By Brian Turano
“The award for outstanding achievement in performance…” Is this the Tony Awards? No. But one of the students accepting one of these awards may receive a Tony Award one day!
These are the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards – presented by the Investors Foundation. Modeled on the Tony Awards, the Rising Star Awards encourage students’ accomplishments in high school musical theater production. At Investors, we are extremely proud to underwrite these annual statewide awards.
The Investors Foundation supports education, the arts, youth development, health and human services, and affordable housing. Philanthropy is a significant element of the Investors Bank mission.
The Rising Star Awards honor outstanding achievement by students and educators in the categories of performance, design, direction, choreography, technical production, and overall production excellence. The program’s evaluators, who review nearly 100 New Jersey high school productions received each year, including theater professionals, performing artists, designers, and theater arts educators.
The Rising Star Awards Gala Ceremony is presented on stage at the Paper Mill Playhouse, 22 Brookside Dr, Millburn, NJ 07041. In addition to an engraved crystal award from Tiffany & Co. and several $1000 scholarships, students receiving final nominations in lead and supporting acting categories also receive a scholarship to Paper Mill’s competitive Summer Musical Theater Conservatory for a professional training experience.
Brian Turano is senior vice president and director of government banking for Investors Bank