Paper Mill Rising Stars

Slow week for Jersey Stages as Memorial Day weekend is a lousy time for openings.

The summer slowdown is not yet upon us, though. There's openings next week at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey ("The Play's the Thing") and Tri-State Actors Theatre in Sussex ("Greater Tuna").

Paper Mill pushed its press opening for "Pirates!" back a few days to June 13 (Wednesday night opening, ugh!), which means I may get to Tri-State's opening after all. Felt bad I missed their "Twelfth Night" but there was no time.


In the meantime, here's a Central Jersey-oriented look at highlights from Paper Mill's Rising Star nominations:

Theatrical productions from three Union County high schools and two more from Somerset County received nominations this week for Paper Mill Playhouse’s 2007 Rising Star Awards.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School was among most honored, receiving 14 nominations. Cranford High School and Union Catholic High School, along with Immaculata High School and Bridgewater-Raritan High School, also gained nominations.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood’s production of the musical “Once Upon a Mattress” was nominated for Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical. From that production, individual nominations or honorable mentions were given to Ally Rome (Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role), Kristen Barry and Elizabeth Minski (supporting actress), Andre Smith (supporting actor), Mary Lynn Dobson (Outstanding Achievement by a Teacher or Outside director), Gia Dilorio (choreography), John Brzozowski (musical direction), Joanne Sprague and Gertle Rowe (costumes), Gerry DeLuca and Maura Berger (hair and makeup) and for chorus and student orchestra. In the Student Achievement category, nominations went to stage manager Tom Sack and crew (Lauryn Adams, Diana Chaves, Ashley Deshields, Noveen Iqbal, Kathryn Moynihan, Adam Biner, Victoria Kamouth).
Cranford’s “Titanic” received an honorable mention for outstanding overall production, along with individual nominations for Catrina Coffey (supporting actress), Cori Chandler (featured ensemble member), Mike D’Arcy (scenic achievement), Lynn C. Berry and Christine Stawnychy (costumes) and Michelle Masa (hair and makeup). “Titanic” also was nominated for the Educational Impact Award.
Union Catholic’s production of “Sugar” earned nominations for Joe Palinsky and Lynne Nunes for graphic design.
In Somerset County, Doug Helman of Bridgewater-Raritan was nominated as a lead actor in “Fiddler on the Roof.” From the same production, stage manager Brian DeVito was nominated for the Student Achievement Award.
Immaculata High School in Somerville was honorably mentioned in the Outstanding costume Achievement category.
Modeled after Broadway’s Tony Awards, the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards were created to encourage and reward exceptional accomplishments in the production of New Jersey high-school musicals. It is the first and only statewide high school recognition program of its kind in the country.
A corps of evaluators, comprised of theater professionals and educators, see shows at all 110 entered schools between January and April before making their nomination recommendations. The awards will be given out in a gala ceremony at the theater in Millburn on June 12.
For information, visit http://www.papermill.org/.

Happy Memorial Day everyone, and a tip of the cap to my late Dad, a combat vet of WWII, and my stepson, whose done 2 tours in Iraq and headed back to the Middle East probably in the fal, and this time as an officer. As I always tell him, keep your chin up and your head down.