BWW Blog: Leanne Marie Laurino - Road to Rising Stars
This week, the UHSPAC prepares to step into the spotlight. The Tony Award winning Papermill Playhouse hosts the Rising Star Awards celebrating excellence in High School Theatre. All across the state of New Jersey, performing arts programs compete for a bevy of honors including the coveted "Best Overall Production of a Musical." Union High School has participated in nine consecutive ceremonies, all nominated for the main prize. The UHSPAC has taken home the gold twice; in 2010 for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream coat as well as 2015 for Sophisticated Ladies. This toe tapping extravaganza currently holds the record for the most awards won in a single night by one school. Our 2016 production of Mary Poppins has been nominated for 12 Rising Stars and will be performing the number "Step in Time" as part of the festivities. This year, our department is being included in a documentary for PBS, recording our passage to the Rising Star Awards. For the past month, the sweeps have been rehearsing for the 21st annual journey over the rooftops. Tune in to Hometown TV on June 7th to experience the excitement with us!
Along with anticipation for the big night, the Advanced Musical Theatre class begins to go into tech for our production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. In a little less than two weeks, we will be crowning a new champion. As the spellers prepare for a chance of a lifetime, the nominated sweeps share a distinguishable enchantment in their final farewell.
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Disney's Newsies Vanguard Theater (6/11-6/28) |
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Almost Floyd Williams Center (7/11-7/11) |
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Center Stage Productions presents The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler Over The Moon Art Studios (7/02-7/03) |
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Me and My Girl Spring Lake Theatre (7/08-7/19) |
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Oliver! (October 16 - October 25, 2026) Algonquin Arts Theatre (10/16-10/16) |
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Swan Lake by International Ballet Stars in Rahway, NJ On February 12, 2027 Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) (2/12-2/12) |
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Golden Girls The Laughs Continue Count Basie Center for the Arts (10/11-10/11) |
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Once Upon a One More Time The Actors Studio of New Jersey (12/04-12/13) |
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Married, Single, and a Baby Robert Shackleton Playhouse (9/27-9/27) |
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Schoolhouse Rock Live! Greater Ocean City Theatre Company (8/04-8/04) |