Theatre Night Awards recognizes excellence in the production of high school and middle school straight plays throughout New Jersey.
Our goal is to promote and advance the commitment to high-quality straight play production in New Jersey’s secondary schools. The awards honor the accomplishments of individual achievement of both students and educators in the areas of performance, direction, design and technical theatre, as well as outstanding productions.
We endeavor to raise the bar in the area of straight play production in New Jersey schools. Theatre Night Awards has positively affected the level of directing, acting, design and production work in straight plays. Educators are choosing from a wider and more sophisticated range of plays for production and are experimenting with updated methods and styles of staging plays.
By rewarding challenging choices in the production of new plays and classics, we have observed that more school theatre programs are producing Greek and Shakespeare plays, challenging works by such modern writers as Bertolt Brecht, Brian Friel, Arthur Miller, George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, as well as new plays and original works.
For the first time in Theatre Night Awards history, we will be accepting musicals as long as they were performed and recorded after January 1, 2020. Because of the difficult nature of producing theatrical work while following COVID-19 restrictions, we have decided to make this change for this year only.
We will be evaluating musicals based off of direction, technical elements, choreography, acting ability and ensemble work. Vocal quality and technique will not be considered when evaluating performers.
Theatre Night Awards has been an increasingly significant and well-attended event each year since its inception in 2009. Theatre and Dance Department professor Susan Kerner and Mahwah High School teacher JoAnne Fox conceived the event to provide a balance for the popularity of the high school musical and its celebration at well-established awards ceremonies in New Jersey and the region.
The event is a positive educationally based community building experience. Students are able to share their work with other students and to be recognized outside their own high schools. This outside recognition has direct benefits for students and teachers in districts throughout the state. In a time when theatre arts programs are in peril this outside recognition helps maintain and even build quality high school theatre programs.
Theatre Night Awards 2019-2020 was the first time we had a virtual ceremony. A broadway star studded event, the virtual ceremony was well-received by all and made local headlines. We are happy to announce that we will have a virtual ceremony again this year for the 2021-2022 season, and that we can continue to support, promote and give a platform to the arts in middle and high schools during these difficult times.
To see our 2020-2021 ceremony, please click the links below:
Outcomes
There is a significant ripple effect that results from Theatre Night Awards. In addition to many individuals receiving well-deserved recognition for their commitment to excellence in play production, state legislators and district administrators take notice of the achievements of the talented students and educators in their communities and further appreciate the importance of supporting arts programming.
By sharing their work with peers throughout the state, students and teachers have the opportunity to observe and learn from the high standards, extraordinary creativity and risk-taking artistic choices made by outstanding theatre educators and their students.
Teachers participate in a valuable educational network that has developed as a result of the University’s professional development programs. Teachers and students are introduced to the excellent opportunities in the BA, BFA, and MA programs in the Theatre and Dance Department at Montclair State University. When theatre students arrive as freshmen or as graduate students at Montclair State, they encounter professors who are already familiar with their considerable achievements as theatre artists in their secondary school communities.
Theatre Night Awards Submission Guidelines
- This year, we are accepting straight plays and musicals.
- Only the first 100 middle & high schools registered will be accepted.
- Judging will be based on the submitted video performance of your theatrical production. You may submit your video via UNLISTED youtube link, vimeo link, weTransfer, or google drive link.
Please see important dates below:
- January 15, 2023: Last day to register productions. All registration fees due
- February 1, 2023: Production videos, Director’s Notes, and nomination timestamps are due
- April 15, 2023: Nominees are announced and tickets go on sale for the in-person awards ceremony
- **May 16, 2023: Live Theatre Nights Awards Ceremony in Memorial Auditorium on MSU’s campus
**Please note that this date is TENTATIVE right now, but the ceremony will be on or around this date in May.
RULE CHANGE: If you or a representative from your school cannot make the live ceremony, you will still be eligible to receive awards. More details on this to follow after nominations are announced.
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- The registration fee includes:
- Rubrics and professional assessment of one theatrical production and 4 actors in that production
- At least two nominations of recognition for each production submitted
- One complimentary ticket to the 2023 Theatre Night Awards Ceremony for the director of each production. Additional tickets may be purchased to the ceremony when tickets go on sale April 15, 2023.
- Access to a virtual version of the Theatre Night Awards Ceremony the day after the live ceremony for anyone who could not make the live ceremony.Fill out the registration form
- The registration fee includes:
Link Submission- Please upload the video of your performance to YouTube, Google Drive, Vimeo, or WeTransfer. If using YouTube, please upload your performance to YouTube as an UNLISTED video to ensure the privacy of your performance. This can be done as your video is uploading or after it has uploaded. When made unlisted, only those who have the specific URL can access the video. The YouTube URLs will only be shared with the judging panel. Please do not make the videos public for copyright purposes. Please do not make the videos private because only the YouTube account holder responsible for the upload is able to see private videos.Please keep all videos accessible until the day after the awards ceremony as the judges sometimes need access to your productions up until the ceremony. DVDs will NOT be accepted this year.
Director’s Notes Submission
Each year, we ask every director to submit Director’s Notes to share with us their dramaturgical research, inspiration, and rehearsal process. We also ask for every director to nominate 4 actors from their productions with timestamps of their actors’ performances as well as timestamps for key moments of their productions for the judges to evaluate. More details will be announced about the specifics for this year’s director’s notes and nomination submission.
- Theatre Night Awards Deadlines
- January 15, 2023 – Registration Online Form & Payment Deadline
- February 15, 2023 – Link, Director’s Notes Submission, and Jo Anne Fox Nominations Deadline
- April 15, 2023 – Nominations are announced.
- May 16, 2023 – The 2023 Theatre Night Recognition & Awards Ceremony
- May 17, 2023 – All evaluations & winner certificates received via email
The Evaluation Process
Over 75 middle schools and high schools participate in the Theatre Night Awards every year. The theatrical works are evaluated by panels of Montclair State University graduate students, undergraduate theatre majors and professors as well as industry professionals. The nominees and recipients of the Theatre Night Awards are selected through a rigorous, multi-stage adjudication process.
Our Rubric
Each year, we reevaluate our rubric to best reflect the productions received this year. We will release our rubric ASAP, but until then, please feel free to review our rubric from 2019-2020.
Mahwah High School theatre teacher Jo Anne Fox, co-founder of Theatre Night Awards, passed away suddenly shortly after the 1st Theatre Night Awards in 2009 following a rehearsal at her school. The Jo Anne Fox Award has been given in her memory for the past four years to a theatre teacher who is an inspiration to his/her students, whose passion for theatre is infectious, and who creates a community, a loving extended family in his/her school in the process of producing high quality productions. The trophy received by all award winners was dubbed the Foxy in 2014 in honor of the late Jo Anne Fox. In 2019, we split the Jo Anne Fox Award into two categories – Newcomer & Veteran.
If you have registered for Theatre Night Awards, you are eligible to be nominated by your principal.
2022-2023 Nominees
Nominees will be announced April 15, 2023.
The Theatre Awards Ceremony History
Award nominations are posted in April, and teachers and students participate in preparing for the event by creating short videos, rehearsing selected moments for live presentation and purchasing tickets. Over nine hundred students, teachers and family members attended the 11th annual Theatre Night Awards in Memorial Auditorium on the Montclair State University campus. The 12th, 13th and 14th ceremonies were held virtually due to Covid-19 restrictions and concerns.
The 2022-2023 Theatre Night Awards Ceremony
Montclair State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance Presents:
The 15th Annual Theatre Night Awards Ceremony
Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 7:00 pm
Award nominations are posted in April, and teachers and students participate in preparing for the event by creating short videos, rehearsing selected moments for live presentation and purchasing tickets. Over nine hundred students, teachers and family members attended the 11th annual Theatre Night Awards in Memorial Auditorium on the Montclair State University campus.
Our 12th Annual Theatre Night Awards was held virtually. The 13th Annual Theatre Night Awards will be held virtually as well.
Over the years the event has become increasingly student-driven as well as influenced by the opportunities afforded by video technology. The event begins with a professionally produced video montage of exciting moments from all participating productions. Scattered throughout the evening short videos submitted by the teachers express the students’ meaningful personal and artistic growth through participation in their school productions. A highlight of the evening are collages of 90-second scenes chosen from productions identified as outstanding in several categories and rehearsed with Professor Susan Kerner on the day of the event.
Past presenters of the Theatre Night Awards have included stars of stage, screen and television. Award-winning author and theatre critic Peter Filichia served as the emcee of the 2014-2022. Montclair State alums and working actors presented awards to students and educators along with Broadway stars who presented awards to outstanding actors on video.
Theatre Night Awards 2019-2020 was the first time we had a virtual ceremony and then again for the 2020-2021 & 2021-2022 seasons. A broadway star studded event, the virtual ceremony was well-received by all and made local headlines. We are happy to announce that the ceremony will resume live for the 2022-2023 season.
Please note that we do understand that many things can happen during the registration process, whether it be issues with your video, videographer, administration, payment, etc. In order for our reviewing process to go as smoothly as possible, please make sure to be in communication with us. That’s what we’re here for! If you need to contact us for any reason, please email Christina Cruz at theatrenightawards@gmail.com with any questions you may have.
2021-2022 Winners
We’d like to personally thank you for the time, talent, and patience that have clearly gone into making theatre come alive and inspiring your communities.
2020-2021 Winners
We’d like to personally thank you for the time, talent, and patience that have clearly gone into making theatre come alive and inspiring your communities.
We’d like to personally thank you for the time, talent, and patience that have clearly gone into making theatre come alive and inspiring your communities.
Superior Scoring Productions:
| Academy of the Holy Angels | Peter and the Starcatcher |
| Bergen County Academies | LLF: Don’t Trust the Boyz! |
| Cherry Hill High School East | The Man Who Came to Dinner (Both Casts) |
| Church Hill Junior High | Insanity of Mary Girard |
| Columbia High School | Shakespeare in Love |
| Cranford High School | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
| Delbarton School | Metamorphoses |
| Gloucester School of Technology | The Scarlet Letter (Both Casts) |
| Hopewell Valley Central High School | A Midsummer Night’s Dream |
| LCJSMS | Our Town |
| Madison High School | Clue: On Stage! |
| Mater Dei Prep | Clue on Stage |
| Memorial High School | Stand Up |
| Montclair Kimberley Academy | Our Town |
| Montclair Kimberley Academy | No Body Like Jimmy |
| Moorestown High School Theater | Clue |
| Morris County School of Technology | Mr. Burns a post-electric play by Anne Washburn |
| Mount Saint Dominic Academy | A Midsummer Night’s Dream |
| Mountain Lakes High School | Pride & Prejudice |
| OCVTS-PAA | Alice in Wonderland |
| Orange Avenue School | The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane |
| Pascack Valley HS | Brainstorm (Kiwi) |
| Pascack Valley HS | Brainstorm (Kumquat) |
| Princeton Day School | Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind |
| Rahway High School | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
| Ramapo High School | Peter/Wendy |
| Rancocas Valley Regional High School | Stairs To The Roof |
| RIdge High School | 12 Angry Jurors |
| Summit High School | Peter and the Starcatcher |
| Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy | Laramie Project |
| Verona High School | The Secret in the Wings |
| Watchung Regional High School | The Crucible |
| West Morris Central High School | Mermaid |
| Westfield High School | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead |
FOXY WINNERS – Design and Technical Categories
Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design
Love’s Labour’s Lost
Summit High School
Outstanding Achievement in Properties
You Can’t Take It With You
Pearl River High School
Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design
Who Will Carry the Word?
BCIT Medford
Pride & Prejudice
JP Stevens High School
Outstanding Achievement in Scenic Design
Ghosts
Monmouth Regional High School
Outstanding Achievement in New Media/Special Effects
Girls Like That
Princeton Day School
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
Antigone
Rahway High School
Outstanding Achievement in Choreography or Movement
The Curious Incident of The Dog at Night
West Morris High School
Outstanding Achievement in Stage Combat
Peter and The Starcatcher
Mountain Lakes High School
Outstanding Achievement in Stage Crew
Suite Surrender
Governor Livingston High School
Outstanding Achievement in Live or Original Music
Mother Courage
Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy
Peter and the Starcatcher
Union Catholic High
Excellence in Educational Impact and Community Outreach
Stan Cahill
Princeton Day School
Girls Like That
Outstanding Achievement in Stage Direction
Stephen Kaplan
Bergen County Academies
Elektra
The Peter Filichia Award for Pushing the Envelope in Academic Theatre
Beth Bauer
Memorial High School
Who We Are
Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Comedy
James Zitelli
St. Joseph Regional High School
Rumors
Julian Mazzola
Westfield High School
The Man Who Came to Dinner
Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Comedy
Annika Helgeson
Ridge High School
Peter and the Starcatcher
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Liam Gerard
Montclair Kimberley Academy
Lost in Yonkers
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy
Emma Marsters
Peter and the Starcatcher
Ridge High School
Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Drama
Lars Olsen
West Morris HS
The Curious Incident of The Dog at Night
Outstanding Performance by a Leading Actress in a Drama
Juliet Van Dusen-Gross
Columbia High School
Alabama Story
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama
Connor Conlin
Bloomfield High School
The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama
Madeline Carlton
Picnic
Hopewell Valley Regional High School
Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Classical Play
Mitchell Sink
Summit High School
Love’s Labour’s Lost
Outstanding Performance by a Leading Actress in a Classical Play
Erin Manion
Summit High School
Love’s Labour’s Lost
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Classical Play
Iain Jaeger
Morristown Beard
Sense and Sensibility
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Classical Play
Isabella Porraro
Morristown Beard High School
Sense and Sensibility
Outstanding Achievement by an Acting Ensemble of a Comedy
Peter and the Starcatcher
Ridge High School
Outstanding Achievement by an Acting Ensemble of a Drama
Picnic
Hopewell Valley Regional High School
Outstanding Achievement by an Acting Ensemble of a Classical Play
Elektra
Bergen County Academies
The New Heights
The Madwoman of Chaillot
Morris County VoTech
Outstanding Production of Middle School Play
The Government Inspector
Lawton C. Johnson SMS
Outstanding Work of Innovation and Invention
Who We Are
Memorial High School
Outstanding Production of Comedy
Rumors
St. Joseph Regional High School
Outstanding Production of a Drama
Dracula
Watchung High School
Outstanding Production of a Classical Play
Antigone
Rahway High School
Outstanding Overall Production of a High School Play
The Curious Incident of The Dog at Night
West Morris High School
Excellence in Dramaturgy
Tom & Merielle Lupfer
The Jo Anne Fox Award
Daniel Devlin
Did something special happen on the Montclair State University Campus on Monday, May 15th, 2017? It sure did! The best and brightest of New Jersey’s theatre educators, designers and young artists gathered in Memorial Auditorium to celebrate the phenomenal work of the 2016-2017 performing season. It is our distinct pleasure to encourage and recognize the passion, drive, and dedication of so many talented teachers, designers, and students!
Congratulations on another great season! We look forward to seeing what profound and fabulously creative theatre you generate in 2017-2018!
Tell stories! Create Art! And by all means; Stay Foxy!
| Award | Show | School | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design |
Stardust | Morris County VoTech School |
|
| Outstanding Achievement in Properties | One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest |
Moorestown High School |
|
| Outstanding Achievement in Light Design |
Too Much Light…Go Blind |
BCTI Medford | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Scenic Design |
You Can’t Take It with You |
Chatham High School | |
| Outstanding Achievement in New Medial/Special Effects |
The Giver | Lawton C. Johnson Middle School |
|
| Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design |
Peter and the Starcatcher |
North Brunswick High School |
|
| Outstanding Achievement in Choreography or Movement |
A Midsummer Night’s Dream |
Mountain Lakes High School |
|
| Outstanding Achievement in Stage Combat |
Game of Tiaras | Cranford High School | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Stage Crew |
Noises Off | Cranford High School | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Live or Original Music |
Our Town | Rahway High School | |
| Excellence in Educational Impact and Community Outreach |
Charlotte’s Web | Cedar Grove High School |
|
| Outstanding Achievement in Stage Direction |
The Skin of Our Teeth |
Ocean County Performing Arts Academy |
Douglas Bollinger |
| The Peter Filichia Award for Pushing the Envelope in Academic Theatre |
Macbeth | Princeton Day School | Stan Cahill |
| Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Comedy |
You Can’t Take It with You |
Summit High School | Matt Wilson |
| Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Comedy |
The Skin of Our Teeth |
Ocean County Performing Arts Academy |
Sarah Osman |
| Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy |
Peter and the Starcatcher |
Mater Dei Prep | Sean Mollicki |
| Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy |
You Can’t Take It with You |
Summit High School | Anne Borzner |
| Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Drama |
August: Osage County |
Passaic Valley High School |
Alex Sanchez |
| Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Drama |
Ordinary People | St. Joseph High School | Chris Marzulla |
| Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Drama |
Irene’s Vow | West Morris Central High School |
Kathryn Platt |
| Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama |
Dracula | Arthur L. Johnson High School |
Anthony Whitman |
| Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama |
33 Variations | Saddle River Day School |
Kat Katriel |
| Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor In a Classical Play |
Hamlet | JP Stevens High School |
Rutvik Ashtikar |
| Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Classical Play |
Ondine | County Prep High School |
Alexia Velazquez |
| Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Classical Play |
Macbeth | Morristown – Beard School |
Sydney Morris |
| Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Classical Play |
Cymbeline | Bergen County Academies |
Darien Fiorino |
| Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Classical Play |
Romeo and Juliet | Westfield High School | Abigail Connolly |
| Outstanding Achievement by an Acting Ensemble of a Comedy |
Noises Off | Hopewell Valley High School |
|
| Outstanding Achievement by an Acting Ensemble of a Drama |
Metamorphoses | Pascack Valley High School |
|
| Outstanding Achievement by an Acting Ensemble of a Classical Play |
Eurydice | Northern Highlands High School |
|
| Outstanding Production of a Middle School Play |
The Miracle Worker |
Orange Avenue School |
|
| The New Heights Award | Rumors | Montclair Kimberley Academy |
|
| Outstanding Work of Innovation and Invention |
El Otro Lado | Memorial High School Performing Arts Academy |
|
| Outstanding Production of a Comedy |
Peter and the Starcatcher |
Mater Dei Prep | |
| Outstanding Production of a Drama | Irene’s Vow | West Morris Central High School |
|
| Outstanding Production of a Classical Play |
Cymbeline | Bergen County Academies |
|
| Outstanding Overall Production of a High School Play |
You Can’t Take It with You |
Summit High School | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Scholarship and Directional Insight |
El Otro Lado | Memorial High School Performing Arts Academy |
|
| The Jo Anne Fox Award | Brandon Doemling |