Paper Mill Selects Students for 2017 Summer Musical Theatre Conservatory

Paper Mill Playhouse, recipient of the 2016 Tony Award for Regional Theatre, has selected students to be a part of the theater's prestigious Summer Musical Theatre Conservatory for 2017.

Members of the competitive Conservatory who earned coveted spots in the Senior (ages 15-18), Junior Plus (ages 13-14), and Junior companies (ages 10-12) are directed and choreographed by Paper Mill Playhouse's professional artistic staff in a fully produced, original concert on the Paper Mill mainstage titled New Voices of 2017: Everyone Loves an Underdog! The concert is the culmination of the five-week program.

Also appearing are numerous winners and nominees of the 2017 Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards presented by the Investors Foundation, who won scholarships to attend the Conservatory. The Summer Musical Theater Conservatory and New Voices are generously supported by the Investors Foundation.

Performances of New Voices of 2017: Everyone Loves an Underdog! will be held on Friday, July 28th at 7:30pm and Saturday, July 29th at 1:30pm and 7:30pm at Paper Mill Playhouse, 22 Brookside Drive, Millburn, NJ. Tickets range in price from $25 to $45. Tickets may be purchased by calling (973) 376-4343, online at www.papermill.org, or visit the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express are accepted.

"From the first day of class all the way through opening night of New Voices, we require our students to rise to the demands of this rigorous program," stated Lisa Cooney, Paper Mill Playhouse Director of Education. "We ask them to work harder than they ever have before as young performers, and we strive to build an incredible ensemble company, while each student hones their own individual performance skills. Our faculty pushes the students to believe in themselves as professional artists and treats them as such. We find summer after summer that our students meet our expectations and more. When they move on to college or the professional world, they are ready for the challenges they'll face, and time and again they thrive and ultimately live their dream of being a professional performer. It's gratifying when they make a name or themselves on Broadway or in Hollywood, but even if they do not, the skills they learn and the work ethic they develop will serve them in any field."

The Paper Mill Playhouse Summer Musical Theatre Conservatory is a program of rigorous study allowing students to enhance their individual performance potential while developing a broad base of theater experience and knowledge. Students participate in intensive classes including musical theater performance, acting, dance, and improvisation, while also attending guest workshops led by professional actors, directors, and casting agents. The final weeks are devoted to rehearsals for the New Voices Concert, performed annually on the Paper Mill Playhouse stage. The Conservatory offers the unique opportunity for gifted and talented young performers to work at their own level and challenge themselves to achieve new goals and learn new skills. Key to the curriculum is the development of self-discipline, respect, and a commitment to excellence that will serve these young artists throughout their lives.

"New Voices is an amazing opportunity to see the stars of tomorrow," stated Mark S. Hoebee, Paper Mill's Producing Artistic Director. "This fully produced, original concert features over 100 incredible performers. It is amazing to see these young performers grow into professional artists and grace our stage with an inspiring, heartfelt performance."

Students from Paper Mill Playhouse's Conservatory have gone on to appear in numerous Broadway productions, film, television, and regional theater.

Conservatory Alumni include:

Anne Hathaway - Twelfth Night, Film: Les Misérables (2013 Academy Award Winner), Rachel Getting Married (2009 Academy Award & Golden Globe nominee), Get Smart, Brokeback Mountain, The Devil Wears Prada, & Disney's The Princess Diaries

Laura Benanti - Broadway: She Loves Me, Gypsy (2008 Tony Award winner), Into the Woods, The Wedding Singer, Swing!

Julia Knitel - Broadway: Beautiful: the Carole King Musical (u/s Carole King); Bye Bye Birdie

Robert McClure - Broadway: Something Rotten, Honeymoon in Vegas, Chaplin, Avenue Q

Shanice Williams- NBC's The Wiz Live!

Joshua Dela Cruz - Broadway's Disney's Aladdin (Aladdin Understudy)

Ali Stroker - Broadway: Spring Awakening, Oxygen's The Glee Project: Season 2; Paper Mill's 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Olive Ostrovsky)

Nikki M. James - Broadway: Les Misérables, Book of Mormon (2011 Tony Award winner), All Shook Up

Avery Espiritu: Broadway: The King and I

James Ignacio - Broadway: The King and I

Alex Drier - Broadway: Finding Neverland, Assembled Parties

Daisy Hobbs - Broadway: Disney's Aladdin

Matthew Scott - Broadway: Jersey Boys, A Catered Affair (Ralph), Sondheim on Sondheim

Collin Kelly-Sordelet - Broadway: The Last Ship (Young Gideon)

Jared Gertner - 2014 Olivier Award nominee West End, Broadway & National Tour of The Book Of Mormon (Elder Cunningham)

Veronica J. Kuehn - Broadway: Mamma Mia!, Xanadu; Off Broadway: Avenue Q

Neil McCaffrey - Broadway: Mary Poppins (Michael Banks), Bye, Bye Birdie (Randolph Macafee), Billy Elliot (Michael)

Monette McKay - Broadway: Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, Memphis, Mamma Mia!

Constantine Rousouli - Broadway: Hairspray (Link), Ghost the Musical, Wicked

Jonathan Schwartz - Broadway's Disney's Aladdin (Omar)

Elizabeth Egan Gillies - Nickelodeon's Victorious; Broadway: 13! The Musical

Lael Van Keuran - Broadway: Sister Act

Matt Ban - Broadway: Rock of Ages (Dennis)

Connor Buckley - Star of Fox-TV's Surviving Jack with Chris Meloni (role of "Jack Dunlevy")

2017 CONSERVATORY STUDENTS BY TOWN:

Chance	Friedman	Basking Ridge
Helen	Shen	Basking Ridge
Libby	Schmidtt	Basking Ridge
Victoria	Rivard	Berkeley Heights
Katie	Kallay	Bloomfield
Ellie	Kallay	Bloomfield
Jennifer	Brady	Bound Brook
Hannah Sky	Caldwell-Pretlow	Bound Brook
Gracelyn	Hao	Bridgewater
Francesca	Catrone	Cedar Grove
Emma	Wilcox	Cedar Knolls
Liam	Driscoll	Chatham
Andrew	Palmieri	Chatham
Ronan	Green	Chatham
Neil	McCaffrey	Chatham
Aditya	Roy	Chatham
James	Cocuzza	Chester
Jack	Sisk	Cranford
Cameron	Matheson	Cranford
Sam	Sullivan	Cranford
Casey	Weeks	Couer d Alene
Carmine	Mastrokostas	Eatontown
Elvin	Rodriguez Jr.	Elizabeth
Arwen-Vira	Marsh	Elkins Park
Samantha	Rascio	Far Hills
Alexa	Aquino	Franklin Lakes
Alexa	Chalnick	Freehold
Jacob	Lesser	Gillette
Stephen	Hoebee- Elardo	Glen Ridge
Maeve	Touhey	Gladstone
Serena	Brown	Hackettstown
Wasif	Sami	Hillsborough
Sarah	Coleman	Holmdel
Jacob	Canderozzi	Jackson
Caroline	Nieto	Kinnelon
Arianna	Cacioppo	Kinnelon
Vanessa	Sierra	Linden
Brooke	Lelia	Livingston
Anna	McCarthy	Madison
Avery	Benjamin	Madison
Ben	Sadowski	Madison
Kristina	Conzo	Mahwah
Sam	Chuck	Mahwah
Hunter	Kovacs	Maplewood
Ben	Halperin	Maplewood
Georgia	Post-Lipnick	Maplewood
Charlotte	Post-Lipnick	Maplewood
Alonzo	Gallo	Maplewood
Elizabeth	LeClerc	Martinsville
Joseph	DeGrandpre	Mendham
Deidre	Thompson	Mendham
Sebastian	Zuniga	Metuchen
Amanda	Heckmann	Millburn
Sanaa	Quander	Milburn
Halle	Just	Millburn
Amalia	Crevani	Milford
Bobby	Axelrod	Montclair
Abraham	Deitz-Green	Montclair
Justin	Comini	Montclair
Ella	Fine	Montclair
Will	Flamm	Montclair
Ambrose	Amory	Montclair
Julia	Ravenna	Montebello
Elizabeth	Witek	Monmouth Beach
Alexandra	Witek	Monmouth Beach
Jeffrey	Gallup	Montville
Dean	Blizzard	Moorestown
Skylar Raye	Noyes	Moorestown
Gabriana	Padilla	Newark
Maggie	Spector-Williams	Nutley
Mikayla	White	Old Bridge
Amaya	White	Old Bridge
Megan	Bodmer	Oxford
Vincent	Simpson	Palisades Park
Nicole	Streger	Peapack
Brandon	Grajales	Rahway
Najah	Hetsberger	Rahway
Katelynn	Perez	Rahway
Jason	Myers	Rahway
Xavier	Lighten	Rahway
Arionna	Sterling	Rahway
Alexander	Birchwale	Ridgefield
Tara	Keelan	Ringoes
Shannon	Lombardi	River Edge
Aidan	Alberto	Roseland
Ava	Zazzali	Saddle River
Valentina	Zazzali	Saddle River
Abigail	Bera	Sayreville
Jacob	Morrel	Scotch Plains
Sarah	Becker	Secaucus
Sydney	Brenton	Short Hills
Jonathan	Charette	Short Hills
Judith	DiMinni	Short Hills
Spencer	Brenton	Short Hills
Rachel	Gesner	Short Hills
Julia	Gresner	Short Hills
William	Kaiser	Short Hills
Aashni	Sawhney	Short Hills
Lily	Tan	Short Hills
Khailah	Johnson	Somerset
Ben	Blais	South Orange
Harry	Echtman	South Orange
Naomi	Fisch	South Orange
Olivia	Pryor	South Orange
Gideon	Johnson	South Orange
Celeste	Palermo	Springfield
Zachary	Kessel	Summit
Charlotte	Wesson	Summit
Brooke	Nagel	Towaco
Ashley	Phillips	Union
Grace	Rivera	Union
Jason	Yanto	Union
Crystal	Wright	Union
Maya	Fortgang	Verona
Luke	Berninger	Wayne
Timothy	Thompson	Wayne
Alex	Vacchiano	West Caldwell
Duncan	Cook	Westfield
Julia	Singer	Westfield
Emma	Stern	Westfield
Riley	Hahn	West Orange
Samatha	Powell	West Orange