Watchung Hill's "Cinderella" Performers Honored

WHRHS’ production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s "Cinderella" has received accolades in the prestigious Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards for 2011.

Spencer Baustista received an Honorable Mention in the category of Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of the Prince and the WHRHS Pit Orchestra received an Honorable Mention in the category of Outstanding Performance by an Orchestra.

These awards indicate that these performances were among the top 10 in the competition this year.

The Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards were created in 1996 to encourage and reward exceptional accomplishments in the production of high school musical theatre. Now in its 16th year, the Rising Star Awards is a statewide competition of New Jersey high school musicals modeled after Broadway's Tony Awards.

Recognition of outstanding achievement by students and educators are made in the areas of performance, design, direction, choreography, technical production and overall production excellence. The Rising Star Award Corps of Evaluators fan out across New Jersey between January and April to see shows at all 100 entered schools and make nomination recommendations in various performance and production categories.