Paper Mill Playhouse Announces Nominees for 2026 Rising Star Awards

Broadway + NYC

Broadway

Off-Broadway

Off-Off Broadway

Cabaret

Dance

Opera

Classical Music

Eastern

Central

Western

West End

WEST END

UK Regional

International

Canada

Australia / New Zealand

Europe

Asia

Latin America

Africa / Middle East

Entertainment

TV/Movies

Music

This year, 114 New Jersey high schools in 19 counties had their productions adjudicated by a team of 55 skilled and dedicated evaluators.

POPULAR

Get all the top news & discounts for New Jersey & beyond.

Paper Mill Playhouse has revealed the nominations for adjudicated production categories of the 31st Annual Rising Star Awards for Excellence in New Jersey High School Musical Theater.

Get all the top news & discounts for New Jersey & beyond.

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. 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.

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. Watch the full announcement here.

The 2026 Rising Star Awards Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, June 9, at 7:30 p.m. 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.

Full Performance Adjudication Categories

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Videos

New Jersey SHOWS

Recommended For You

Sign up for announcements, and exclusive discounts on tickets to your favorite shows!

© 2026 - Copyright Wisdom Digital Media , all rights reserved. Privacy Policy

_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/new-jersey/article/Paper-Mill-Playhouse-Reveals-2026-Rising-Star-Awards-Nominees-20260511)._