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originally published: 11/29/2021

(MILLBURN, NJ) --- Paper Mill Playhouse has announced auditions for the institution’s 2022 Summer Training Programs including the prestigious Summer Musical Theater Conservatory or the Musical Theater Intensive. Paper Mill Playhouse welcomes audition videos from students 10-18 years old. 

Now in its 27th year, the 2022 Paper Mill Playhouse Summer Musical Theater Conservatory will take place live June 27 to July 30, 2022 at Paper Mill Playhouse and the Paper Mill Studios in Milburn.   Students will be offered live training Monday through Friday for five weeks culminating in the annual New Voices Concert live on the Paper Mill stage. Also appearing will be numerous winners and nominees of the 2022 Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards presented by the Investors Foundation, who win scholarships to attend the Conservatory.

The summer 2022 New Voices Concert is titled, “A Whole New World: A Tribute to the Music of Alan Menken”. This fully produced original concert celebrates the composer whose contributions to the American Musical Theater have helped shape the art form for the last 40 years. Performances are on July 29 and 30, 2022.

Auditions for the Summer Conservatory are through video submission. After review, select students will be invited to a live audition on Sunday, February 6 at the Paper Mill Studios. For audition video guidelines, submission instructions and other important information on tuition and available scholarships, visit our website at Paper Mill Professional Summer Training Programs.

The Paper Mill Playhouse Summer Musical Theater Conservatory is a program of rigorous study led by Paper Mill’s professional artistic staff. Students have the opportunity to enhance their individual performance potential while developing a broad base of theater experience and knowledge. Students participate in technique-specific classes including musical theater performance, acting, dance, private voice lessons, monologue coaching, and improvisation, while also attending guest workshops taught by professional actors, directors, and casting agents.  Time during every instructional day is devoted to rehearsing the New Voices Concert. Key to the curriculum is the development of self-discipline, respect, and a commitment to excellence that will serve these young artists throughout their lives.  

 

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“Paper Mill Playhouse’s Summer Musical Theater Conservatory is one of the finest young artist professional development programs for musical theater in the United States,” stated Mark S. Hoebee, Paper Mill’s Producing Artistic Director. “It is amazing to see these young performers learn and grow into professional artists culminating in a performance produced by leading industry professionals.”

Returning to the theater is the Musical Theater Intensive, on hiatus since 2019 due to the pandemic. The two-week live training curriculum, designed to build and strengthen foundational theater skills will take place August 8 through August 19, 2022. Singing, dancing, and acting classes are taught by Paper Mill’s professional artistic staff in smaller class settings allowing for students to work at their own pace and receive more individualized instruction. For audition video guidelines, submission instructions and other important information on tuition and available scholarships, visit our website at Paper Mill Professional Summer Training Programs.

As one of the nation’s leading theaters, Paper Mill Playhouse has a well-earned reputation for launching both performers and shows for the Broadway industry. Since its inception in 1996, the Paper Mill Playhouse Summer Musical Theater Conservatory and the New Voices Concert have ignited the careers of many notable performers.  Conservatory alumni include Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables), Tony Award winners Laura Benanti (Gypsy) Nikki M. James (The Book of Mormon), Ali Stroker (Oklahoma!), Tony nominee Rob McClure (Chaplin), Jelani Remy (Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations), Shanice Williams, star of NBC’s The Wiz Live! and Joshua Dela Cruz (Blue’s Clues & You!).  For the full list of notable alumni, click here. 

“From the first day of class all the way through the final performances, we require our students to rise to the demands of this rigorous program,” stated Lisa Cooney, Paper Mill Playhouse Director of Education, Outreach, and Access.  “We ask them to work harder than they ever have before as young performers, and we strive to build an incredible ensemble company, while each student hones their own individual performance skills.”

Paper Mill Playhouse, recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is a nationally renowned, not-for-profit theater under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director) and Michael Stotts (Managing Director). A beloved NJ arts institution since 1938, Paper Mill creates and produces groundbreaking new musicals and reimagined classics. Several productions have gone on to Broadway and launched national tours, including Disney’s Newsies, Les Misérables, Honeymoon in Vegas, A Bronx Tale, and Bandstand. The theater is also the home of an award-winning center for musical theater education and artist training, with outreach programs that impact thousands of students each year. As one of the nation’s premier musical theaters, Paper Mill fosters a creative environment to advance the art form, educate students, develop future theater lovers, nurture inclusion, and provide access for all. Paper Mill Playhouse programs are made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Paper Mill Playhouse is a member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Council of Stock Theatres, and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.