EXCLUSIVE: Middlesex & Somerset High School 2024 ‘Marquee Award’ Nominees

CARTERET, NJ — Dozens of Middlesex and Somerset County high school musicals, young actors, singers, musicians and production teams are in the running for the 2024 Marquee Awards. Winners are to be announced on May 15th at the Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center.

Carteret’s first-annual Marquee Awards – billed as a Tony Award-style, red-carpet event – will be at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15th at the URSB Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center . The borough has just announced an extensive list of 2024 nominees and honorable mentions. (Details below).

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The Marquee Awards were created in 2023 to celebrate musical theater talent and achievement among high school students in Middlesex and Somerset counties. The glitzy gala ceremony debuted last May, and also spotlights Carteret's revitalized downtown and showcases its performing arts center.

Broadway celebrity Jelani Remy will host Carteret’s 2024 Marquee Award ceremony. Remy is most famous as “Simba” in Disney’s “The Lion King,” during its three-year Broadway run. He is currently featured in “Back to the Future: The Musical” as Goldie Wilson/Marvin Berry.

Carteret Mayor Daniel J. Reiman said his community is “delighted to recognize 2024’s exceptional students and schools in Central Jersey for their outstanding achievements. We congratulate them on their well-deserved nominations and honorable mentions.”

A panel of expert judges reviewed Middlesex and Somerset County high school musicals to cite Marquee Award nominees for the 2024 season.

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Awards will also be given to high school theater directors, and students who work behind-the-scenes to provide choreography, chorus and orchestra performances, lighting & scenery, and more. Those nominees are not listed here.

Take a look at the 2023 debut Marquee Award ceremony:

Here’s the top 2024 list of Marquee Award nominees and honorable mentions:

● BEST OVERALL PRODUCTIONS – NOMINEES

Bernards High School: Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Edison High School: Legally Blonde

Hillsborough High School: Something Rotten

Manville High School: Mamma Mia!

Piscataway High School: Mean Girls High School Version

Spotswood High School: Mean Girls High School Version

Woodbridge High School: Sweeney Todd

● HONORABLE MENTIONS

Highland Park High School: Footloose

Old Bridge High School: The Music Man

Rutgers Preparatory School: Mamma Mia!

● BEST LEAD ACTOR – NOMINEES

Bernards High School, Dreamcoat: Nate DeNicola as “Joseph”

Colonia High School, Into the Woods: Jesus Roco III as “The Baker”

Edison High School, Legally Blonde: Vincent Pecorella as “Emmett Forrest”

Highland Park High School, Footloose: Kai Stevens as “Ren McCormick”

Hillsborough High School, Something Rotten: Brandon Javier as "Nick Bottom"

Hillsborough High School, Something Rotten: Benjamin Malone as "Shakespeare"

Old Bridge High School, Music Man: Camryn Burniston as “Harold Hill”

● HONORABLE MENTIONS

Dunellen High School, Grease: Dalan Hopper as “Danny Zuko”

East Brunswick High School, Lightning Thief: Shlok Pathak as “Percy Jackson”

Woodbridge High School, Sweeney Todd: Julien Catalon as "Sweeney Todd"

● BEST LEAD ACTRESS – NOMINEES

Colonia High School, Into the Woods: Alyssa Cifelli as “Cinderella”

Edison High School, Legally Blonde: Amy Boslet as “Elle Woods”

Manville High School, Mamma Mia!: Juliana Bucciero as "Sophie Sheridan "

Manville High School, Mamma Mia!: Cami Galvez as "Donna Sheridan "

Piscataway High School, Mean Girls: Ashley Hamilton as “Regina George”

Rutgers Preparatory School, Mamma Mia!: Jordyn Sutton as “Sophie Sheridan”

Woodbridge High School, Sweeney Todd: Sophia Holness as "Nellie Lovett"

● HONORABLE MENTIONS

Dunellen High School, Grease: Maria Stein as “Sandy Dumbrowski”

Rutgers Preparatory School, Mamma Mia!: Cory Lucid as “Donna Sheridan”

Spotswood High School, Mean Girls: Savannah Posen as “Regina George”

● BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – NOMINEES

Bernards High School, Joseph–Dreamcoat: Brendan Lobo as the “Soloist”

Colonia High School, Into the Woods: Tristan Picou as “Jack”

Highland Park High School, Footloose: Mac Jones as “Reverend Shaw Moore”

Hillsborough High School, Something Rotten: Piotr Kowalczyk as "Nigel Bottom"

Rutgers Preparatory School, Mamma Mia!: Clement Lacroix as “Harry Bright”

Woodbridge High School, Sweeney Todd: Riley Stevens as "Tobias Ragg"

Woodbridge High School, Sweeney Todd: Aaron Crowell as "Anthony"

● HONORABLE MENTIONS

Bernards High School, Joseph–Dreamcoat: Joe Sorge as “Soloist”

Manville High School, Mamma Mia!: Rian Sanders as "Sam"

Piscataway High School, Mean Girls: Kai Salgado-Cowan as “Damian Hubbard”

● BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – NOMINEES

Edison High School, Legally Blonde: Kara Labadessa as “Vivienne Kensington”

Highland Park High School, Footloose: Georgina Sanches as “Willard Hewett”

Highland Park High School, Footloose: Aurora Gibney-Krashen as “Vi Moore”

Hillsborough High School, Something Rotten: Samantha Soybel as "Bea"

Perth Amboy High School, Mean Girls: Valery Paulino as “Karen Smith”

Rutgers Preparatory School, Mamma Mia!: Vi Potluri as “Tanya Cresham-Leigh”

Woodbridge High School, Sweeney Todd: Marisa Santiago as "Johanna"

● HONORABLE MENTIONS

Edison High School, Legally Blonde: Suzette Stephen as “Brooke Wyndham”

Hillsborough High School, Something Rotten: Mia Hausser as "Portia"

Rutgers Preparatory School, Mamma Mia!: Niara Beckwith as “Rosie Mulligan”

Spotswood High School, Mean Girls: Savanah Rosario as “Janis Sarkisian”

● BEST ENSEMBLE MEMBERS – NOMINEES

Dunellen High School, Grease: Jenica-Liezel Reyes as “Jan”

Edison High School, Legally Blonde: Sanjana Ramesh as “Pilar”

Highland Park High School, Footloose: Maria Levina as “Ethel McCormack”

Highland Park High School, Footloose: Violet Pyatt as “Rusty”

Highland Park High School, Footloose: Juliana Cordero-Dent as “Wendy Jo”

Hillsborough High School, Something Rotten: Charlee McLaughlin as "Minstrel"

Piscataway High School, Mean Girls: Jacob Hall as “Kevin Gnapoor”

Spotswood High School, Mean Girls: Tabitha Devlin as “Ms. Norbury”

● HONORABLE MENTIONS

Highland Park High School, Footloose: Julia Stevens as “Urleen”

Perth Amboy High School, Mean Girls: Elinet Brito as "Mrs. George"

Piscataway High School, Mean Girls: Abigail Jones as “Ms Norbury”

Woodbridge High School, Sweeney Todd: Mateo Oloriz as "Adolfo Pirelli”

​● ​​​​​​BEST PRODUCTION NUMBERS – NOMINEES

Carteret High School, Sister Act: "Raise Your Voice"

Highland Park High School, Footloose: “Footloose”

Hillsborough High School, Something Rotten: "A Musical"

Manville High School, Mamma Mia!: "Dancing Queen" [Finale]

Old Bridge High School, The Music Man: “76 Trombones”

Piscataway High School, Mean Girls: "Where Do You Belong?"

Spotswood High School, Mean Girls: “Where Do You Belong?”

Woodbridge High School, Sweeney Todd: “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd”

● HONORABLE MENTIONS

Colonia High School, Into the Woods: “Act I Finale: Ever After”

Edison High School, Legally Blonde: “What You Want”

Rutgers Preparatory School, Mamma Mia!: “Voulez Vous”

For tickets to the 2024 Marquee Award ceremony, visit this website .

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