The NJACT Outstanding Stage Management Award recognizes and celebrates a stage manager who showed special adeptness at organizing schedules, calling cues, rallying actors, and any other duty that could fall into this jack-of-all-trades position.  Candidates are nominated by the producer and/or director of the production on which s/he worked, and the recipient is determined by NJACT Board vote of those nominated.

Rules and Criteria

• Nominee(s) may be submitted only by the producer and/or director of the production on which the nominee(s) worked;
• No more than three nominees may be nominated together as stage managers for a single production by a single theater company during the given season;
• Nominee(s) may be nominated for work on a specific production only and not for cumulative contributions to multiple productions;
• Nominee(s) may only be nominated once for one show per theater company within the given season. Nominee(s) may be nominated more than once in a single season only if s/he is being nominated by different theater companies for work on different productions; and
• NJACT reserves the right to not award a Perry for Outstanding Stage Management if NJACT determines there is no nominee sufficiently deserving of the award that season.

Submission Materials

Please complete and submit a NJACT Outstanding Stage Management Form.  In addition to the form, please submit a letter providing details for why you think the nominee is deserving of the award.  The contents of the letter is at the nominators’ discretion; however, we recommend you focus on extraordinary efforts made or difficult challenges overcome.  We also recommend you include details regarding the nominee(s)’ success with the following:

• Coordinating the audition process;
• Creating the rehearsal schedule and managing rehearsal;
• Keeping the prompt book; managing script changes; keeping/creating lists of props, lighting and sound cues, costumes, etc.;
• Coordinating between various departments, such as costumes, scenic design, sound, lighting, house management, etc.;
• Assembling and training backstage crew;
• Running the show during performance;
• Effecting smooth and efficient scene changes;
• Executing timely cues;
• Supervising load-in and out.

Additional materials, such as letters of recommendation from cast and crew members who worked with the nominee(s), are welcome but not required.

Deadline to Submit Nominations: Please email submission ASAP.

How to Submit Nominations: Please email all submission materials to nominations@njact.org; or mail your materials to

NJACT

110 Daffodil Drive

Jackson, NJ 08527

Past Outstanding Stage Management Award Recipients

• Nicole Mory, Dogfight, Main Street Theater Company
• John Leslie, The Crucible, Stone Church Players
• Elaina Misciagna, Reefer Madness the Musical, Brook Arts Center Community Players, 2023
• Michele Roth, The Play That Goes Wrong, Bergen County Players, 2023
• Dennis Tolentino, The Wizard of Oz, Phoenix Productions Inc, 2022
• Maurice Marvi, Cobb, The Lord Stirling Theater Company, 2022
• No Ceremony for 2021
• Kathleen Rose Gallardo, Mamma Mia, Phoenix Productions Inc, 2020
• Shannen Rivers, Play On, Somerset Valley Players, 2020
• Judi Liebert, Into the Woods, Studio Players, 2019
• Melissa Gaynor, Noises Off, Maurer Productions OnStage, 2019
• Dennis Tolentino, Memphis, PinnWorth Productions, 2018
• Brielle McArdle, Hamlet, Dover Little Theatre, 2018
• Vicki Kaiser, In the Heights, Pennington Players, 2017
• Anita Esteve, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Westfield Community Players, 2017
• Justin Meek, In the Heights, Road Company, 2016
• Shannen Rivers, Miracle on 34th Street, Somerset Valley Players, 2016
• Bree Guell, Nine, Fearless Productions, 2015
• Harriet Tennet Trainor, Moon Over Buffalo, Somerset Valley Players, 2015
• Christine Szemis, Peter Pan, Yardley Players, 2014
• Bryn E. Farace, Dividing the Estate, Ocean County College Theater Company, 2014
• Alyson Cohn, The Music Man, Bergen County Players, 2013
• Eliza Burwell, The Miracle Worker, Pennington Players, 2013
• Beverly Kuo-Hamilton,13 THE MUSICAL, Pennington Players, 2012
• Roth Bernstein, A Chorus Line, Livingston Community Players, 2011
• Crystal Coddington, And Then There Were None, Somerset Valley Players, 2010
• Hayley Wolosz, Joseph…, St. Catherine’s of Bologna, 2009
• Tina Lee, Tales from the Porch, Circle Players, 2009
• Debby Hennessy, Little Women, Chatham, 2008
• Sandy Chiappino, Follies, Bergen County Players, 2007
• Gineen Morosco, Oklahoma, Temple Shalom Players, 2006
• Stephanie Simons Neal, Educating Rita, Villagers, 2005
• Anne Bertasso, The Music Man, Roche Player, 2004
• Martha Thalheimer, Children of Eden, MOC Musical Theater, 2003
• Sara Copp, Blithe Spirit, Chatham Players, 2002
• Melanie Martiak, Last Night at Ballyhoo, Ocean County College , 2001
• Leslie Dwarin, Later Life, Oakland, 2000
• John Torzewski, 42nd Street, Show Kids Invitational Theater, 1999