Paper Mill Playhouse Announces 2026 Rising Star Awards Nominees

Madison High School - Alice By Heart

(MILLBURN, NJ) -- Paper Mill Playhouse has announced the nominations for adjudicated production categories of the 31st Annual Rising Star Awards for Excellence in New Jersey High School Musical Theater. Often referred to as New Jersey's version of the Tony Awards for high school musical theater, the Rising Star Awards recognize outstanding achievement in performance, direction, design, choreography, music direction, and overall production.

This year, 114 New Jersey high schools in 19 counties had their productions adjudicated by a team of 55 skilled and dedicated evaluators. Each production received in-depth feedback and insights to support the continued development of all theatrical disciplines within the school community. More than 25 adjudicators participated in a rigorous in-person review process and attended 267 performances to identify this year’s nominees. Paper Mill Playhouse Education and Artistic staff abstain from participation in adjudication and voting.

The nomination announcement was broadcast on Paper Mill Playhouse’s YouTube Channel by Associate Artistic Director Jen Bender and Director of Education Paul Brewster McGinley.

The 2026 Rising Star Awards Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at 7:30pm at Paper Mill Playhouse and will be professionally livestreamed. Schools nominated for Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical and nominees in the leading performance categories will perform live during the ceremony. Additional Spotlight Awards and scholarships will be presented at the upcoming ceremony.

Nominees in the leading and supporting performance categories will each receive merit scholarships for training in Paper Mill Playhouse summer programs.

The Rising Star Awards are presented by Investors Foundation and Citizens Philanthropic Foundation, with additional major support provided by Mark | Lavigne, LLC. The Hearst Foundations are Paper Mill Playhouse’s Education & Outreach Partner.

The list of 2026 Rising Star Award nominees from full performance adjudication follows below. For a complete list of nominees and honorable mentions, visit papermill.org/education, and to view a map of nominated schools illustrating the statewide reach of the Rising Star Awards, please visit the LINK.

 2026 RISING STAR AWARDS NOMINATIONS

Full Performance Adjudication Categories

Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design

• Mary Hill, Ewing High School — In the Heights


• Paul Canada, Gill St. Bernards — Dracula


• Addyson Pineda, Jayla Wright, Anneliese Wilson, and Colette Jackson-Belle, High Tech High School — Catch Me If You Can


• Linda & Blake Spence, Madison High School — Alice by Heart


• Janet van Allen & Christie Hall, Piscataway High School — Urinetown


• Maggie Clark, Shawnee High School — Newsies

Outstanding Achievement in Hair and Makeup Design

• Lee Amorrosso, Gill St. Bernards — Dracula


• Julianna Caputo, Piscataway High School — Urinetown


• Nancy Gaidos, North Hunterdon High School — Shrek the Musical


• Bonnie Grube, Ridge High School — Mary Poppins


• Derek Alfano and Derek Bedell, Saint Joseph Regional High School — Pippin


• The Cast, Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School — Guys and Dolls

Delaware Valley Regional HS - SpongeBob

Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design

• Eric Baker, Cedar Creek High School — 9 to 5


• Clinton B. Ambs, Delaware Valley Regional High School — The SpongeBob Musical


• Brian Sosa & Nelson Lopez, Jose Marti STEM Academy — Side Show


• Cameron Filepas & Daania Fakhar, Madison High School — Alice by Heart


• Alan Van Antwerp, The Pingry School — Cabaret


• Ashley Kok, Saddle River Day School — Footloose 

Outstanding Achievement in Scenic Design

• Sarah Nasson, Bridgewater-Raritan High School — Little Shop of Horrors


• Teresa Carr, Delaware Valley Regional High School — The SpongeBob Musical


• Anthony Freitas, Jose Marti STEM Academy — Side Show


• Anthony Freitas, Madison High School — Alice by Heart


• Matt Nickles, Piscataway High School — Urinetown


• Jason M. Stewart, Ridge High School — Mary Poppins 

Outstanding Achievement in Choreography

• Heather Fleischman, Delaware Valley Regional High School — The SpongeBob Musical


• Noelle Martone, Ewing High School — In the Heights


• Brittany Cohen, Howell High School — Chicago


• Jennifer Ackermann, Passaic County Technical Institute — Mean Girls


• Cecilia Mitchell, Tenafly High School — A Chorus Line


• Denise Kulhan, Wallkill Valley Regional High School — Shrek the Musical

Ewing High School - In the Heights

Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction

• Sarah Jordan, Madison High School — Alice by Heart


• Mary Kenny, OCVTS Grunin Performing Arts — Mamma Mia!


• Emily Fencik, Saint Peter’s Preparatory School — Pippin


• Robert Geyer, Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School — Guys and Dolls


• Alex Bochino, Summit High School — Big Fish


• Christine Molnar, Wallkill Valley Regional High School — Shrek the Musical 

Outstanding Achievement in Direction

• Angela Leone, Camden Catholic High School — The Addams Family


• Stefanie Grossman, Delaware Valley Regional High School — The SpongeBob Musical


• Alexander Minter, Ewing High School — In the Heights


• Ariane Ryan, Jose Marti STEM Academy — Side Show


• Blake Spence, Madison High School — Alice by Heart


• Melissa Silva, Passaic County Technical Institute — Mean Girls

Outstanding Performance by a Student Orchestra

• Hopewell Valley Central High School — Pippin


• Howell High School — Chicago


• Madison High School — Alice by Heart


• Morristown High School — Fiddler on the Roof


• Passaic County Technical Institute — Mean Girls


• Summit High School — Big Fish

Outstanding Performance by a Chorus

• Ewing High School — In the Heights


• Madison High School — Alice by Heart


• Piscataway High School — Urinetown


• Ridge High School — Mary Poppins


• Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School — Guys and Dolls


• Wallkill Valley Regional High School — Shrek the Musical

Scotch Plains-Fanwood HS - Guys & Dolls

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Group

• “Rusty, Wendy Jo, and Urleen” in Footloose, Cherry Hill High School East


• “The Merry Murderesses” in Chicago, Howell High School


• “Cheerleaders” in High School Musical, Immaculate Heart Academy


• “The Stepsisters” in Once Upon a One More Time, Ocean Township High School


• “The Orphans” in Annie, Ridgewood High School


• “Hot Box Girls” in Guys and Dolls, Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School

Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role

• Alicia Eldridge as “Mrs. Darbus” in High School Musical, Immaculate Heart Academy


• Melina Gonzalez as “Auntie” in Side Show, Jose Marti STEM Academy


• Jeaninie Mashauri as “Lorraine” in All Shook Up, Moorestown High School


• Mikaella Sapena as “Mrs. George” in Mean Girls, Passaic County Technical Institute


• Anti Garcia as “Mrs. Corry” in Mary Poppins, Ridge High School


• Anthony Oryniak as “Weselton” in Frozen, Spotswood High School

Outstanding Performance in a Male-Identified Supporting Role

• Nolen Petty as “Squidward Tentacles” in The SpongeBob Musical, Delaware Valley Regional High School


• Shaine Wilson-Gibson as “Benny” in In the Heights, Ewing High School


• Charles Bird as “Frank Abagnale Sr.” in Catch Me If You Can, High Tech High School


• Maxwell DeVivo as “Sam Carmichael” in Mama Mia!, OCVTS Grunin Performing Arts


• Darien Stoll as “Damian Hubbard” in Mean Girls, Passaic County Technical Institute


• Xavier LeBlanc as “Herr Schultz” in Cabaret, The Pingry School

Outstanding Performance in a Female-Identified Supporting Role

• Reese Dolinsky as “Roz Keith” in 9 to 5, Cedar Creek High School


• Kyra Korman as “Ruza Wenclawska” in Suffs, Cherry Hill High School West


• Mya Glasofer as “Vi Moore” in Footloose, Eastern Regional High School


• Julianne Witte as “Madame Renfield” in Dracula, Gill St. Bernards


• Sophie Spencer as “Miss Adelaide” in Guys and Dolls, Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School


• Molly Walsh as “Rosie Mulligan” in Mamma Mia!, Verona High School

Outstanding Performance in a Male-Identified Leading Role

• Alex Apgar as “SpongeBob SquarePants” in The SpongeBob Musical, Delaware Valley Regional High School


• Isaac Fernandez as “Usnavi” in In the Heights, Ewing High School


• Ben Altstadter as “Shrek” in Shrek the Musical, Livingston High School


• Camryn Burniston as “Bill Snibson” in Me and My Girl, Old Bridge High School


• Luciano Guidetti as “Joe Gillis” in Sunset Boulevard, Paramus High School


• Caiden Loyer as “Danny Zuko” in Grease, Sparta High School


• Jayden Garnett as “Javert” in Les Misérables, West Deptford High School

Wallkill Valley Regional HS - Shrek

Outstanding Performance in a Female-Identified Leading Role

• Hannah D’Aquila as “Dee Dee Allen” in The Prom, Gloucester County Institute of Technology


• Jihoamy Velasquez and Joanna Rodriguez as “Violet and Daisy” in Side Show, Jose Marti STEM Academy


• Gianna Minardi as “Donna Sheridan” in Mamma Mia!, OCVTS Grunin Performing Arts


• Keilah Clarke as “Leading Player” in Pippin, Saint Joseph Regional High School


• Skyler Grosswald-Wilson as “Sandra Bloom” in Big Fish, Summit High School


• Chloe Geuther as “Princess Fiona” in Shrek the Musical, Wallkill Valley Regional High School

Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical

• Delaware Valley Regional High School — The SpongeBob Musical


• Ewing High School — In the Heights


• Jose Marti STEM Academy — Side Show


• Madison High School — Alice by Heart


• Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School — Guys and Dolls


• Wallkill Valley Regional High School — Shrek the Musical

Jose Marti STEM Academy - Side Show

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, recipient of the 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 (Executive Director). A beloved New Jersey 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 The Great Gatsby, Disney’s Newsies, Bandstand, Honeymoon in Vegas, A Bronx Tale, and Les Misérables (25th Anniversary production). The theater is also the home to 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.