RISING STAR AWARD PROGRAM

 

RISING STAR AWARD PROGRAM

What are the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards?

The Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards were created in 1996 to encourage and reward exceptional accomplishments in the production of high school musical theatre. Now in its 13th year, the Rising Star Awards are a statewide competition of New Jersey high school musicals modeled after Broadway's Tony Awards, and with Paper Mill's assistance, the program has been replicated in several regions nationwide.

Recognition of outstanding achievement by students and educators will be made in the areas of performance, design, direction, choreography, technical production and overall production excellence. The Rising Star Award Corps of Evaluators (comprised of theatre professionals, performing artists and designers, and theatre arts educators) will fan out across New Jersey between January and April to see shows at all 100 entered schools and will make nomination recommendations in various performance and production categories. In June, the Tony Awards-style Rising Star Awards Gala Ceremony is presented on the Paper Mill stage where nominees perform and selected recipients are presented with an engraved crystal award from sponsor, Tiffany & Co. The 2008 Rising Star Awards Gala Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, June 10, 2008.

Paper Mill Playhouse also awards three $1000 cash scholarships to outstanding individual students participating in entered Rising Star Award productions who plan to continue studying theatre in college. A fourth scholarship for $1000 dedicated to technical theatre and is sponsored by Scaramouche Costumes, LLC. Paper Mill has also partnered with Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, NJ to offer a significant renewable scholarship to a selected student wishing to major in musical theatre who is participating in an entered Rising Star Awards production.

Lastly, students receiving final nominations in the lead and supporting acting categories win a full scholarship to Paper Mill Playhouse's competitive Summer Musical Theatre Conservatory, a professional training program which along with advanced classes in singing, acting and dance, offers the nominees an opportunity to perform on the Paper Mill stage in our August season finale concert titled, "New Voices of 2008".

Who can participate and what is required?

Any New Jersey public, private or parochial school may enter by completing an application and being among the first 100 to apply by the deadline of Wednesday, January 16, 2008. All schools in NJ will receive a notice via US mail instructing them on how to locate and submit an application electronically, as well as how to access the Rules and Guidelines, Auxiliary Awards and Scholarship information. All schools must submit the electronic application. Applications for the 2008 program will be posted on the Paper Mill website on Friday, November 16, 2007. All schools will be required to use the e-application form submitted in two ways, via email and via fax or US mail. The hardcopy print-out must be signed by the adult director or school administrator. Signatures of parents or non-employee of the school are not accepted. All accepted applications will be confirmed via email. It is strongly advised that schools not wait until too close to the deadline to submit their application. Schools should apply early, even if their title and dates are not yet confirmed by the licensing house. “TBA” may be listed for both questions. To participate, a school's musical must take place between Thursday, January 24, 2008 and Sunday, April 20, 2008.

Productions entered must fall into one of the following categories and must be billed accordingly in the program:

- a published musical, operetta or revue that is presented with the approval or permission of the original creators or their representatives (either currently held by a licensing house or having entered public domain).

- an original piece which features an original script, music and/or lyrics and which is covered under a valid copyright that is presented with the approval or permission of the original creators or their representatives.

- an original compilation of material from other sources that is presented with the approval or permission of all of the original creators or their representatives.

Also, each entered school must pay an application fee by the application deadline, provide accurate driving directions to the performance, and be willing to provide up to eight (8) tickets throughout the run of the show for attending Evaluators.

For additional information on the Rising Star Awards or to be added to the mailing list to receive application information, please contact Lisa Cooney, Interim Director of Education at lcooney@papermill.org or via phone at 973.379.3636 ext 2748.

Rising Star Award Categories

Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Member

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Group

Outstanding Performance by a Chorus

Outstanding Performance by a Child Actor (inclusion of category is at the discretion of The Nomination Committee)

Outstanding Performance by an Orchestra (orchestra must be comprised of at least 75% students)

Outstanding Achievement in Musical Direction

Outstanding Achievement in Choreography

Outstanding Achievement by a Teacher or Outside Director

Outstanding Scenic Achievement

Outstanding Lighting Achievement

Outstanding Costuming Achievement

Outstanding Hair & Make-up Achievement

Outstanding Graphic Design Achievement

Outstanding Lobby Display Achievement

Outstanding Student Achievement (i.e. stage manager, stage crew, light board operator, costumes, student/assistant directors, student/assistant choreographers, dance captains, etc.; students are nominated by their teachers)

Outstanding Achievement by a High School -- The Educational Impact Award (recognizes schools which successfully connect the spring musical to the curriculum)

Special Awards may be given at the discretion of the Nomination Committee for outstanding achievement in areas that do not fall into any of the existing categories.

All decisions of the Paper Mill Playhouse Education Department and Rising Star Evaluators are final.

IMPORTANT 2008 RISING STAR AWARD DATES:

2008 RSA e-application posted on Paper Mill Playhouse website
Friday, November 16, 2007

2008 Rising Star Awards application deadline (first 100 schools accepted)
Wednesday, January 16, 2008

2008 Production Round (entered productions must have at least 2 public performances during this period)
Thursday, January 31, 2008 through Sunday, April 20, 2008

Rising Star and Westminster Choir College Scholarships deadline
Friday, March 28, 2008

Auxiliary Awards deadline (Student Achievement, Educational Impact)
Friday, April 11, 2008

REQUIRED Support Material due
Friday, April 25, 2008

2008 Nomination Round (Nomination Committee meets to determine the Final Nominations)
Monday, April 28, 2008 through Friday, May 9, 2008

2008 Final Nominations announced
Monday, May 12, 2008

2008 Rising Star Awards Ceremony
Tuesday, June 10, 2008

The S.T.A.R. Program is made possible by Investors Savings Bank Foundation, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Wyeth, The Ambrose & Ida Fredrickson Foundation, John Burgio and Ruth Bedford in memory of Jane Burgio, and The Bloomingdale's Fund of the Federated Department Stores Foundation.

Paper Mill's Education Outreach programs are generously supported by The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, PNC Bank, Shirley Aidekman-Kaye, and The Mall at Short Hills. Paper Mill’s programming is made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Paper Mill Playhouse received funding through a grant from the New Jersey Department of State.