(CARTERET, NJ) -- The URSB Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center has announced the nominations and honorable mentions for the 2024 Carteret PAC Central Jersey Marquee Awards, Honoring Excellence in Middlesex and Somerset Counties High School Musical Theatre. The Marquee Awards will take place on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 at 7:30pm, at the new Carteret Performing Arts and Events Center.
The Carteret PAC Central Jersey Marquee Awards celebrate and encourage talent and achievement in musical theatre in high schools throughout Middlesex and Somerset Counties in NJ. The program aims to recognize students participating in a range of roles on and off stage. A total of 20 categories will be awarded at the ceremony.
The nominees were selected by a panel of expert judges who traveled central New Jersey reviewing spring high school musicals.
The program culminates with a red-carpet celebration on the Carteret PAC stage. Nominated schools and students will perform at a Tony Awards-style ceremony to be held on May 15, 2024. The event will highlight numbers from the nominated shows, as well as award the performers, directors, choreographers, orchestras, and designers, who have expressed excellence during the 2024 musical season.
The evening is hosted by Broadway actor, Jelani Remy. American Broadway star Jelani Remy rocketed to fame playing Simba in Disney’s The Lion King. The New Jersey native spent a three-year-long run in the smash-hit Broadway musical on the Great White Way cementing his status as one of the most popular young actors on Broadway. His numerous other theatre credits include the role of Chad in Disney’s High School Musical, Jack in The Apple Boys and the starring role of Eddie Kendricks of The Temptations in Ain’t Too Proud. Hailing from Cedar Grove, New Jersey, Remy grew up in a Caribbean family and loved Soca and reggae music, playing the piano and the drums. Remy thought he would become a music teacher, but was soon tempted by the world of musical theatre and toured the US in High School Musical and High School Musical 2 for 5 years before he made his Broadway debut in The Lion King in the role of Simba. In 2018 he made his Off-Broadway debut in Smokey Joe’s Café before taking over the role of Eddie Kendricks in Ain’t Too Proud, previously played by Tony nominee Jeremy Pope. In August 2020 it was announced that Remy would join Julian Decker, many more Broadway performers and BFA Musical Theater Students to perform on Instagram LIVE for BLACK TRANS LIVES MATTER, standing in solidarity and supporting the Black Trans Community. He is currently starring in Back to the Future: The Musical as Goldie Wilson/Marvin Berry.
"We are delighted to recognize these exceptional students and schools in Central Jersey for their outstanding achievements," said Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman. "We congratulate them on their well-deserved nominations and honorable mentions.”
BEST OVERALL PRODUCTION
Nominees
Bernards High School - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Edison High School - Legally Blonde
Hillsborough High School - Something Rotten
Manville High School - Mamma Mia!
Piscataway High School - Mean Girls High School Version
Spotswood High School - Mean Girls High School Version
Woodbridge High School - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Honorable Mentions
Highland Park High School - Footloose
Old Bridge High School - The Music Man
Rutgers Preparatory School - Mamma Mia!
BEST LEAD ACTOR
Nominees
Bernards High School - Joseph … Dreamcoat | Nate DeNicola as “Joseph”
Colonia High School - Into the Woods | Jesus Roco III as “The Baker”
Edison High School - Legally Blonde | Vincent Pecorella as “Emmett Forrest”
Highland Park High School - Footloose | Kai Stevens as “Ren McCormick”
Hillsborough High School - Something Rotten | Brandon Javier as "Nick Bottom"
Hillsborough High School - Something Rotten | Benjamin Malone as "Shakespeare"
Old Bridge High School - The Music Man Camryn Burniston as “Harold Hill”
Honorable Mentions
Dunellen High School - Grease School Edition | Dalan Hopper as “Danny Zuko”
East Brunswick High School - Lightning Thief | Shlok Pathak as “Percy Jackson”
Woodbridge High School - Sweeney Todd… | Julien Catalon as "Sweeney Todd"
BEST LEAD ACTRESS
Nominees
Colonia High School - Into the Woods | Alyssa Cifelli as “Cinderella”
Edison High School - Legally Blonde | Amy Boslet as “Elle Woods”
Manville High School - Mamma Mia! | Juliana Bucciero as "Sophie Sheridan "
Manville High School - Mamma Mia! | Cami Galvez as "Donna Sheridan "
Piscataway High School - Mean Girls… | Ashley Hamilton as “Regina George”
Rutgers Preparatory School - Mamma Mia! | Jordyn Sutton as “Sophie Sheridan”
Woodbridge High School - Sweeney Todd… | Sophia Holness as "Nellie Lovett"
Honorable Mentions
Dunellen High School - Grease School Edition | Maria Stein as “Sandy Dumbrowski”
Rutgers Preparatory School - Mamma Mia! | Cory Lucid as “Donna Sheridan”
Spotswood High School - Mean Girls… | Savannah Posen as “Regina George”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Nominees
Bernards High School - Joseph… Dreamcoat | Brendan Lobo as the “Soloist, Those Canaan Days”
Colonia High School - Into the Woods | Tristan Picou as “Jack”
Highland Park High School - Footloose | Mac Jones as “Reverend Shaw Moore”
Hillsborough High School - Something Rotten | Piotr Kowalczyk as "Nigel Bottom"
Rutgers Preparatory School - Mamma Mia! Clement Lacroix as “Harry Bright”
Woodbridge High School - Sweeney Todd… | Riley Stevens as "Tobias Ragg"
Woodbridge High School - Sweeney Todd… | Aaron Crowell as "Anthony"
Honorable Mentions
Bernards High School - Joseph… Dreamcoat | Joe Sorge as “Soloist, Benjamin Calypso”
Manville High School - Mamma Mia! | Rian Sanders as "Sam"
Piscataway High School - Mean Girls… | Kai Salgado- Cowan as “Damian Hubbard”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Nominees
Edison High School - Legally Blonde | Kara Labadessa as “Vivienne Kensington”
Highland Park High School - Footloose | Georgina Sanches as “Willard Hewett”
Highland Park High School - Footloose | Aurora Gibney-Krashen as “Vi Moore”
Hillsborough High School - Something Rotten | Samantha Soybel as "Bea"
Perth Amboy High School - Mean Girls… | Valery 'Val' Paulino as “Karen Smith”
Rutgers Preparatory School - Mamma Mia! | Vi Potluri as “Tanya Cresham-Leigh”
Woodbridge High School - Sweeney Todd… | Marisa Santiago as "Johanna"
Honorable Mentions
Edison High School - Legally Blonde | Suzette Stephen as “Brooke Wyndham”
Hillsborough High School - Something Rotten | Mia Hausser as "Portia"
Rutgers Preparatory School - Mamma Mia! | Niara Beckwith as “Rosie Mulligan”
Spotswood High School - Mean Girls… | Savanah Rosario as “Janis Sarkisian”
BEST ENSEMBLE MEMBER
Nominees
Dunellen High School - Grease School Edition | Jenica-Liezel Reyes as “Jan”
Edison High School - Legally Blonde | Sanjana Ramesh as “Pilar”
Highland Park High School - Footloose | Maria Levina as “Ethel McCormack”
Highland Park High School - Footloose | Violet Pyatt as “Rusty”
Highland Park High School - Footloose | Juliana Cordero-Dent as “Wendy Jo”
Hillsborough High School - Something Rotten | Charlee McLaughlin as "Minstrel"
Piscataway High School - Mean Girls… | Jacob Hall as “Kevin Gnapoor”
Spotswood High School - Mean Girls… | Tabitha Devlin as “Ms. Norbury”
Honorable Mentions
Highland Park High School - Footloose | Julia Stevens as “Urleen”
Perth Amboy High School - Mean Girls… | Elinet Brito as "Mrs. George"
Piscataway High School - Mean Girls… | Abigail Jones as “Ms Norbury”
Woodbridge High School - Sweeney Todd… | Mateo Oloriz as "Adolfo Pirelli”
BEST PRODUCTION NUMBER
Nominees
Carteret High School - Sister Act | "Raise Your Voice"
Highland Park High School - Footloose | “Footloose”
Hillsborough High School - Something Rotten | "A Musical"
Manville High School - Mamma Mia! | "Dancing Queen" [Finale]
Old Bridge High School - The Music Man | “76 Trombones”
Piscataway High School - Mean Girls… | "Where Do You Belong?"
Spotswood High School - Mean Girls… | “Where Do You Belong?”
Woodbridge High School - Sweeney Todd… | “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd”
Honorable Mentions
Colonia High School - Into the Woods | “Act I Finale: Ever After”
Edison High School - Legally Blonde | “What You Want”
Rutgers Preparatory School - Mamma Mia! | “Voulez Vous”
