High Tech High School earned seven nominations and an honorable mention in the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards for their recent production of “Spring Awakening,” presented by the HT Musical Theatre Department.
Among the top nominated high schools, High Tech received nominations for Best Overall Production, Best Direction (Alex Perez), Best Supporting Actress (Ana Beliakova), Best Chorus, Best Student Orchestra (led by Rod Shepard), Best Lighting Design (Jams Bonkosky), and Best Scenic Design (Greg Cilmi), with an honorable mention in Choreography (Alex Perez).
The Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards are modeled after the Tony Awards. Paper Mill Playhouse’s program serves the entire state of New Jersey with nearly 100 entered productions from public, private and parochial high schools. Paper Mill Playhouse conceived and created the awards in 1996 to give schools the opportunity to showcase their musical arts programs on a statewide level. The musicals are adjudicated by Paper Mill Playhouse throughout the spring by a group of 70 evaluators, with each school receiving four independent evaluations.
As one of the nation’s leading regional theaters and producing partners for Broadway, Paper Mill Playhouse has a well-earned reputation for launching both performers and shows for Broadway. Since their inception in 1996, the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theatre have ignited the careers of many notable performers, all of whom attended high school in New Jersey.
The 2014 Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards ceremony will take place at Paper Mill Playhouse on Tuesday, June 3rd at 7:30 p.m. Schools nominated for Outstanding Overall Musical and Leading Actor/Actress nominees perform at the event and award recipients are presented with an engraved crystal award from Tiffany & Co.
High honors for High Tech High School production
