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Immediately following last night's opening performance of Clue, Producing Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee and Managing Director Michael Stotts made a surprise announcement from the stage that Paper Mill Playhouse has received a significant contribution to upgrade stage technology by bringing its lighting and automation from analog to the digital age.
The seven-figure gift, made to the theater by the children of Marilyn and Monroe Markovitz in their parents' honor, is transformational for Paper Mill, laying the vital groundwork for the theater's future. In recognition of this generous gift, the stage of Paper Mill's theater will be named the Marilyn and Monroe Markovitz Stage.
Longtime subscribers Mr. and Mrs. Markovitz have been attending and enjoying Paper Mill productions together for over 40 years. Mrs. Markovitz was first brought to the theater by her aunt when Paper Mill Playhouse produced operettas. "About 70 years ago my aunt took me to see the operettas The Student Prince and The Merry Widow," remembers Marilyn Markovitz. "More recently my husband and I have loved the new productions as well as the revivals. We are impressed with the outreach to aspiring performers, giving them the opportunity to achieve their theatrical goals. The location of Paper Mill Playhouse in our community gives us the chance to enjoy great theater close to home and enriches us all." With this gift, their wish is to make a meaningful contribution that will have a lasting impact on the theater.
Building on renovations made to the auditorium in 2018, Paper Mill will now to be able to make technology upgrades onstage and backstage to bring its stagecraft capabilities to meet industry standards by installing efficient power supply, converting stage lighting from incandescent to LED, and upgrading the scenic automation from analog to digital with state-of-the-art computerized control systems. The automation and lighting systems currently in use at Paper Mill date back to the 1980s and, while still functional, have lagged behind the technical demands of the theater's world-class productions. These systems were set to be incrementally upgraded over multiple years beginning this spring, but the Markovitz's gift will now make it possible for Paper Mill to complete the entire project before the 2022-2023 season.
"Ensuring that Paper Mill is properly resourced with state-of-the-art equipment is paramount to the theater's future," said Mike Stotts last night from the newly christened Marilyn and Monroe Markovitz Stage. "A pillar of our long-term strategic plan is investing in and embracing technology that improves both the artistic and the audience experience. This gift will transform the stage infrastructure that supports artistic growth and attracts the best talent." Mark S. Hoebee, the theater's Producing Artistic Director, added, "What is especially meaningful about this gift is knowing that the Markovitz family has truly had a lifetime of enjoyment at Paper Mill. That speaks so highly of the long-term impact Paper Mill has had on the community, and that is something we take enormous pride in as we carry forward its remarkable legacy."
Paper Mill Playhouse, recipient of the 2016 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 (Managing 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 Disney's Newsies, Les Misérables, Honeymoon in Vegas, A Bronx Tale, and Bandstand. 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. We acknowledge that our theater stands on the traditional land of the Lenni-Lenape, and we honor the Indigenous people who inhabited it for thousands of years before European settlers arrived. 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.
