Honored with 17 Perry Noms, MPOnStage Prepares for Awards Show

When NJACT representatives read the list of 2008 Perry Award nominees at the Kelsey Theatre last month, board members from Maurer Productions OnStage sat stunned as the company’s name was mention no less than seventeen times! Emotions ran high. The initial shock turned to joy, then joy turned to fear.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to have our company and our volunteers honored with so many Perry Award nominations,” said John Maurer, President and Artistic Director of Maurer Productions OnStage. “We’re very grateful to NJACT for the recognition of our work, but to be honest, it can also be a bit scary,” he added.

Maurer was referring to the fact that NJACT (New Jersey Association of Community Theaters) will produce an awards ceremony on September 21 in the style of the Tony Awards, featuring musical numbers from the nominated productions. As a nominee for Outstanding Production of a Musical, Maurer’s team has been invited to participate in the awards show by performing select songs and dances from its Perry-nominated production of Singin’ in the Rain.

”I say it’s a bit scary because we’ll be to performing before a room filled with the most talented actors, directors, producers and craftsmen working in New Jersey Community Theater today,” he said. “It’s our company’s first time and it’s a little intimidating. We want to show them what we can do. We want to be certain we put our best foot forward,” he added.
 
Each year, NJACT holds the Perry Awards Ceremony at the Doubletree Hotel in Somerset, NJ. The event is usually attended by several hundred community theater veterans. It features a cocktail hour, dinner, awards presentations, and performances by the best performers New Jersey community theatre has to offer. To make certain the OnStage team was ready to meet the challenge, Maurer turned to the company’s Perry-nominated choreographer, Jane Coult.

“I was a little worried at first because so many of the cast members have moved on to other shows and other commitments,” Coult said. “But after a few phone calls and a few emails, it all came together. I’m really excited about what we have in store for the NJACT membership. It’s going to be a phenomenal evening of theater and I’m really glad our team can contribute," she added.

Coult and Maurer, with help from the rest of the OnStage team have put together a medly of musical pieces from Singin’ in the Rain. The presentation will open with the high-energy number “Make ‘em Laugh,” featuring Jim Petro, who was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical. This will be followed by a segment from "The Dueling Cavalier," one of several black and white films shot by Maurer exclusively for Singin’ in the Rain. This will be followed by “Lucky Star” performed by Nicole Farina-Machin, who was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical. Next, the audience will be treated to a comic interlude called “What’s Wrong with Me,” performed by actress Vicky Czarnik. Last year, Czarnik was nominated for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical for Cheng/Farrara’s For the Glory. Her work in Singin’ in the Rain has now led to her second nomination in two years for that award.

Rounding out the Maurer-produced segment of the awards ceremony will be the closing number from the show, the all-time favorite "Singin’ in the Rain." Also appearing in the performance will be Scott, Rosie and Molly Karlin, Alycia Bauch-Cantor (nominated for Outstanding Properties for Driving Miss Daisy), Jeff Cantor, Diana Gilman Maurer (nominated for three awards), John Maurer (nominated for five awards), Nicole Spadafino (nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical for Spotlight Players Millie), Buzz Herman (the musical director for Rain) and Ray Murphy (nominated for Outstanding Ensemble Actor).

Attending the ceremony, but not performing will be several members of the cast and crew from OnStage’s production of Driving Miss Daisy, a show which received nine Perry nominations. Nominees Eve Connolly (Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play), Lynn Baskin (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play), Dan Maurer (Outstanding Direction, Sound Design and Production of a Play), M. Kitty Getlik (Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play), and Amy Foris (Outstanding Set Design for a Play with John Maurer) will be attending the ceremony.

The team from Maurer Productions OnStage joined forces with other Kelsey Theatre representatives and will attend the ceremony as a group representing the Kelsey Theatre. The party will consist of nearly 40 people with more than 20 Perry nominations among them.

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