The Haddonfield Memorial High School (HMHS) Drama Club earned 10 nominations and one honorable mention in the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards for its March production of the musical “Head Over Heels.”
Modeled after Broadway’s Tony Awards, the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards program encourages and rewards exceptional accomplishments in the production of New Jersey high school musicals. This year, the nominations pool was comprised of 115 schools across the state including public, private, and performing arts magnet schools.
According to one of the three theatre professionals who evaluated the HMHS performance: “Simply put, this is one of the most consistently executed and enjoyable productions this reviewer has seen in years, and the entire cast and crew should be incredibly proud of the unique piece of art they have accomplished.”
The HMHS production of Head Over Heels earned the following nominations:
- Best Overall Production
- Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Male-Identified Role, Griffin Adams as King Basilius
- Outstanding Performance by a Chorus, Ensemble
- Outstanding Achievement by a Teacher or Outside Director, Matt DiDonato • Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction, Tyler Mills
- Outstanding Achievement in Choreography and Staging, Sara De Rossi • Outstanding Scenic Achievement, Bob Shindle
- Outstanding Lighting Achievement, Matt DiDonato, Jack Novak, Camila Manskopf • Outstanding Costuming Achievement, Sabrina Windt
- Outstanding Hair and Make-Up Achievement, Dawn Scheidt
Mia Bompensa earned an Honorable Mention for her supporting role as Queen Gynecia.
The Rising Star Awards Ceremony will be held at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn Township on Tuesday, June 13 at 7:30 p.m. Along with the nomination for Best Overall Production, the full cast of the HMHS Drama Club production of “Head Over Heels” has earned the honor of
performing their opening number, “We Got the Beat,” on stage at the awards ceremony. The event will be livestreamed at a link posted on the Paper Mill Playhouse website.
