis without the support of the loyal subscribers and donors who have kept our theater going and our spirits lifted while our doors have been closed,” said Managing Director Michael Stotts. “Thanks to their generosity, we were able not only to survive but to emerge ready and able to continue producing the world-class musical theater for which Paper Mill is renowned. We are eternally grateful, and our hearts are full. All of us at Paper Mill Playhouse look forward to turning the lights back on and welcoming our Paper Mill family back to our theater for a joyful 2021–2022 season!”

“After the devastating year we all have endured, the 2021-2022 season of Paper Mill Playhouse is a beacon of hope. Investors Bank is honored to provide its support, particularly for the inspiration, enrichment, and arts education Paper Mill brings to our students, our families, and our community. We are proud to see the lights shining and the curtain going up on the treasure that is Paper Mill’s new season.” said Investors Bank Chairman and CEO Kevin Cummings.

Paper Mill Playhouse continues to prepare for the most responsible opening possible and will reopen in the fall with a thorough Covid safety plan that incorporates the latest recommendations from its medical advisors and the CDC. The theater will announce the full details of our finalized plan over the summer. The health and safety of patrons, artists, and staff remains Paper Mill’s top priority as they plan their return.

Paper Mill Playhouse will produce eight performances a week, Wednesday through Sunday. Three-, four- and five-show subscription packages are available now starting at just $114. Each subscription package includes a different level of special benefits (see www.PaperMill.org for details). Accessibly priced youth subscriptions are available for children under 18 with the purchase of an adult subscription. Tickets to individual shows will be on sale beginning September 7. That date may be adjusted if there are continuing unknowns about mandated Covid-related capacity and distancing restrictions. Visit www.Papermill.org for the most up-to-date information. Tickets and subscriptions may be purchased by calling 973.671.4355, or online at www.PaperMill.org. The box office will reopen in person on September 7 at noon. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express accepted.

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE’S 2021-2022 SEASON

SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD

Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Directed by Carolyn Cantor
Oct 13–Nov 7, 2021

It’s about one moment, that moment you think you know where you stand…

This groundbreaking musical put Tony Award–winning composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown on the map. From the deck of a Spanish sailing ship bound for a new land to the ledge of a Fifth Avenue penthouse, Songs for a New World transports audiences through time to meet a startling array of characters on the brink of a life-changing decision. Brown (Honeymoon in Vegas, Parade, The Bridges of Madison County) weaves their stories together in a powerful collection of songs that examine life, love, and the choices we make.

***

A JOLLY HOLIDAY WITH DISNEY ON BROADWAY

Dec 1, 2021–Jan 2, 2022

A merry and magical celebration for the whole family

Celebrate the holidays with some of Broadway’s brightest stars performing hits from Disney’s biggest Broadway shows in this festive concert. Enjoy your favorite songs from The Lion King, Tarzan, Mary Poppins, Aladdin, Hercules, The Little Mermaid, Newsies, Beauty and the Beast, Aida, High School Musical, Freaky Friday and Frozen. Like Mary Poppins herself, this show is guaranteed to make your heart feel light!

***

CLUE

Based on the Screenplay by Jonathan Lynn
Written by Sandy Rustin
Additional Material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price
Based on the Paramount Pictures Motion Picture
Based on the Hasbro Board Game Clue
Original Music by Michael Holland
Directed by Casey Hushion
Jan 26–Feb 20, 2022

A hilarious farce-meets-murder-mystery

Getting its Paper Mill production after a postponement in the fall of 2020, Clue puts murder and blackmail back on the menu when six mysterious guests assemble for a dinner party at Boddy Manor. Was it Mrs. Peacock in the study with the knife? Or Colonel Mustard in the library with the wrench? Based on the cult 1985 Paramount movie and inspired by the classic Hasbro game, this farce-meets murder-mystery is bloody good fun.

***

THE WANDERER

Book by Charles Messina
Choreographed by Sarah O’Gleby
Directed by Kenneth Ferrone
Mar 24–Apr 24, 2022

The riveting true story of New York’s rebel king

Dion. One name set the standard of cool for a generation. An Italian-American kid from the Bronx, Dion DiMucci skyrocketed to fame as a teenage heartthrob in the 1950s and early ’60s with hits like “Runaround Sue,” “Teenager in Love,” and “I Wonder Why.” Now, his extraordinary journey comes to the stage in a moving and intimate new musical about a life lived in the glow of the spotlight and in the shadow of addiction. Starring Michael Wartella (Chasing Rainbows, Wicked) as Dion, Christy Altomare (Anastasia), and Joey McIntyre (Wicked, Waitress, New Kids on the Block).

***

SISTER ACT

Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Glenn Slater
Book by Cheri Steinkellner & Bill Steinkellner
Additional Book Material by Douglas Carter Beane
Based on the Touchstone Pictures Motion Picture Sister Act Written by Joseph Howard
Choreographed by Anthony Van Laast
Directed by Jerry Zaks
Choreography Recreated by Janet Rothermel
Direction Recreated by Steven Beckler

June 1–26, 2022

“One big, spirit-soaring joyful noise!” —The London Times

Finally, the sisters will sing after a postponement in the spring of 2020. Based on the 1992 hit film, this feel-good musical comedy smash sizzles with powerful music, spectacular dancing, and a story that’s guaranteed to lift your spirits. The madcap plot is set in motion when disco diva Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a murder and must go into hiding in a convent, where she helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own. Featuring original music by Tony winner and eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken (Newsies, Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors), Sister Act was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

***

Paper Mill Playhouse offers its audiences the opportunity to enhance their theater experience with behind-the-scenes views of mainstage productions.  Have you ever wanted to sneak a peek behind the curtain? Or wondered what the director was thinking, or how the cast prepares for a show? Join us for one of many revealing insider’s experiences.  Visit the Paper Mill Playhouse website at www.PaperMill.org for dates for our Director’s Viewpoint Series, Conversation Club Series, Q&As with the cast, and more.

Paper Mill Playhouse offers people with disabilities the opportunity to see live theater with dignity and independence through a myriad of award-winning access programs and services, including audio description and sensory seminars for the blind, Braille and large-print programs, American Sign Language interpretation for the Deaf, open-captioning for those with hearing loss, and assistive listening devices.

Programs, dates, and artists are subject to change.

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is a nationally renowned, not-for-profit theater under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director) and Michael Stotts (Managing Director). A beloved NJ arts institution since 1938, Paper Mill creates and produces groundbreaking new musicals and reimagined classics. Several productions have gone on to Broadway and launched national tours, including Disney’s Newsies, Les Misérables, Honeymoon in Vegas, A Bronx Tale, and Bandstand. The theater is also the home of an award-winning center for musical theater education and artist training, with outreach programs that impact thousands of students each year. As one of the nation’s premier musical theaters, Paper Mill fosters a creative environment to advance the art form, educate students, develop future theater lovers, nurture inclusion, and provide access for all. 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.

#####

www.PaperMill.org
facebook.com/PaperMillPlayhouse
Twitter: @paper_mill
Instagram: papermillplayhouse

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WATCH ON FACEBOOK  

WATCH ON YOUTUBE

LIST OF NOMINEES & WINNERS

2021 Rising Star Awards Program

As one of the nation’s leading theaters, Paper Mill Playhouse has a well-earned reputation for launching both performers and shows for Broadway. The theater was the recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award. Since their inception in 1996, the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater presented by the Investors Foundation 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).

This year’s award recipients will be announced during the 2021 Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards Presented by the Investors Foundation, which will stream on Paper Mill Playhouse YouTube and Facebook outlets on Monday, June 7 at 7PM.

Among the top nominated high school performances and student achievement efforts, Delaware Valley Regional HS has five nominations, Ridge HS has four nominations, and St. Peter’s Preparatory School, Union HS and Madison HS each have three nominations.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic caused rolling school building closures and social distancing restrictions, leaving many New Jersey high schools unable to produce a traditional musical at their schools with a live audience.  Despite the restrictions, theater educators found new ways to teach students with strict Covid protocols in place, or explored new concepts for virtual rehearsals and performances.

With this in mind, Paper Mill launched an abridged Rising Star Awards program that preserves essential elements that serve both students and teachers and continues to provide a meaningful recognition platform for the school community.  Paper Mill welcomed video submissions of student performances for a shorter list of categories: Outstanding Solo Performance by an Actor and Actress; Outstanding Performance by a Small Ensemble and Large Ensemble; the Student Achievement Awards for non-performance contributions; the Rising Star Scholarships for graduating seniors and the Theater for Everyone Inclusion and Access Award.  A new honor, Outstanding Educator Award, has been added. Winners will receive the crystal Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Award made exclusively by Tiffany & Company.

“After a most difficult year, the Rising Star Awards are a testament to the determination and commitment of student performers and the dedication of the teachers involved in high school theater programs,” said Investors Bank Chairman and CEO Kevin Cummings. “Investors Bank is proud to present the awards and to encourage students to rise up each day in pursuit of their dreams. You are the essence of the show business mantra, ‘the show must go on.'”

In addition to recognizing performances, Paper Mill Playhouse will award $5,000 in scholarships at the awards ceremony.  Five $1,000 cash scholarships are given to outstanding individual students who plan to continue studying theater performance, education, or technical theater in college. In addition, Paper Mill Playhouse is pleased to award a prize of $1,000 to a school receiving the 2021 Rising Star “Theatre for Everyone” Inclusion and Access Award, a partnership with the New Jersey Theatre Alliance and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, to recognize excellence in the promotion and practice of creative inclusion of students and adults with disabilities as performers, designers, musicians, and production staff. This award seeks to recognize and reward a school that takes steps to ensure their performances are accessible to audiences with disabilities.

New to the Rising Star Awards in 2021 is the Outstanding Educator Award which will put the spotlight on educators nominated by their home school districts for their distinguished service to their students and theater programs.  A $1,000 prize will be granted to the recipients’ school theater programs.

Lastly, students receiving a Final Nomination in the Outstanding Performance by an Actor and Actress categories will receive a full scholarship prize to attend Paper Mill Playhouse’s competitive professional training program, the Summer Musical Theater Conservatory, at the Millburn theater during the month of July. Conservatory students take advanced classes in singing, acting and dance on a hybrid schedule – both in-studio and online—and will appear in the filmed musical theater montage, New Voices of 2021: Stand By Me.  New Voices is directed by Paper Mill’s professional creative staff and will be filmed in July with a World Premiere in September.

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 2021 Rising Star Awards Ceremony and the “Theater for Everyone” Inclusion and Access Award are part of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance 2021 Stages Festival, made possible by support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; Bank of America; The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; OceanFirst Foundation; the George A. Ohl, Jr. Trust; New Jersey Historical Commission; and Fund for the New Jersey Blind. njtheatrealliance.org/stages

LIST OF NOMINEES & WINNERS

 OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS NOMINEES

Alex Belle, Collier HS, “My New Philosophy” from YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN

Emma Casertano, Ocean County Vocational Technical Schools-Grunin Performing Arts Academy, “The Music and the Mirror” from A CHORUS LINE

Leonor Fontanez, Delaware Valley Regional HS, “Cleaning Women” from WORKING

Halle Lipton, St. Peter’s Preparatory School, “Lying There” from EDGES: A SONG CYCLE

Kyra Longenecker, Madison HS, “I Want to Go to Hollywood” from GRAND HOTEL

Khadijah Sankoh, Union HS, “Waiting for Life” from ONCE ON THIS ISLAND

Yemie Woo, Pascack Hills HS, “Fabulous Baby” from SISTER ACT – WINNER

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR NOMINEES

Will DeLargy, Morristown HS, “All I Care About is Love” from CHICAGO

Collin Flanagan, Madison HS, The Lady Must be Mad” from ILYRIA

Michael Bryant Kessie, Delaware Valley Regional HS, “Joe” from WORKING – WINNER

Nicholas Matos, St. Peter’s Preparatory School, “Monticello” from EDGES: A SONG CYCLE

Miguel Ramirez, Lawrence HS, “Dulcinea” from MAN OF LA MANCHA

Max Rodriguez, Ridge HS, “Gus: The Theatre Cat” from CATS

Jonah Ruderman, Livingston HS, “Who I’d Be” from SHREK: THE MUSICAL

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A SMALL ENSEMBLE NOMINEES

County Prep HS, ”The Most Amazing Thing” from LITTLE WOMEN, featuring Ivellisses Segovia, Mathew Segovia, Kayla Velazquez

Delaware Valley Regional HS, Brother Trucker” from WORKING, featuring Michael Bryant Kessie, Dakota Krouse, Maddy Clyde, Mark Westling, Gabi Pfefferte, Tori Kelly

Ocean County Vocational Technical Schools-Grunin Performing Arts Academy, ”Sing” from A CHORUS LINE, featuring William Einbinder, Gabriella DeBenedict

Pinelands Regional HS, ”Secrets” from THE ADDAMS FAMILY, featuring Nadia Vito, Lily Targett

Ridge HS, Macavity” from CATS, featuring Elisabeth Schmitt, Eileen Brady, Eve Armstrong, Samantha Rascio, Morgan Connell, Gabriella Hairston, Jordan Perla – WINNER

Summit HS, ”King of New York” from NEWSIES, featuring Sydney Veloso, Hope Pierotti, Avery Johnson, Anna Sullivan, Theo Errig, Ethan Engmann

Union HS, ”Forever Yours” from ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, featuring Khadijah Sankoh, Makayla Michel

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A LARGE ENSEMBLE NOMINEES

Columbia HS, “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from HAIRSPRAY

Delaware Valley Regional HS, All the Livelong Day” from WORKING

Madison HS, ”On My Way” from VIOLET

Ridge HS,  “The Jellicle Ball” from CATS

St. Peter’s Preparatory School, “Become” from EDGES: A SONG CYCLE

Summit HS, “Seize the Day” from NEWSIES – WINNER

Union HS, “Mama Will Provide” from ONCE ON THIS ISLAND

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD NOMINEES

Atlantic County Institute of Technology, Dominic Roberts, Dance Captain – WINNER

Bridgewater-Raritan HS, Liz Driscoll, Dance Captain

Bridgewater Raritan HS, Sophia Pedroso, Stage Manager – WINNER

Delaware Valley Regional HS, Simon Kinderman, Designer: Cinematography/Production/Pit – WINNER

Immaculate Heart Academy, Grace Capeless, Assistant Director/Film Editor – WINNER

José Martí STEM Academy, Felix Tavarez, Assistant Choreographer

José Martí STEM Academy, Clarisse Moreno, Kathy Bernal, Oliver Villalta, Writing Team – WINNER

Morristown HS Lorelei Eck, Student Director

Mount Saint Dominic Academy, Hema Davalla & Sophia Garske, Production Stage Managers

Mount Saint Dominic Academy, Kiera Carbone, Ava Ciauro, Lynn Jean-Baptiste, Sound Board Operators

Pascack Hills HS, Valentina Cannao, Scenic Designer & Assistant Director

Piscataway HS, Melly Merida, Scenic Illustrations – WINNER

Randolph HS, Kathleen Brennan, Christine Hamilton, Jilliane Najera, Digital Designers

Ridge HS, Morgan Beatty, Student, Director – WINNER

Summit HS, Emma MacPherson, Costume Crew Head – WINNER

Toms River HS North, Archie Bird, Tech Crew – WINNER

Voorhees HS, Owen Tabor, Choreographer/Dance Captain

Westfield HS, Ben Zakharenko, Sound Designer – WINNER

Westfield HS, Josh Saxon, Scenic Designer / Asst. Technical Director

OUTSTANDING EDUCATOR AWARD NOMINEES

Elizabeth Volpe, Atlantic County Institute of Technology

Pete Gambino, Cherry Hill HS East

Michael Penna, Collier HS

John Giresi, Fair Lawn HS – WINNER

Jim DeVivo, Holmdel HS

Blake Spence, Madison HS

Cindy Dwyer, Mater Dei Prep – WINNER

Jodi Bosch, Mount Olive HS

Jensyn Modero, Mount Saint Dominic Academy

Bart DiFrancia, Pinelands Regional HS

Anne Poyner, Summit HS – WINNER

Steven Collins, Union County Academy for Performing Arts

Nancy Reynolds, Voorhees HS

THEATER FOR EVERYONE INCLUSION AND ACCESS AWARD NOMINEES

Collier HS

Madison HS – WINNER

Piscataway HS

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Paper Mill will Co-Produce Showcase for Young Artists with Disabilities on its Mainstage this August.

Paper Mill Playhouse has joined forces with the Cranford, New Jersey based non-profit Shining Stars Network to co-produce a performance featuring young artists with disabilities entitled “An Evening of Shining Stars: The Greatest Show!”  The showcase will offer audiences a Broadway spectacular featuring your favorite music, dance, and production numbers from the Great White Way and will take place on Sat, Aug 8, 2020, 7PM, at Paper Mill Playhouse. Tickets start at just $25!

Find Tickets

This event marks an expansion of Paper Mill Playhouse’s Theater for Everyone program, an award-winning initiative founded in 2011 that includes performances and classes for people with autism and other developmental disabilities and their families. Paper Mill’s Theater for Everyone program strives to weave inclusion throughout the fabric of the institution, creating opportunities for people of all abilities to learn, perform and attend performances with independence and dignity.

Shining Stars Network was created to put a spotlight on the special needs community and showcase their talents.  By producing inclusive entertainment, opportunities are provided for people with and without disabilities to work together to create experiences that enhance lives. Shining Stars performers are individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities who perform in inclusive events that build self-esteem and friendships. Performers are shadowed by Shining Star buddies, neurotypical high school students who help Shining Star performers learn new things and develop strong friendships.  Founded in 2012 and initially serving Union County, New Jersey, there are now Shining Stars performers from seven different New Jersey counties.

“Prepare to be amazed as our special needs performers and their high school buddies take the stage in front of an audience of over 1,000,” shared Shining Stars Director Sally Curci.  “When the lights go up, the stars always shine, entertaining with solo acts and full-cast dance choreography.  The audience is wonderful, and our performers are amazing. Each and every year our audience has grown along with our cast. They continue to inspire us every day.  We are so excited to give our special cast the chance to perform at such a great venue as Paper Mill Playhouse.”

“We are thrilled and honored to create this partnership with the legendary Paper Mill Playhouse,” noted Shining Stars Network Co-Founder and CEO Mike Curci. “From our special needs cast members, buddies, parents and our entire team, everyone is very excited for our stars to have the opportunity to perform on the iconic Paper Mill stage. It will be like performing on Broadway and we look forward to co-producing this show with their incredibly talented team.”

“An Evening of Shining Stars is an amazing opportunity to foster a love for performing for these young artists whose gifts are many,” remarked Paper Mill Playhouse Producing Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee.  “We’re very pleased to be working with Shining Stars to make this event come to life on the historic Paper Mill stage.  When the New Jersey legislature-designated Paper Mill as the State Theater of New Jersey in 1972, we made it our mission to ensure that the art and cultural experiences at Paper Mill were available and meaningful to the entire population.  This event speaks to that core mission in a meaningful way.”

A national leader in cultural accessibility, Paper Mill Playhouse offers a myriad of award-winning access programs and services, including audio description, sensory seminars, Braille and large-print programs for the visually impaired, American Sign Language interpretation, open-captioning and assistive listening devices for those with hearing loss. In addition, Paper Mill offers classes for adults and adolescents with developmental disabilities to study creative drama and improvisation, and provides autism-friendly performances of both mainstage and children’s shows throughout the season. Upcoming autism-friendly performances are the one-hour performance of Click, Clack, Moo on April 15 at 10AM, and Charlotte’s Web on June 14 at 10AM. The Goren Family and the Harmony Helper App, and Merck are the major sponsors of the autism friendly performance of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella.

SHINING STARS NETWORK is a non-profit organization founded by Sally and Mike Curci that shines the light on the special needs community by creating opportunities in the performing arts, with the goal of building self-confidence and self-esteem while enjoying the experience of performing on stage. In addition, their Shining Stars Ambassadors basketball team travels to play local first responders and organizations while building friendship and understanding. Now entering its 4th year, Camp Shine, a two-week intensive special needs performing arts summer camp, will take place the last two weeks of August 2020. For more information on Shining Stars Network or any of their programs, please visit  www.ShiningStarsNetwork.org.

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, a not-for-profit arts organization under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director) and Michael Stotts (Managing Director), recipient of the 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. Paper Mill Playhouse is a member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Council of Stock Theatres, and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.  Paper Mill Playhouse Education and Outreach are proudly sponsored by The Goren Family and The Harmony Helper App.  Major funding for autism-friendly programs is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and Wells Fargo. Additional support includes Autism Speaks, BD, The Thomas & Agnes Carvel Foundation, The Karma Foundation, Merck, MetLife Foundation, Nordstrom, and Summit Area Public Foundation.

The post Paper Mill Playhouse to co-produce show with Shining Stars Network appeared first on Paper Mill Playhouse.

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Paper Mill Playhouse presents the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Disney’s Beauty and the Beast with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton.

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast begins performances Wednesday, May 29, 2019.  Due to popular demand, four performances have been added to the performance schedule. The limited engagement will now conclude Wednesday evening, July 3, 2019, at 7PM.  Paper Mill Playhouse will also present an autism-friendly performance of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on Wednesday, June 26, at 1:30PM. This performance is designed specifically for people on the autism spectrum or with other developmental disabilities and their families. The Goren Family & Harmony Helper and Merck are the Major Sponsors of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.  Paper Mill Playhouse’s 2018–2019 season is proudly sponsored by Investors Bank.

Directed by Mark S. Hoebee, with choreography by Alex Sanchez and music direction by Michael Borth, the principal cast features Belinda Allyn (Paper Mill’s West Side Story) as Belle, Joel Blum (Show Boat) as Maurice, Jenelle Chu (Bernhardt/Hamlet)  as Babette, Kevin Curtis (Paper Mill’s A Chorus Line) as Lefou, Donna English (Paper Mill’s Lend Me a Tenor) as Madame de la Grande Bouche, Stacia Fernandez (Paper Mill’s Bandstand) as Mrs. Potts, Gavin Lee (SpongeBob SquarePants) as Lumiere, Kevin Ligon (Hello Dolly!) as Cogsworth, Stephen Mark Lukas (The Book of Morman) as Gaston, Tally Sessions (Paper Mill’s South Pacific) as The Beast, with Gianni David Faruolo (Fun Home) and Antonio Watson (This Ain’t No Disco) alternating in the role of Chip.

They will be joined by Joe Bigelow, Monica Cioffi, Brittany Conigatti, Justin DeParis, Stephen DiBiase, Jennifer Evans, Annie Gagen, David Michael Garry, Leeds Hill, Brett Michael Lockley, Michael Milkanin, Corinne Munsch, Brett Pederson, Alexa Racioppi, Taylor Rosenberger, Molly Rushing, Bronwyn Tarboton, Matthew Vincent Taylor, and Cynthia Thorne.

Singing teapots and candlesticks, an evil spell, and an unlikely love story are all part of the magic of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, 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. The whole family will be enchanted by this gorgeous production, featuring stunning costumes and sets, spectacular dance numbers, and, of course, a fairy-tale ending.

The production team includes scenic design by Kelly James Tighe, costume design by Leon Dobkowski, lighting design by Charlie Morrison, sound design by Matt Kraus, hair and wig design by Leah J. Loukas, makeup design by Dena Olivieri, and fight direction by Rick Sordelet. The production stage manager is Andrea Cibelli. Casting by Telsey + Company, Rebecca Scholl, CSA.

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast will be performed at Paper Mill Playhouse eight times a week, Wed–Sun. Performance schedule: Wed at 7PM, Thu at 1:30PM and 7PM, Fri at 7PM, Sat at 1:30PM and 7PM and Sun at 1:30PM and 7PM.  PLEASE NOTE: Due to popular demand, four added performances: Tue, June 18, at 7PM, Tue, July 2, at 7PM, Wed, July 3, at 1:30pPM & 7PM. 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 by clicking here. All major credit cards accepted. Groups of 10 or more may receive up to a 40% discount on tickets and should call 973.315.1680. Season subscriptions are on sale now and are available by calling 973.379.3717.  Students may order $23–$28 rush tickets over the phone or in person at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office on the day of the performance.

Belinda Allyn (Belle) is thrilled to be back at Paper Mill Playhouse! She was previously seen at Paper Mill as Maria in West Side Story and recently as the standby for the leading ladies in Benny & Joon. Other credits include Allegiance (Broadway), understudy Imelda in Here Lies Love (Seattle Rep), Maria in West Side Story (Riverside Theatre), and Mrs. Claus in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular (NYC). Graduate of Oklahoma City University.

Joel Blum (Maurice) is very excited to appear at Paper Mill. Broadway: Show Boat (Tony nomination), Steel Pier (Tony nomination), The Music Man, 42nd Street, Stardust, After the Night and the Music, A Christmas Carol, Debbie (starring Debbie Reynolds). Off Broadway: Neurosis, Kid Victory, Golf: The Musical (Drama Desk nomination), And the World Goes ’Round, Game Show. Tours: Billy Elliot, Doctor Doolittle, 101 Dalmatians, Annie Get Your Gun, others. Regional: October Sky; Kiss Me, Kate; Tin Pan Alley Rag (Barrymore Award); Meet John Doe (Helen Hayes nomination); Damn Yankees; Pal Joey. TV: Ed; The Sopranos; specials with Bob Hope, Liberace, and Debbie Reynolds; The Sonny and Cher Show; The Tonight Show; Law & Order.

Jenelle Chu (Babette) is so proud to be making her Paper Mill Playhouse debut! Broadway: Bernhardt/Hamlet (Roundabout), Junk (Lincoln Center Theater). Regional: Vietgone (American Conservatory Theater), The Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare and Co.). Other NYC credits include These Seven Sicknesses, Serials @ The Flea (The Flea Theater), Good Vibrations (52nd Street Project). TV/Film: White Flags, Elementary, Instinct. Education: University of Missouri–Kansas City; MFA, Yale School of Drama.

Kevin Curtis (Lefou). Paper Mill Playhouse: A Chorus Line. National Tour: A Chorus Line. Off Broadway: Invisible Thread (Second Stage). Regional: The Muny, A.R.T., Denver Center, Geva Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, PCLO, North Shore Music Theatre, TUTS, Stages St. Louis. TV: Younger. Film: Take Care, Newlyweeds.

Donna English (Madame de la Grande Bouche). Broadway: Living on Love, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Lend Me a Tenor, Broadway. Off Broadway: Madame X (NYMF Outstanding Performance Award), Christmas in Hell, Taking a Chance on Love, Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back!, and Ruthless! (Drama Desk nomination). National Tour: Genie Klein in Beautiful. This marks her tenth production with Paper Mill. Favorites include Lend Me a Tenor (Diana), The Sound of Music (Elsa), High School Musical (Ms. Darbus), Hairspray (Velma), and Harold and Maude (Mrs. Chasen). Her extensive regional credits include principle roles at Long Wharf, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Goodspeed Musicals, and 5th Avenue.

Gianni David Faruolo (Chip). Regional debut. Recent theater credits: Fun Home (John Bechdel), Peter Pan (Michael Darling), A Christmas Carol (Tiny Tim), and Super! The Musical (Young Mark). Recent cabaret credits: Paul Williams Tribute at Joe’s Pub (Puppeteer/Singer).

Stacia Fernandez (Mrs. Potts) is so happy to return to Paper Mill, where she previously appeared in Annie and Bandstand.  Broadway: Beauty and the Beast (Mrs. Potts), Mamma Mia!, The Drowsy Chaperone, Swing!, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Tom Sawyer. Regional: Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, Aunt Cleo in A Sign of the Times, Diana in Next to Normal, Adelaide in Guys and Dolls,  Mrs. Anna in The King and I, Grizabella in Cats. Film: Enchanted, Shaggy Dogg, Captain America, Frozen 2. As a playwright, she has written The Loop and A Smalltowne Christmas.

Gavin Lee (Lumiere). Broadway: Squidward in SpongeBob SquarePants (Tony nomination, Drama Desk Award), Thénardier in Les Misérables, Bert in Disney’s Mary Poppins (Tony and Olivier nominations, Drama Desk and Theater World Awards). Other theater: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Madison Square Garden), Show Boat (Carnegie Hall), Holiday Inn (world premiere, Goodspeed), Mary Poppins (first national tour), The Nerd (Bucks County Playhouse). London’s West End: Top Hat, Mary Poppins, Crazy for You, Peggy Sue Got Married, Me and My Girl, Oklahoma!, and Contact. TV: Woodford in White Collar (season six), Law & Order: SVU, The Good Wife.

Kevin Ligon (Cogsworth) last appeared at Paper Mill Playhouse in the 1988 production of Mack and Mabel. He recently appeared on Broadway in the smash-hit revival of Hello, Dolly! as well as On the Twentieth Century; Bullets Over Broadway; The Phantom of the Opera; Sister Act; Finian’s Rainbow; Young Frankenstein; The Producers; Kiss Me, Kate; 1776; and The Secret Garden. Other credits include Anastasia (Hartford Stage Company), Max in The Sound of Music (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Mr. Bumble in Oliver! (Pioneer Theatre Company), Adolfo Pirelli in Sweeney Todd (Kennedy Center’s Sondheim Celebration), Nicely-Nicely in Guys and Dolls (national tour—Jeff Award), Forbidden Broadway (Off Broadway).

Stephen Mark Lukas (Gaston) is thrilled to make his Paper Mill Playhouse debut. Broadway: The Book of Mormon (Elder Price). Favorite regional credits: Curly in Oklahoma! (Ogunquit Playhouse), Joe Hardy in Damn Yankees (Goodspeed), Lancelot in Camelot (Westport Country Playhouse), Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls (Maine State Music Theatre), Captain Phoebus in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Music Theatre Wichita). Television: Gossip Girl, Empire Falls.

Tally Sessions (Beast). Paper Mill: South Pacific (Luther Billis), Little Shop of Horrors. Broadway: Anastasia, War Paint, Falsettos, School of Rock, Big Fish, The House of Blue Leaves, Paramour. Tours: South Pacific, Legally Blonde, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Off Broadway: Giant (Public Theater), Queen of the Mist (Transport Group), Anyone Can Whistle (Encores!), Yank! (York Theatre). Regional: Leading roles at the Old Globe, the Kennedy Center, Goodspeed Opera House, Signature Theatre, the Muny, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Olney Theatre Center. Awards: two Carbonell Awards, Denver’s Henry Award, two Helen Hayes Award nominations, Connecticut Critics Circle nomination. TV: Elementary, Falling Water.

Antonio Watson (Chip). Off-Broadway: This Ain’t No Disco (Atlantic Theater). Professional stage: Caroline, or Change (Tantrum Theater), The Preacher’s Wife (reading), Mandela (reading). TV/Film: Blue Bloods, All the Little Things We Kill, In the Field, Lily, The Late Show, Nickelodeon, Sesame Street. Pixie Dust Players: The People Garden, Oliver! Jr., Winnie the Pooh Kids.

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Creators and Creative Team

Alan Menken (Music). Stage musicals: God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater; Little Shop of Horrors; Beauty and the Beast; A Christmas Carol; The Little Mermaid; Sister Act; Leap of Faith; Newsies; Aladdin; The Hunchback of Notre Dame; The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz; Kicks; A Bronx Tale. Film: The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Enchanted, Tangled. Television: Sesame Street, Lincoln, The Neighbors, Galavant. Awards: Tony, Drama Desk, eight Oscars, 11 Grammys, seven Golden Globes, London’s Evening Standard, Olivier, Outer Critics Circle. Honors: Songwriters Hall of Fame, Billboard #1 single and album, Disney Legend, Hollywood Walk of Fame, doctorates from NYU and UNCSA.

Howard Ashman (Lyrics) wrote the lyrics for the Disney animated films The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin (three songs). With composer Alan Menken, he received two Academy Awards and two Golden Globes for Best Song (“Beauty and the Beast” and “Under the Sea”) and four Grammy Awards. He was author, lyricist, and director of the stage musical Little Shop of Horrors as well as the screenwriter for the film adaptation, which earned an Oscar nomination for Best Song.

Tim Rice (Lyrics) has worked in music, theater, and film since 1965, when he met Andrew Lloyd Webber, a fellow struggling songwriter. Their collaborations include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Evita. Tim has also worked with composers such as Elton John (The Lion King, Aida), Alan Menken (Aladdin, King David, Beauty and the Beast), and Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (Chess). In 2013, he wrote and presented a 52-part series for BBC Radio 2, American Pie, a trawl through the music and musicians of every state. He has won several awards, mainly for the wrong thing or for simply turning up.

Linda Woolverton (Book) wrote the screenplays for Beauty and the Beast (Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee for best picture, the first animated film to receive such a nomination), Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, The Lion King, Alice in Wonderland (dir. Tim Burton), Alice Through the Lookingglass, Maleficent, and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (upcoming) as well as the books for the Broadway musicals Beauty and the Beast (Tony Award nomination for best book, Olivier Award for Best New Musical), Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida, and Elton John’s Lestat. She also wrote the young adult novels Star Wind and Running Before the Wind.

Mark S. Hoebee (Director, Producing Artistic Director) joined the artistic team at Paper Mill Playhouse in 2000. Under his leadership, Paper Mill was presented with the Regional Theatre Tony Award in 2016 and in recent years launched such noteworthy projects as the world premieres of Newsies, in partnership with Disney Theatrical Productions, Honeymoon in Vegas, Ever After, Bandstand, A Bronx Tale, The Honeymooners, and The Sting starring Harry Connick, Jr., as well as the American premieres of the 25th Anniversary Production of Les Misérables, working alongside Cameron Mackintosh, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the national tour of The Bodyguard starring Deborah Cox. 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; Annie; 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 Broadcast Producer for the CBS Evening News and CBS Sunday Morning, and their children, Stephen and Ashley.

Alex Sanchez (Choreographer) is thrilled to return to Paper Mill after having served as choreographer for West Side Story, associate choreographer for Carnival, and playing Harry Beaton in Brigadoon. He has directed Sweet Charity, Newsies, and Evita (The Marriott Theatre in Chicago); In the Mood (Bud Forrest Entertainment/national tour); and The World Goes ’Round (Riverside Theatre, NYC). In New York he choreographed Roman Holiday (pre-Broadway/GFI Productions); Giant (The Public Theater—Lortel nomination); Far from Heaven (Playwrights Horizons); Where’s Charley? and Fiorello (New York City Center Encores!); Red Eye of Love (co-choreographer, Amas Musical Theatre—Calloway Award winner).

Michael Borth (Music Director). Paper Mill debut. National Tours: Beauty and the Beast (international), The Phantom of the Opera, Man of La Mancha, 25th Annual…Spelling Bee, The Will Rogers Follies, Flashdance, The King and I. Orchestrator and conductor of the original Off Broadway run of The Marvelous Wonderettes, and arranger and orchestrator of its sequels, Wonderettes: Caps and Gowns and Wonderettes: Dream On. Over 50 regional credits including Reprise, Sacramento Music Circus, Musical Theatre West, Music Theatre Wichita, Ogunquit Playhouse, and Pasadena Playhouse. Musical director of the NYC concert and cast recording of Ryan Scott Oliver’s 35mm.

Kelly James Tighe (Scenic Design). Off Broadway/National Tours: Martin Luther on Trial, The Most Reluctant Convert, The Great Divorce, The Fantasticks, Almost Heaven, Movin’ Out, Shear Madness, Cats. Regional: Paper Mill Playhouse, Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival, San Jose Rep, Laguna Playhouse, Center Rep, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, Sacramento Theatre Company, Gateway Playhouse, Contra Costa Musical Theatre, Diablo Theatre, Ray of Light. Mr. Tighe’s theatrical work is published in the textbook Scene Design and Stage Lighting, and his work as an illustrator has been published in Mooseltoe: A Moose and a Dream. Awards: SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, Drama-Logue, Shellie.

Leon Dobkowski (Costume Design). Paper Mill: Annie, Mary Poppins, Vanya and Sonia…. Past productions with the Muny (St. Louis Theater Circle Awards, Seussical 2014, The Wiz 2018; Judy Award, Tarzan), Weston Playhouse, Theatre Under the Stars, George Street Playhouse, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Irish Repertory Theatre, Yale Repertory Theater, Pittsburgh CLO, Music Theatre Wichita, Engeman Theater, Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Feld Entertainment’s Disney Live!, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Epic Theatre Ensemble, Westchester Broadway, NYMF (Outstanding Costume Design, Claudio Quest), Cape May Stage, TheaterWorks Hartford (CT Critics Choice Award nomination, The Legend of Georgia McBride). MFA, Yale School of Drama.

Charlie Morrison (Lighting Design). Paper Mill: Annie, Mary Poppins, West Side Story, Elf, Grease, The Little Mermaid, Curtains, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, The Full Monty, Meet Me in St. Louis, and Hello, Dolly!. National and international tours: The Little Mermaid; How the Grinch Stole Christmas; The Producers; Hello, Dolly!; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Miss Saigon; Aida; 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).

Matt Kraus (Sound Design). Broadway: Liza’s at the Palace…, Kristin Chenoweth: My Love Letter to Broadway, Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony. Off Broadway: Caucasian Chalk Circle, 50 Shades! The Musical Parody, Forbidden Broadway, Voca People. Audio coordinator for remote shoots at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Regional: Paper Mill Playhouse (Holiday Inn, Lend Me a Tenor, Newsies), St. Louis Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Walnut Street, and more. Matt has also played the world’s most prestigious venues: Hollywood Bowl, Hampton Court Palace, Olympia in Paris, Sydney Opera House, Monte Carlo Sporting Club, and Vienna State Opera House. Matt recently won a Daytime Emmy for his work on Disney’s Broadway Hits at Royal Albert Hall.

Leah J. Loukas (Hair & Wig Design). Paper Mill: Annie, Mary Poppins, The Honeymooners, Million Dollar Quartet, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Ever After, The Little Mermaid, Oliver!, South Pacific, Grease, Elf, A Christmas Story, The Sound of Music. Broadway: Hadestown; Escape to Margaritaville; Time and the Conways; Marvin’s Room; Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812; Sweat; Oh, Hello; The Heidi Chronicles; On the Town; A Night with Janis Joplin; Vanya and Sonia…; Irene’s Vow; American Idiot. Off Broadway/Regional: Clueless: The Musical, The True (New Group); Detroit ’67 (Hartford Stage/McCarter); White Devil (Red Bull); Plenty, Barbecue, Fortress of Solitude, Julius Caesar, Taming of the Shrew, Love’s Labor’s Lost, Into the Woods (Public).

Dena Olivieri (Makeup Design) is thrilled and honored to join the creative team of Beauty and the Beast at Paper Mill Playhouse, her Paper Mill debut! She won best makeup in the Rhode Island BroadwayWorld Awards for her Beauty and the Beast makeup design in 2017.

Telsey + Company (Casting). Broadway/Tours: Beetlejuice, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus, Oklahoma!, Be More Chill, Network, The Cher Show, The Prom, Pretty Woman, My Fair Lady, Mean Girls, Frozen, Come from Away, Waitress, Hamilton, Kinky Boots, Wicked, Hello, Dolly!, Anastasia, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Off Broadway: Atlantic Theater Company, Classic Stage Company, MCC Theater, St. Ann’s Warehouse, Second Stage Theater. Film: Mary Poppins Returns, Ben Is Back, The Greatest Showman, Into the Woods, Rachel Getting Married. TV: Tales of the City, Fosse/Verdon, NOS4A2, Rent: Live, This Is Us, House of Cards, One Day at a Time, commercials.

Rick Sordelet (Fight Direction). 44 Broadway productions, including Disney’s The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan, The Little Mermaid, and Aida. He has staged the fights for the opera Cyrano de Bergerac starring Placido Domingo at the Metropolitan Opera, The Royal Opera House, and the LaScala in Milan, Italy; and for over 40 productions on five continents. Film: The Game Plan starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson; Dan in Real Life starring Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche; and Hamlet starring Campbell Scott. He served as the chief stunt coordinator for Guiding Light and staged the fights for First Jedi, a CD-ROM for George Lucas. Rick received the Lucille Lortel Award for Sustained Excellence in 2007. He teaches at Yale School of Drama.

Andrea Cibelli (Production Stage Manager). Paper Mill: World premieres of A Bronx Tale, The Bandstand, and Honeymoon in Vegas, as well as West Side Story, The Sound of Music, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, The Full Monty, Steel Magnolias, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Nutcracker, and New Voices 2013–2018. Broadway: A Bronx Tale, Head Over Heels, Honeymoon in Vegas. Tours: West Side Story, Spring Awakening. International: West Side Story (Japan), Race for Love (China). Regional: Dreamgirls (TOTS), The Little Mermaid (DSM). Other credits include Monkey: Journey to the West, The Mile-Long Opera, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Princeton University Dance Department, and Lincoln Center Festival.

Accessibility Performances and Autism-Friendly Performance for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

Paper Mill Playhouse, a leader in accessibility, will offer audio-described performances for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on Sat, June 22, and Sun, June 23, 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 Sun, June 23, 2019, at 7PM. Paper Mill Playhouse will also present an autism-friendly performance of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on Wed, June 26, at 1:30PM. This performance is designed specifically for children on the autism spectrum or with other developmental disabilities, 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.  For tickets to this special performance, please call the Paper Mill Playhouse box office at 973.376.4343 or click here.

Major sponsors for Paper Mill Playhouse’s autism-friendly performance of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast are The Goren Family & Harmony Helper, and Merck.

Major funding for autism-friendly programs is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and Wells Fargo.

Additional support includes Autism Speaks, C.R. Bard Foundation, The Thomas & Agnes Carvel Foundation, The Karma Foundation, Merck, MetLife Foundation, Nordstrom, George A. Ohl, Jr. Trust, and Summit Area Public Foundation.

Free Audience Enrichment Activities for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

CONVERSATION CLUB: Join us Thu evenings, May 30, June 6, 13, and 20 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 6PM, on Wed, May 29, we host a pre-show discussion in the Renee Foosaner Art Gallery.

Q&A WITH THE CAST: After the matinee on Sat, June 22, stick around for a lively Q&A with cast members directly following the performance.

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DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Music by ALAN MENKEN
Lyrics by HOWARD ASHMAN AND TIM RICE
Book by LINDA WOOLVERTON
Music Direction by MICHAEL BORTH
Choreography by ALEX SANCHEZ
Directed by MARK S. HOEBEE

*****

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• Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz (New Jersey Premiere)
• Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
• Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber (World Premiere)
• Sister Act
• The Wanderer (World Premiere)

SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS ON SALE NOW!

Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Producing Artistic Director, Michael Stotts-Managing Director), recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is proud to announce the lineup for its 2019–2020 season with three premieres and a total of five musicals. Season subscriptions are on sale now and are available by calling 973.379.3717 or by clicking here. Paper Mill Playhouse’s 2019–2020 season is proudly sponsored by Investors Bank. Paper Mill Playhouse education and outreach programs are proudly sponsored by The Goren Family & Harmony Helper.

Paper Mill Playhouse will open its 2019–2020 season with a highly anticipated new musical about one of the world’s most beloved entertainment icons. Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz (Sep 26–Oct 27) is the story of how five-year-old Frances Gumm became Judy Garland, chronicling her early career from vaudeville to her rise at MGM, where she wins the role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Next, a dash of fairytale romance, magical onstage transformations, and of course, glass slippers in this family musical just in time for the holidays, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Nov 20–Dec 29). This enchanting, Tony-nominated Broadway adaptation of the beloved musical will put a spell on audiences of all ages. Next winter, Paper Mill Playhouse presents the world-premiere musical Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber (Jan 30–Mar 1), about the remarkable life and celebrated work of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Unmasked will feature new material and rediscovered gems, along with the history of their creation intertwined with Andrew’s extraordinary personal story. In the spring, Paper Mill Playhouse welcomes back our good friend and eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken with his Tony-nominated musical Sister Act (Apr 1–Ap 26). Based on the 1992 hit film, this feel-good musical follows Deloris Van Cartier as she goes into hiding in a convent—where she clashes, hilariously, with cloistered life. Deloris inspires the sisters with her soulful style, but the church choir’s newfound fame attracts some unwanted attention. Paper Mill Playhouse closes its 81st season with the world-premiere musical The Wanderer (May 28–Jun 28), the story of Dion DiMucci and how he skyrocketed to fame as a teenage heartthrob in the 1950s and early ’60s with hits like “Runaround Sue,” “Teenager in Love,” and “I Wonder Why.” Now, his extraordinary journey comes to the stage in a moving and intimate new musical.

“Paper Mill Playhouse delivers high-quality, engaging performances to broad audiences. By making good theater accessible, Paper Mill enriches our local communities,” said Investors Bank Chairman and CEO Kevin Cummings. “But most importantly, it provides unique educational opportunities to more than 40,000 students each year and continues to offer invaluable experiences that would not otherwise be available to them. Arts education is key to the development of our children and young adults.”

Paper Mill Playhouse will produce eight performances a week, Wednesday through Sunday. Three, four, and five-show subscription packages are available now starting at just $111. Each subscription package includes a different level of special benefits, click here for details. Youth subscriptions are available for children ages 4–18 with the purchase of an adult subscription with accessible discount pricing. Single tickets will go on sale on August 19 starting at just $35. Groups of ten or more can receive up to a 40% discount on tickets and should call 973.315.1680. Titles, casting and dates subject to change.

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE’S 2019–2020 SEASON

CHASING RAINBOWS: The Road to Oz
September 26–October 27
Book by Marc Acito
Music Adapted & Additional Music by David Libby
Conceived & Created by Tina Marie Casamento
Directed & Choreographed by Denis Jones

This highly anticipated new musical about one of the world’s most beloved entertainment icons, Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz is the story of how five-year-old Frances Gumm became Judy Garland, chronicling her early career from vaudeville to her rise at MGM, where she wins the role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Chasing Rainbows features legendary songs, including “Over the Rainbow,” “You Made Me Love You,” and “Everybody Sing.” The show has already earned praise from Liza Minnelli, who said, “My mother said that her biography is in her music, and now a talented creative team is using that music to tell the story of her early years and her extraordinary rise to fame.”

Rodgers + Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA
November 20–December 29
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
New Book by Douglas Carter Beane
Original Book by Oscar Hammerstein II
Directed by Mark S. Hoebee

This enchanting, Tony-nominated Broadway adaptation of the beloved musical will put a spell on audiences of all ages. Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella showcases some of the songwriting duo’s loveliest tunes, including “In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible/It’s Possible,” and “Ten Minutes Ago,” as well as some new characters and surprising twists. Add a dash of fairytale romance, magical onstage transformations, and the iconic pumpkin and glass slippers—and you’re guaranteed to have a ball!

UNMASKED: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber
January 30–March 1
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Written with Richard Curtis
Directed by Laurence Connor

One of the most successful musical theater composers of all time takes audiences on a behind-the-scenes journey in Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Written with Richard Curtis and directed by Laurence Connor, Unmasked is a not-always-reverential look at Andrew’s life and musical career. You’ll hear his best-loved work, including classics from Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, Phantom of the Opera, and Sunset Boulevard, in sometimes new and unexpected ways. This new production will also feature new material and rediscovered gems, along with the history of their creation intertwined with Andrew’s extraordinary personal story.

SISTER ACT
April 1–April 26
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Glenn Slater
Book by Cheri Steinkellner & Bill Steinkellner
Additional Book Material by Douglas Carter Beane
Based on the Touchstone Pictures Motion Picture Sister Act Written by Joseph Howard

Based on the 1992 hit film, this feel-good musical comedy smash sizzles with powerful music, spectacular dancing, and a story brimming with heart. The madcap plot is set in motion when disco diva Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a murder and must go into hiding in a convent—where she clashes, hilariously, with cloistered life. Deloris inspires the sisters with her soulful style, but the church choir’s newfound fame attracts the attention of the bad guys. Featuring original music by Tony and eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken (Newsies, Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors), the musical was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

THE WANDERER
May 28–June 28
Book by Charles Messina
Directed by Kenneth Ferone

Dion. One name set the standard of cool for a generation. But how does a kid from the Bronx make it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? In The Wanderer, the incredible musical journey of a troubled young man turned teenage heartthrob (and, ultimately, rock and roll icon) is told in intimate and no-holds-barred detail. Dion’s music helped define a generation of rock and rollers. His lifelong battle with addiction shed a stark light on the darker side of fame and success. This musical takes both subjects head on, set to the iconic sound of an incomparable era in American music, and celebrates the triumph of the human spirit against all odds. The Wanderer is the riveting true story of Dion, New York’s rebel king, the man Bruce Springsteen calls “the link between Frank Sinatra and rock and roll.”

Paper Mill Playhouse offers its audience an opportunity to enhance their theater experience with behind-the-scenes views of mainstage productions.  Have you ever wanted to sneak a peek behind the curtain? Or wondered what the director was thinking, or how the cast prepares for a show? Join us for one of many revealing insider’s experiences.

Paper Mill Playhouse offers people with disabilities the opportunity to see live theater with dignity and independence through a myriad of award-winning access programs and services, including audio description and sensory seminars for the blind, Braille and large-print programs, American Sign Language interpretation for the deaf, open-captioning for those with hearing loss, and assistive listening devices. In addition, Paper Mill Playhouse provides autism-friendly performances of both mainstage and children’s shows throughout the season. Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella will feature an autism-friendly performance on Thursday, December 26, at 1:30PM.

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, a not-for-profit arts organization under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director) and Michael Stotts (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.

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Paper Mill Playhouse is pleased to announce its nominations for Favorite Large Theater to See a Musical and Favorite Choral Group in the 2019 JerseyArts.com People’s Choice Awards. Now in its 11th year, the annual awards program run by Discover Jersey Arts pays tribute to the work of New Jersey’s vital, vibrant and diverse arts organizations. With the ballots now open, it’s time for arts lovers across the state to vote for their favorite local arts organizations.

Paper Mill Playhouse and the other contenders in the 2019 People’s Choice Awards were nominated by their peers through the Jersey Arts Marketers network, which is made up of hundreds of arts groups across the state. Now, 11 arts districts and 104 organizations will compete in 19 categories, including favorite music festival, art gallery, small theater, ballet company, and more.

Allison Tratner, Executive Director of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, stated,

“The arts scene in New Jersey is reliably exciting and diverse. The thousands of passionate and loyal arts lovers who cast their votes each year is further proof that there is truly something special for everyone.”

Public voting began Jan 9 and runs through Feb 20, 2019 at JerseyArts.com/Vote. Last year, more than 18,000 ballots were cast, and even more are expected this year.

“We are incredibly lucky to have such an innovative and inspiring cultural community in New Jersey,”

said Adam Perle, President & CEO of ArtPride New Jersey, which cosponsors the Discover Jersey Arts program with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

“The JerseyArts.com People’s Choice Awards showcases extraordinary artistic endeavors across the state and allows art enthusiasts to select their favorites. In the end, we are all winners when we embrace the robust opportunities presented by New Jersey’s arts organizations.”

For a full list of nominees and categories, click here.

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 events calendar and arts directory; feature stories on Culture Vultures Arts Weekly and the Jersey Arts Podcast; 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.

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Paper Mill Playhouse is proud to announce student auditions for the theater’s prestigious Summer Musical Theater Conservatory and August Musical Theater Intensive on Saturdays, Feb 2 and 9, at Montclair State University, College of the Arts/Life Hall, 1 Normal Ave., Montclair, NJ. Students who earn coveted spots in the July Conservatory in the Senior (ages 15–18), Junior Plus (ages 13–14), and Junior Companies (ages 10–12) are directed and choreographed by Paper Mill’s professional artistic staff in a fully produced, original concert at Paper Mill Playhouse on Aug 2 and 3, titled New Voices of 2019: Learn Your Lessons Well.

An audition appointment is required. To request more information or to schedule an audition appointment please email Summer@PaperMill.org. For audition guidelines and other important information click here.

As one of the nation’s leading theaters, Paper Mill Playhouse has a well-earned reputation for launching both performers and shows for the Broadway industry. Since its inception in 1996, the Paper Mill Playhouse Summer Musical Theater Conservatory and the New Voices Concert have ignited the careers of many notable performers. Among the Conservatory alumni 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), Jelani Remy (Disney’s The Lion King), Shanice Williams, star of NBC’s The Wiz Live!, and Olivier Award nominee Jared Gertner (The Book of Mormon). For the full list of notable alumni, click here.

The New Voices Concert is the culmination of the five-week program. Also appearing will be numerous winners and nominees of the 2019 Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards presented by Investors Foundation, who win scholarships to attend the Conservatory. Paper Mill Playhouse Education and Outreach programs are generously supported by the Goren Family and Harmony Helper.

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.

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.

Students can also audition for the theater’s August Musical Theater Intensive Program. This three-week program allows performers between the ages of 10 and 16 to build individual technique and learn about themselves as performers, explore their own abilities, and refine their skills. Like the July Conservatory, admission to the August Intensive is by audition only. Intensive students do not perform in the New Voices Concert; rather, the Intensive classes prepare a musical theater showcase for family and friends. The focus of this program is on strengthening skills and building self confidence in a non-competitive environment. Accepted students are placed in one of two sessions according to age. The small class size in each session allows for individual attention and instruction from the faculty.

Paper Mill Playhouse Director of Education, Lisa Cooney stated ,

“From the first day of class all the way through opening night of New Voices, we require our students to rise to the demands of this rigorous program. 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.”

Stated Mark S. Hoebee, Paper Mill’s Producing Artistic Director,

“Paper Mill Playhouse’s Summer Musical Theater Conservatory and August Intensive are some of the finest programs for musical theater in the United States. It is amazing to see these young performers learn and grow into professional artists with a culminating performance produced by leading industry professionals.”

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This new play The Outsider by Paul Slade Smith, directed by David Esbjornson (Driving Miss Daisy), features Kelley Curran (Present Laughter) as Rachel Parsons, Julia Duffy (“Newhart”/”Designing Women”) as Paige Caldwell, Manoel Felciano (Sweeney Todd) as Dave Riley, Erin Noel Grennan (“Law & Order: SVU”) as Louise Peakes, Mike Houston (“Orange is the New Black”) as A.C. Petersen, Burke Moses (Beauty and the Beast) as Arthur Vance, and Lenny Wolpe (PMP’s The Baker’s Wife) as Ned Newley.

The production team includes set design by Michael Schweikardt, costume design by Elizabeth Hope Clancy, lighting design by Ben Stanton, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe, and sound design by Randy Hansen. The production stage manager is Mark A. Stys. Casting is by Telsey + Company, Adam Caldwell, CSA, William Cantler, CSA and Karyn Casl, CSA.

Performances are set to begin Wednesday, January 24, 2018, at 7:30PM, for a limited run through Sunday, Feb 18.  Opening Night is Sunday evening, Jan 28, at 7:00PM

The Outsider will be performed eight times a week, Wednesday–Sunday. The performance schedule is Wednesday at 7:30PM, Thursday at 1:30PM & 7:30PM, Friday at 8:00PM, Saturday at 1:30PM. & 8:00PM 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: 3-show packages are available with outstanding benefits, including significant savings. To subscribe, call 973.379.3717, click here or come to the Paper Mill Box Office.
Paper Mill Playhouse, a leader in accessibility, will offer audio-described performances for The Outsider on Saturday, Feb 17, at 1:30PM and Sunday, Feb 18, 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, Feb 18, at 7:00PM.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Kelley Curran (Rachel Parsons). Broadway: Present Laughter with Kevin Kline. Off Broadway: Sense & Sensibility and Peter Pan (Bedlam); The Dingdong (Pearl-Drama League Award nomination); ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore (Red Bull-Callaway Award); Angels in America (Signature); The Atmosphere of Memory (Labyrinth); Henry V (New Victory); Knives and Spoons Go on the Right (59E59); and work with the Drama League, Shakespeare Society, and The Public Theater. Regional: Shakespeare Theatre Company of DC, Shakespeare & Company, Guthrie Theater, Portland Center Stage, The Acting Company. Film: The Man Who Killed Hitler and then The Bigfoot (executive producer John Sayles), Dear Santa. Additional honors: 2005 Princess Grace Award nomination, 2017 National Theatre Conference Emerging Professional Award.
Julia Duffy (Paige Caldwell). Paper Mill Playhouse debut. Broadway: Once in a Lifetime. Off Broadway: Rancho Viejo (Playwrights Horizons). Selected regional theater: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (Huntington-IRNE Award nomination); The Little Foxes, The Heiress (Pasadena Playhouse); The Three Sisters, Curse of the Starving Class (St. Louis Rep); Sex and Education (Laguna Playhouse). Recent TV: “Looking,” “Shameless,” “Key & Peele,” “Scream Queens,” “American Housewife.” Past TV and film credits include the Coen brothers’ “Intolerable Cruelty,” “The Blue and the Gray,” “Romeo and Juliet” (PBS), “Designing Women,” “The Mommies,” “Wizards and Warriors.” Favorite TV: “Newhart” (seven Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe nomination). Author of the soon-to-be-released book Bad Auditions.
Manoel Felciano (Dave Riley). Broadway: Sweeney Todd (Tony nomination), Amélie, Disaster!, Brooklyn, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cabaret. Off Broadway: Changeling (Red Bull), Trumpery (Atlantic, dir. David Esbjornson), Shockheaded Peter, Much Ado About Nothing (NYSF). Regional: Anastasia (Hartford); Robin Hood!, Twelfth Night (Old Globe); Terrence McNally’s Mothers and Sons (world premiere); Side Show (La Jolla); The Exorcist with Brooke Shields (Geffen); Scorched, Tales of the City, Clybourne Park, Round and Round the Garden, Caucasian Chalk Circle, November, Jerry in Zoo Story, Rock ‘n’ Roll (A.C.T.); Elektra with Olympia Dukakis (Getty Villa); Tateh in Ragtime (Kennedy Center); Three Sisters (Williamstown, dir. Michael Greif); George in Sunday in the Park (dir. Jason Alexander). Workshops: Duncan Sheik, Elvis Costello. Film/TV: Uncertainty (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), “Elementary,” “NCIS,” “Trauma,” “Life on Mars,” “The Unusuals,” soaps. Concerts: Ragtime (Lincoln Center), The World of Nick Adams with Jack Nicholson, Julia Roberts, Sean Penn (SFSO). Faculty member: Columbia MFA Acting. Training: BA, Yale; MFA, NYU Tisch Grad Acting.
Erin Noel Grennan (Louise Peakes). Paper Mill Playhouse debut. A recent transplant to NYC from Chicago, Erin’s regional credits include Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Geva Theatre Center, Drury Lane, First Folio, Mercury Theater, BoarsHead, Circle Theatre, Theatre at the Center, seven seasons with Peninsula Players Theatre in Wisconsin, and the Gaiety Theatre in Ireland. She has had the privilege of originating roles in many new American plays, including Making God Laugh, Unnecessary Farce, The Tin Woman, A Real Lulu, Shady Business, Slow Floods, and The Outsider. Film/TV: Resurrecting McGinn(s), Friday Fires, recurring roles on “Law & Order: SVU,” “Chicago Fire,” and “Chicago Med.” Among her umpteen commercials, she plays Ma in the current “Feed the Pig” campaign.
Mike Houston (A.C. Petersen) is thrilled to make his Paper Mill debut in this brilliant play while sharing the footlights with such an amazing cast! A graduate of the William Esper Studio and a founding member of The Collective NY, Mike recently wrapped production on the sixth season of the award-winning Netflix original series “Orange Is the New Black,” reprising his role as Lee Dixon. Theater: C:10 Play Festival (2013-16, The Collective NY), Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me (The Collective NY), Last Gas by Jon Cariani (Portland Stage Company). Film: Bridge of Spies, Deliver Us from Evil, The Drop, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Taking of Pelham 123. Other TV: “Sneaky Pete” (Amazon), Marvel’s “Jessica Jones”(Netflix), “Boardwalk Empire” (HBO), “The Leftovers” (HBO), “Brotherhood” (Showtime).
Burke Moses (Arthur Vance) was last seen at Paper Mill in Thoroughly Modern Millie. He made his Broadway debut as Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls and then went on to create the role of Gaston in the New York, Los Angeles, and West End productions of Disney’s megahit Beauty and the Beast (Drama Desk nomination, Theatre World Award). Also on Broadway, he portrayed Fred Graham in Kiss Me, Kate and Heracles in Stephen Sondheim’s The Frogs at Lincoln Center, and created the role of El Gallo in the Off Broadway revival of The Fantasticks. In Toronto, Mr. Moses played Captain Von Trapp in the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Mirvish production of The Sound of Music. Recent regional work found him at Arena Stage as The Music Man, Long Wharf Theatre (The Underpants), Denver Center (Unsinkable Molly Brown), and Goodspeed (City of Angels). Mr. Moses is author of Stanislavski Never Wore Tap Shoes: Musical Theater Acting Craft.
Lenny Wolpe (Ned Newley) appeared at Paper Mill in The Baker’s Wife (the Baker), Gypsy (Herbie opposite Betty Buckley), Baby, The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, and The 1940’s Radio Hour. Broadway: Bullets Over Broadway, Wicked, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Sound of Music, Mayor, Into the Light, Onward Victoria, Copperfield. Off Broadway: Old Jews Telling Jokes, Marry Harry, New York Spring Spectacular at Radio City. National Tours: Wicked, Little Shop of Horrors, Forum, Guys and Dolls, South Pacific. Recent Regional: Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (Goodspeed), Max in The Producers (Maltz), Otto Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank (KC Rep), Presto Change-O (Barrington), War of the Roses (Delaware Theatre). Regional: McCarter, Cape Playhouse, Pasadena, Bucks County, Westport, Pioneer, Muny, St Louis Rep, Denver Center, TUTS, Pittsburgh CLO, Sacramento, Hollywood Bowl. TV series regular: “Baby Talk,” “You’re the One.” Nearly 100 guest spots including “L.A. Law,” “ER,” “Six Feet Under,” “And the Band Played On,” “Roseanne,” “The Golden Girls,” “Chappelle’s Show,” and more.
Paul Slade Smith (Playwright) is the author of three plays: The Outsider, Unnecessary Farce, and Hymn & Carol. The Outsider has had a single previous production-its 2015 world premiere at Peninsula Players Theatre, which received three Milwaukee theater awards, including best new play. Unnecessary Farce has had nearly 250 productions throughout the United States and Canada, as well as in Great Britain, Australia, Singapore, Switzerland (in German), and Iceland (in Icelandic). As an actor, Paul has appeared on Broadway in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Finding Neverland (original Broadway casts); in national tours of Wicked and The Phantom of the Opera; and regionally at American Repertory Theatre, Goodman, Steppenwolf, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
David Esbjornson (Director). Premieres: Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhry (Broadway, London, Australia); Edward Albee’s The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? and The Play About the Baby; Arthur Miller’s The Ride Down Mt. Morgan (Broadway); Resurrection Blues; world premieres of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America and Homebody/Kabul; In the Blood by Suzan-Lori Parks; Christopher Hampton’s Appomatox; Ariel Dorfman’s Purgatorio; Neil Simon’s Rose and Walsh; Tuesdays with Morrie; Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner; Red-Hot Patriot. Revivals: Glass Menagerie (Shanghai); A Few Good Men and Shawshank Redemption (London); Death of a Salesman (Dublin); Hamlet (TFANA); Measure for Measure and Much Ado About Nothing (NYSF); Lady from Dubuque, Mud, and Drowning (Signature); Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Summer and Smoke (Guthrie); The Normal Heart (Public); Endgame, Entertaining Mr. Sloane, and The Entertainer (CSC). David has served as artistic director of Classic Stage Company in NYC and Seattle Repertory Theatre, and he currently is chair of Rutgers Theater Conservatory.
Michael Schweikardt (Scenic Design). Productions at Paper Mill include A Comedy of Tenors, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Thoroughly Modern Millie, South Pacific, and Lost in Yonkers. Recent local credits include more than 20 productions with the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, including last season’s Equivocation, and critically acclaimed productions of La Cage aux Folles, Fiddler on the Roof, The Most Happy Fella, Carousel, and Show Boat for Goodspeed Musicals. National tours include James Taylor’s One Man Band, Ella, and Motherhood: The Musical. International productions include Phantom and Marie Antoinette for EMK Productions in Seoul, South Korea.
Elizabeth Hope Clancy (Costume Design). Broadway: A Christmas Story (also Paper Mill Playhouse), Passing Strange, The Goat, The Ride Down Mt. Morgan. International: The Glass Menagerie (Shanghai), A Few Good Men (London), Death of a Salesman (Dublin). Off Broadway: The Lady from Dubuque, The Oldest Profession, The Last of the Thorntons (Signature Theatre); Measure for Measure (Shakespeare in the Park); Hamlet (TFANA); In the Blood, A Dybbuk (Public); Memory House, Recent Tragic Events, The Wax (Playwrights Horizons); Waiting for Godot, Endgame, The Entertainer (CSC). Regional: City Theatre, Guthrie, Seattle Rep, Intiman, Huntington, Mark Taper, OSF, Hartford Stage, Long Wharf, Geffen, and others.
Ben Stanton (Lighting Design). Paper Mill: Godspell, Little Shop of Horrors. Broadway: Junk, Six Degrees of Separation, Fully Committed, Deaf West’s Spring Awakening (Tony nomination), Fun Home (Tony nomination), An Enemy of the People, Seminar. Recent Off Broadway: Fiasco Theater’s Twelfth Night (CSC); Napoli, Brooklyn (Roundabout); Derren Brown: Secret (Atlantic Theater); Marjorie Prime, The Christians (Playwrights Horizons); Yen, The Legend of Georgia McBride, The Nether (MCC); Angels in America (Signature); Incognito, Murder Ballad (MTC); Belleville (NYTW); Into the Woods (Delacorte); The Whipping Man (MTC-Lortel Award). Concert designs: Regina Spektor, Sufjan Stevens, The National. Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Lighting Design.
Charles G. LaPointe (Hair and Wig Design). Prior Paper Mill Playhouse productions include: Newsies; The Hunchback of Notre Dame and 1776. Over 90 Broadway shows including: Hamilton; Beautiful: The Carole King Musical; Anastasia; The Band’s Visit; SpongeBob SquarePants; Amélie; Motown the Musical; Memphis: The Musical; Allegiance; A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder; The Color Purple; Doctor Zhivago; Of Mice and Men; Violet; Sideshow; The Elephant Man; After Midnight; Clybourne Park; Newsies; Jekyll and Hyde; The Mountaintop; Superior Donuts; Bonnie and Clyde; In the Heights. Television: “The Wiz Live!” (Emmy Award Nomination); “Bluebloods;” “American Crime;” “Maddoff;” “Hairspray.”
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 The Outsider. 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.  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.

Free Audience Enrichment Activities for THE OUTSIDER:
Conversation Club: Join us Thursday evenings, Jan 25, Feb 1, 8 and 15, 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, January 24, we host a pre-show discussion in the Renee Foosaner Art Gallery.
Q&A with the Cast: After the matinee on Saturday, Feb 17, stick around for a lively Q&A with cast members directly following the performance.

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 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.

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