bergenPAC High School Musical Award Show Premieres on Monday



(ENGLEWOOD, NJ) — The inaugural bergenPAC High School Musical Awards will take place on Monday, May 22. The evening will bring together schools across the region to celebrate the year’s best productions and student performances. The ceremony will be held at bergenPAC, starting at 7:00pm with live performances from select nominees.

“There is so much talent in in the northern New Jersey region, and we are excited to welcome everyone here to celebrate their achievements. After seeing all the productions, they should be very proud!,” bergenPAC Executive Director Alexander Diaz said. “We can’t wait to have the stars of tomorrow shining on our stage today!”

Diaz previously served as Creative Director at bergenPAC’s Performing Arts School and led its renowned summer musical program, which draws teens from across the region. Its 2017 West Side Story production starred Rachel Zegler as “Maria” before the Clifton native was picked by Steven Spielberg to reprise the role in his 2021 film remake.

bergenPAC summer musical alumni have also appeared in TV shows like Orange is the New Black and attended top musical theater programs, including NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and Montclair State University.

Tickets to the ceremony are $20 and support the nonprofit’s educational outreach initiatives, which bring teaching artist residencies and more to schools across the state. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://bit.ly/bpacHSMA or email outreach@bergenpac.org.

And the nominees are…

Lobby Display:  Les Misérables, Gloucester; Xanadu, Dumont; Addams Family, New Milford, Into The Woods, Westwood Regional

Production Set Design:  Cinderella, Morristown; Little Mermaid, River Dell; Addams Family, New Milford

Lighting Design:  Addams Family, New Milford; Chicago, Pascack Valley; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Northern Valley Old Tappan

Sound Design:  Les Misérables, Gloucester; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Northern Valley Old Tappan; Fiddler on the Roof, Bergen County Academies

Costume, Hair And Makeup:  Fiddler on the Roof, Bergen County Academies; Chicago, Pascack Valley; Little Mermaid, River Dell

Orchestra:  Addams Family, New Milford; Cinderella, Morristown; Crazy for You, Ramsey; Something Rotten, Ridgewood; Mean Girls, Passaic Valley Regional

Outstanding Ensemble:  Cinderella, Morristown; 12th Night, Academy of Holy Angels; Crazy for You, Ramsey

Outstanding Ensemble Member(s):  Amaya Romero as Fruma Sarah, Fiddler on the Roof, Bergen County Academies; Caitlin Lau,12th Night, Academy of Holy Angels; Snehanshn Chowdhury, Eddie, Mamma Mia, Pascack Hills

Outstanding Featured Performer(s):  Leah Winiger as Sebastian, Little Mermaid, River Dell; Ben Harris as Nostradamus, Something Rotten, Ridgewood; Elijah Chen as Pepper, Mamma Mia, Pascack Hills; Alex Vacchiano, Kate, The Wild Party, Academy for Performing Arts

Choreography:  Fiddler on the Roof, Bergen County Academies; Crazy for You, Ramsey; Chicago, Pascack Valley; Mean Girls, Passaic Valley Regional

Music Direction:  Mamma Mia, Pascack Hills; Chicago, Pascack Valley; Les Misérables, Gloucester

Creative Direction: The Wiz, Arts High School; Fiddler on the Roof, Bergen County Academies; Les Misérables, Gloucester

Outstanding Female Identified Supporting Role:  Hadyn Hopper as Tanya, Mamma Mia, Pascack Hills; Valentina Gonzalez,12th Night, Academy of Holy Angels; Izzy Alasio as Wednesday Addams, Addams Family, New Milford; Hailey Shafer as Gretchen, Mean Girls, Passaic Valley Regional

Outstanding Male Identified Supporting Role:  Frankie Carbonaro as Uncle Fester, Addams Family, New Milford; Jack Laux, Molvolio, 12th Night, Academy of Holy Angels; Kurt Sparks as Javert, Les Misérables, Gloucester; Rowan Mastrangelo as Nigel Bottom, Something Rotten, Ridgewood

Outstanding Female Identified Lead:  Kelly Donlan as Roxie Hart, Chicago, Pascack Valley; Eva Zazzali as Viola, 12th Night, Academy of Holy Angels; Madeline Leibman as Donna, Mamma Mia, Pascack Hills; Avery Benjamin as Jo, Little Women, Madison; Kira Giron as Cady Heron, Mean Girls, Passaic Valley Regional, Olivia Jobst as Sandy Cheeks, SpongeBob the Musical, Park Ridge

Outstanding Male Identified Lead:  Amron Salgado as Jean Valjean, Les Misérables, Gloucester;; Alex Café as Tevye, Fiddler on the Roof, Bergen County Academies; Derek Wiener, Spongebob Squarepants, SpongeBob the Musical, Park Ridge

Outstanding Overall Musical:  Fiddler on the Roof, Bergen County Academies; Cinderella, Morristown; Les Misérables, Gloucester; Urinetown, José Martí STEM Academy

bergenPAC is located at 30 North Van Brunt Street in Englewood, New Jersey. Founded in 2003, the 1,367-seat Bergen Performing Arts Center, or bergenPAC, is the area’s cultural mecca. Housed in a historic Art Deco-style theater boasting one of the finest acoustic halls in the United States, bergenPAC attracts a stellar roster of world-class entertainment. The jewel in our crown is The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC – the innovative, educational performing arts initiative that, through programs, classes, outreach, school shows, and main theater presented shows, reach more than 30,000 students and community youth annually. The Performing Arts School provides community youth, age 2 months to 21 years, with unique, “hands-on” training in music, dance and theater by industry professionals. It is through the ongoing generosity of sponsors, donors, members, and patrons that the not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) corporation bergenPAC and The Performing Arts School are able to thrive and enrich our community.