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2017 NJ Stage Award Winners!

originally published: 11/22/2017

The NJ Stage Awards were create to promote places to experience the arts throughout the state. Initial voting takes place October 1-14 when the public gets the chance to vote on the full list of nominees. From there we tally the votes and create 10 finalists per category, based on a mix of the public vote and NJ Stage staff picks. The public then votes on the finalists for the final 2 weeks of October.

Here are the 2017 winners:

Best Town For An Arts Night Out

GOLD Morristown

SILVER Asbury Park

BRONZE Princeton

Best Place For Live Comedy

GOLD Mayo Performing Arts Center

SILVER Stress Factory Comedy Club

BRONZE Catch A Rising Star

Best Place To View Art

GOLD The Art School at Old Church

SILVER Grounds For Sculpture

BRONZE Montclair Art Museum

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Best Place To See Live Dance Performances

GOLD Jersey Tap Fest

SILVER Mayo Performing Arts Center

BRONZE The Princeton Festival

Best Film Festival

GOLD Monmouth Film Festival

SILVER Rahway International Film Festival

BRONZE Teaneck International Film Festival

THEATRE

Best Place To See A World / NJ Premiere

GOLD Crossroads Theatre

SILVER Paper Mill Playhouse

BRONZE (tie) George Street Playhouse / McCarter Theatre

Best Place To See A Touring Production

GOLD State Theatre

SILVER Mayo Performing Arts Center

BRONZE Count Basie Theatre

Best Place To See Non-Equity Theatre

GOLD The Player’s Guild of Leonia

SILVER Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center

BRONZE Chester Theatre Group

Best Place To See Children’s Theatre

GOLD The Growing Stage

SILVER State Theatre

BRONZE Hoboken Children’s Theatre

MUSIC

Best Place To See A National Act

GOLD Mayo Performing Arts Center

SILVER PNC Bank Arts Center

BRONZE Scottish Rite Auditorium

Best Place To See Emerging Artists

GOLD The Stone Pony

SILVER Maxwell’s Tavern

BRONZE Crossroads

Best Coffeehouse or Non-Traditional Venue:

GOLD D’s Soul Full Cafe

SILVER Outpost In The Burbs

BRONZE Old Franklin Schoolhouse

Best Place For Classical Music

GOLD NJPAC

SILVER Mayo Performing Arts Center

BRONZE Princeton Festival

Best Annual Festival

GOLD Elephant Talk Indie Music Festival

SILVER Hoboken Arts and Music Festival

BRONZE Groove In The Grove

"The beauty of these awards is that they are simply based on getting the word out via social media, email lists, or phone calls," explained Gary Wien, publisher of New Jersey Stage. "Even the smallest organization can win. So set your calendar for September and make sure your organization is on our radar and be sure to get out the vote in October!"

Thank you to everyone who voted. Please check out these winners and explore new places to experience art in the Garden State. The winners for 2016 and 2015 are online at New Jersey Stage's website.

Arts & Cultural Council of Bucks County Presents First Ever Celebration Of The Performing Arts
(NEWTOWN, PA) -- The Arts & Cultural Council of Bucks County presents their first-ever “Celebration of the Performing Arts” on Saturday, October 6th, starting at 10:00am. The event is a twelve-hour marathon, specifically celebrating the county’s inspiring and engaging performing artists. This family-friendly arts celebration event encourages attendees to “camp-out” by bringing blankets and chairs and enjoy the “shows” and specialty food trucks, all offered within the college’s lawns, beautiful sculpture gardens, indoor atrium and the intimate Zlock Center for the Performing Arts, a 330-seat theater Bucks County Community College’s Newtown Campus.

The Walsh Gallery Presents "Seeing Red"
(SOUTH ORANGE, NJ) -- The Walsh Gallery at Seton Hall University’s South Orange campus presents “Seeing Red” from September 4 through October 20, 2018. The exhibit examines the many artistic, cultural, political and religious connotations of the color red using books, works on paper, religious items, textiles and artworks of various mediums.

BSB Gallery presents "Love Is The Message" an exhibit by Jamel Shabazz
(TRENTON, NJ) -- BSB Gallery presents "Love Is The Message" - an exhibit by Jamel Shabazz from August 9 through September 22, 2018. The exhibit highlights the works of documentary, fashion, and street photographer Jamel Shabazz from 1980-2018. A special opening reception with the artist is planned for August 25th from 5:00pm to 9:00pm. Shabazz is also scheduled to conduct an Artist Talk on Saturday, September 8 from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.

Ocean Galleries Welcomes Autumn de Forest Over Labor Day Weekend
(STONE HARBOR, NJ) -- Autumn de Forest has been professionally painting since she was five-years-old, has been called a child prodigy, artistic genius, and an outstanding role model, and has garnered accolades across the globe for her artwork and philanthropic passion, including an award from The Vatican. Ocean Galleries will welcome Autumn de Forest back to Stone Harbor over Labor Day weekend with an all new collection of paintings.

Monmouth Museum’s NJ Emerging Artists Series presents Michael P. Short: Intentional Drift
(LINCROFT, NJ) -- Michael P. Short will be a featured artist in Monmouth Museum’s New Jersey Emerging Artists Series, on exhibit at the Museum from August 17 – September 16, 2018. Short is a Monmouth Beach, New Jersey based artist who said Intentional Drift began with the forging of materials gathered from hikes and, exploring local beaches, many recovered in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Fossils And Boomers At Morris Museum
You won’t find many places where Billy Joel and Erin Brokovich rub shoulders with ancient shark teeth and fossilized raindrops. But such is life — for at least the next few weeks — at the Morris Museum in Morristown, where you can take two very different trips through American history in two separate exhibits.

"Tastefully South Jersey" at Perkins Center For The Arts
“You learn something new every day…” Well, maybe not EVERY day but, while researching for JerseyArts.com features, I regularly learn something new. For example, I have known about Perkins Center for the Arts for a very long time. I’ve been to many exhibitions, participated in classes, and enjoyed several of the DeCafe Concerts over the years. But, prior to talking with Perkins’ Associate Director Diane Felcyn and Folklife Center Director, Karen Abdul-Malik (better known to many as Queen Nur), I had no idea that Perkins has a Folklife Center.

Inside NJ Stage Magazine: Issue 49
(BELMAR, NJ) -- New Jersey Stage magazine Issue 49 has been released with Garden State singer-songwriter Bruce Tunkel as its cover story. The issue contains a mix of features on music, film, theatre, dance, comedy, and art. It is available for free at www.NJArtsMag.com

From Brooklyn To Around The World
Jersey native Anthony D’Amato is one of our favorite artists. His music has taken him around the world and when we saw some of his photographs, we asked if we could run them in the magazine. All of the photos shown here are available as fine art prints from his website: www.anthonydamatomusic.com/photography/ - visit our magazine version for several more photos from Anthony.

Can Camden Turn Lemons Into Lemonade?
On July 18, the City of Camden was named as one of the 14 finalists for the 2018 Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge. The Challenge encourages mayors to partner with artists, elevating the value of including the creative sector when developing solutions to significant urban issues. The program supports temporary public art projects that celebrate creativity, enhance urban identity, encourage public-private collaborations, and strengthen local economies.