On Sunday, September 18, 2016, there was much to celebrate as Union High School Senior Joseph Laurino Jr. took home the NJACT Perry Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical for his role as Patsy in Chatham Community Players Production of Spamalot. Union High School Performing Arts Company Director James Mosser and Choreographer Jennifer Williams were also nominated for their work on the show.
The NJACT (New Jersey Association of Community Theaters) Perry Awards celebrate excellence in community theaters across the state. NJACT Reviewers attend each production, evaluate all on-stage aspects of the performance, and provide separate numerical scores for over 50 different criteria across 10 different review categories. More than 200 shows produced by theater companies around the state are submitted each year. NJACT bestows Perry Awards in 33 performance and technical categories based on NJACT reviewer scores. Candidates with the top seven scores in each category are considered nominees. The nominee with the highest score in each category receives the Perry Award.
Last May, Laurino, Mosser and Williams were lucky enough to join the Chatham team for their first foray into the world of community theater. The Chatham Community Players started entertaining audiences dating back to 1922. The mission of the Chatham Community Players is to produce high quality theater for a diverse audience, while elevating our standard of excellence and providing a creative outlet with educational opportunities and outreach programs.
For Mosser and Williams the jump to Chatham seemed like the perfect fit. Mosser stated “It’s great for our students to get the opportunity to work on material in new environments outside of school; where they are able to perform alongside seasoned adult performers. Getting to help students like Joe make that transition is a lot of fun. To see him be so successful that he is recognized by the state wide theater community is wonderful.” Laurino was just sixteen years old at the time of the performance, and was nominated in the Supporting Category in which he was the only teenager up for the award! Laurino had this to share about his experience “I am grateful to the NJACT for choosing me to receive this award. I really enjoyed playing Patsy because it was different from anything else I’ve ever done, and it was a positive learning experience as well. The role itself was fun to play because the character himself keeps the audience laughing. I was truly honored to be chosen and it was surreal to see my hard work pay off. This is a piece of Spamalot that I will always have with me.”
Look for Joe and the rest of the UHSPAC this December in their production of Footloose, December 8,9,10 at 7:30pm; December 11th at 2pm; and don’t miss them this spring in Rodger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella! Please visit their website at www.uhspac.com; or on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram—@UHSPAC for more information.
For more information about the Chatham Players, visit their website www.chathamplayers.org.
(above l-r) Mark Smith as King Arthur, Joseph Laurino as Patsy
(above) Joseph Laurino
