Abigail Kosch '24
3 May 2023
This year has been another successful one for Passaic Valley Theater, receiving various recognitions as the awards season begins. On April 4th, it was announced that PV was nominated for eight awards at the Montclair State University (MSU) Foxy Awards, held on May 16th. Furthermore, PV Theater won five awards at the Buck County Playhouse Theater Festival on April 29th.
The Foxy Theater Night Awards ceremony is held annually at Montclair State to acknowledge the hard work, talent and dedication of individuals in the areas of performance, direction, design, and technical theater. The awards ceremony was first held in 2009 at MSU and has been running each year since. Originally only taking submissions for plays produced by theater programs across the state, the Department of Theater and Dance at MSU has recently allowed a rule change which allows submissions from musical productions.
List of Passaic Valley's Nominations:
Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design: You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown - Nik Marmo
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design: You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown - Mike Yesenosky
Outstanding Achievement By An Actress in a Period Musical:
Chicago - Gabby Cielo (Velma Kelly)
Chicago - Mallory Cestone (Roxy Hart)
You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown - Hailey Shafer (Sally Brown)
Outstanding Production of a Period Musical:
Chicago - Jennifer Shue
You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown - Pia Surace
Outstanding Achievement in Direction of a Musical:
Chicago - Jennifer Shue
The MSU Department of Theater and Dance utilizes this ceremony as a way to celebrate and support high school theater programs in New Jersey. “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 theater educators and their students,” the official website for the program states.
The 15th Annual Theater Night Foxy Awards will be held Tuesday, May 16, 2023 in the Memorial Auditorium at MSU.
Passaic Valley was also privileged to take home five awards from the Bucks County Playhouse Theater Festival. The students of the theater program at PV took a trip to visit the playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania on April 25th and performed scenes and numbers from this year's Fall Musical, You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown and the upcoming Spring Musical Mean Girls. Listed below are the awards students received.
Additionally, the Bergen PAC announced four nominations for Passaic Valley Theater for their production of Mean Girls: Hailey Shafer '24 for Outstanding Female Support in her role as Gretchen, Kira Giron '26 for Outstanding Female Identifying Actor for her role as Cady, Outstanding Orchestra and Outstanding Choreography of a Musical.
