Monday morning at 8:30, Paper Mill Playhouse went live to present the 2018 nominations for their annual Rising Star Awards. Paper Mill Playhouse who received the 2016 Tony Award for Regional Theatre presents awards and adjudications to almost 100 participating schools in New Jersey.

  Awards are presented for outstanding achievement by students and educators in the areas of performance, design, direction, choreography, technical production and overall production excellence. The adjudicators are composed of theater professionals, performing artists, designers, and theater arts educators. At The Rising Star Awards Gala Ceremony, award-winners are presented with an engraved crystal award.

  This year Eastern’s production of Rock of Ages: High School Edition received a total of 6 nominations and 2 honorable mentions.

  The nominations this year include:

1. Primo Davis – Featured Actor as “Franz”
2. Theatre for Everyone Inclusion and Access Award
3. Outstanding Achievement in Hair and Makeup
4. Outstanding Lighting Achievement
5. Overall Scenic Achievement
6. Overall Costuming Achievement

  Along with two honorable mentions for Outstanding Achievement by a Teacher or Outside Director and Outstanding Overall Production

  Final Nominations for Overall Best Production of a Musical in the State include: Columbia High School’s Hairspray, Delaware Valley Regional’s Grease, Moorestown’s Kiss Me Kate, Toms River North’s The Addams Family, West Morris Central’s The Pirate Queen, and Union’s Peter Pan.

 Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards Ceremony will be held Monday June 4th. Tickets to the Rising Star will be made available to final nominees via their school contact on May 9.