(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- On November 16 at 7:00pm, New Jersey Theatre Alliance (“the Alliance”) takes its annual Curtain Call celebration virtual! A highly-anticipated annual gathering for theatre artists, administrators, supporters, and the general public, Curtain Call is a celebration of the people who make a big impact on theatre in the Garden State. 

This year’s Star Award will be presented to Mills + Schnoering Architects, in honor of their outstanding commitment to universal design and access. Awards of Excellence will be given to Stage Managers of member theatres, offering a well-deserved moment in the spotlight to these essential artistic collaborators who so often stay behind the scenes. This event is open to the public but requires registration. You may register to attend, make a donation, or request raffle tickets on the New Jersey Theatre Alliance website, www.njtheatrealliance.org.

“We are delighted to recognize Mills + Schnoering Architects with this year’s Star Award,” said John McEwen, Executive Director of New Jersey Theatre Alliance. “The generous support and partnership of this firm has been essential to the success of the Alliance and our organization’s Cultural Access Network Project. Their expertise and reputation for accessible design of cultural spaces make them a perfect choice to honor in 2020, the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.” 

“We are overjoyed and overwhelmed to be receiving the New Jersey Theatre Alliance’s Star Award,” Said Michael Schnoering on behalf of the firm. “We are incredibly grateful and awed by the work of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance staff and board, and we are honored to be able to contribute in a meaningful way. Supporting our cultural community and helping ensure that it is something that we can all participate in and enjoy is a major part of our professional and personal lives, and is something that reflects and defines our humanity and adds to our collective social capital. We look forward to celebrating New Jersey’s theater community and the efforts of its faithful leaders, technical staff, and supporters at Curtain Call.”

In addition to the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the year 2020 has also been designated “The Year of the Stage Manager” within the theatre field. This year marks 100 years since the first stage management contract was signed with the professional theatre union, Actors Equity Association. 

Cheryl Mintz, who served as the resident production stage manager at McCarter Theatre Center for 29 years, is part of the event committee for this year’s Curtain Call. “This honor resonates deeply as a bright spot during this very difficult time,” she said. “The theater industry is devastated due to the pandemic, and work opportunities for Stage Managers have  disappeared overnight. Stage Managers do not get to propose the productions we want to do, but we can choose what theater community we want to commit to, and through that commitment be artistically fulfilled.  Many of us being honored by the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, who could balance our careers between New York City and Philadelphia, have made an extensive commitment to our New Jersey theater, which we are passionate about collaborating with as theater makers and artists.”

2020 has been an extremely challenging year for live theatre, and while Alliance member theatres have found innovative ways to serve their audiences and communities, there is much hard work to be done to ensure a safe and smooth re-opening. Proceeds from this year’s Curtain Call event will specifically support the Alliance’s Reopening Campaign, providing a wide range of services and resources to help ensure each of our member theatres can open safely. Alliance member theatres are large, mid-sized, and small non-profit theatres that produce musicals, classics, contemporary dramas, new works, and/or children’s plays. Each is a fully functioning business that pays its staff and artists (designers, technicians, directors, and actors) while contributing substantially to the state’s economy. 

The Alliance is grateful for the support of the following event sponsors: City National Bank, Caroyln Ferolito, Ruth and Arthur Fost, Mills + Schnoering Architects, and Stages Consultants.

Founded in 1981, New Jersey Theatre Alliance was the first statewide service organization for professional, not-for-profit theatre companies in the United States, and is a leader in developing model programs that unite, promote, strengthen, and cultivate professional theatre in New Jersey. Funding for the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, a not-for-profit organization, is provided in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Department of State, New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism, and contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations including the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, Bank of America, The Shubert Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, Investors Bank, The Grunin Foundation, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, Kessler Foundation, The F.M. Kirby Foundation, E.J. Grassmann Trust, The Union Foundation, and The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey.