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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






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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.





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FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Art

Art on Screen: The Danish Collector

Monday, July 14, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Monmouth University - Pollak Theatre
400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764
category: art


 

Candlelight

Candlelight Concert: Tribute to Queen and The Beatles

Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Monmouth University - Pollak Theatre
400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764




 

The

The MAC players at the Middletown Arts Center present "Hairspray"

Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJ 07748



A

A Broadway Tour of America

Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:30pm
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1 College Drive, Toms River, NJ 08754



How

How to Train Your Dragon in Concert

Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:00pm
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100 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960



Damn

Damn The Torpedoes - The Music of Tom Petty

Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:30pm
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217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ 08087




 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Kirby

Kirby & Delia: "All Rise"

The murals in the Brennan Courthouse (583 Newark Avenue) aren't tough to decipher. There are pilgrims, there are patriots, and there is Hudson County history rendered in the boldest strokes. Look to the underside of the building's grand dome and you'll find signs of the Zodiac; look to the walls for "The Coming of the English," a piece by Howard Pyle that depicts exactly what its title suggests that it will. This feels appropriate for the town's most handsome building — one with an interior reminiscent of classic civic architecture in Trenton and D.C. and the decorated Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, and named after a jurist whose written decisions on the Supreme Court were distinguished by their clarity. William Brennan believed in the salutary effects of direct and comprehensible language. For him, the law was no place for abstraction.



Gallery

Gallery at HACPAC presents Colorblind, a solo exhibition of paintings by Val DeAppolonio

(HACKENSACK, NJ) -- The Ruth Bauer Neustadter Gallery at Hackensack Performing Arts Center (HACPAC) presents Colorblind, a solo exhibition of paintings by Val DeAppolonio from July 7 through August 29, 2025. Val is a self-taught, colorblind artist from Northern NJ whose bold abstracts pulse with energy and motion.



Akwaaba

Akwaaba Gallery presents Martryce Roach Solo Exhibition Reflecting the Great Migration

(NEWARK, NJ) -- Akwaaba Gallery is proud to present "Patterns: People in Transition," the second solo exhibition of New Jersey born artist, Martryce Roach. The exhibition features a collection of brand new paintings, ranging in size, that explore the rich history of the Great Migration and its synergy with blues music. The exhibition will be on view through August 15, 2025 with an opening reception on Saturday, July 12, 2025 from 6:00pm – 9:00pm.



Art

Art by Sydnei SmithJordan is Part of Exhibition in West Deptford

(WEST DEPTFORD, NJ) -- The vibrant, story-driven artwork of celebrated Cape May-area visual artist Sydnei SmithJordan will be part of the featured lineup in an exhibition at the Riverwinds Community Center in West Deptford. Running July 1 to August 30, 2025, the dynamic show will include the work of SmithJordan — known for her unique pop fusion style oil paintings of historical figures and future newsmakers— alongside pieces by fellow artists Gloria Gammage Davis, Quinton Greene and Robyn Huber.



Geoffrey

Geoffrey Doig-Marx's "Portraits in Color and Light" opens at the Gallery at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey - A Fusion of Comedy and Heart

(MADISON, NJ) -- New York-based artist, educator, choreographer, and self-described "Renaissance Man" Geoffrey Doig-Marx (GDM) brings his dynamic exhibition Portraits in Color and Light to The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey as the second art installation in the Theatre's 2025 Season. This striking collection of twenty-six original paintings debuts with the Theatre's production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again], running July 9–27. It's a pairing that promises a bold celebration of irreverence, reflection, and artistic energy.