The NJACT Perry Awards are given for outstanding achievements in community theater. At the beginning of each season, NJACT member theaters submit their shows for award consideration. Two reviewers attend each production and evaluate all on-stage aspects of the performance. Each reviewer provides separate numerical scores for over 50 different criteria across 10 different review categories. More than 200 shows produced by theater companyies around the state are submitted each year, which require over 400 reviews by trained NJACT volunteers.
NJACT bestows Perry Awards in 33 performance and technical categories based NJACT reviewer scores. Candidates with the top seven scores in each category are considered nominees. The candidate with the highest score in each category receives the Perry Award. There are also four Special Perry Awards available each year at the discretion of the NJACT Board of Directors. They are the Community Theater of the Year Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award, the David P. McMenemie Award, and the Perry Award for Outstanding Stage Management. The recipients of these awards are determined by a vote of the NJACT board of directors, based on written nomination letters and supporting material submitted by the theater community.
New Jersey Association of Community Theaters
The Perry Awards
New Jersey's Premiere Awards Program for Community Theater