Point Boro H.S. Senior Wins Paper Mill Playhouse Award for Starring Role in "Fiddler"

For Point Borough High School Senior John Caliendo, the third time was the charm.

Caliendo won the statewide "lead actor" Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Award on Tuesday night for his starring role as "Tevye," the father, in the school's production of "Fiddler on the Roof."

This was Caliendo's third nomination for high school dramatic performances. He has also received numerous other honors for accomplishments in drama, instrumental performance and musical composition.

In his acceptance speech on Tuesday night at the Paper Mill, Caliendo thanked the play's cast, crew, directors and his teachers, many of whom, he noted, were in the audience that night.

"Most importantly, I'd like to thank my parents and my family for giving me the biggest support anybody could ask for," he said.

His parents, Paul and Rosemary Caliendo, were also in the audience to see him receive the prestigious award.

Paul Caliendo is a music teacher and band director at both elementary schools in the borough after working in those positions at the high school. He is also an accomplished musician and composer.

His daughter, Katharine Caliendo, a recent college graduate, is now playing French horn in the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra.

Paper Mill Playhouse's Rising Star program drew nearly 100 entered productions from public, private and parochial high schools.

Just for being nominated for "outstanding performance as a lead actor," Caliendo receives a full scholarship to Paper Mill Playhouse's competitive Summer Musical Theatre Conservatory.

The conservatory is a professional training program, which along with advanced classes in singing, acting and dance, offers the nominees an opportunity to perform on the stage at Paper Mill Playhouse in its season finale concert, "New Voices of 2011:  I’ll Take Manhattan: celebrating Broadway’s love affair with its hometown” on July 29th and 30th.

As the statewide winner in the "lead actor" category, Caliendo will represent the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards competition at New York University, which culminates in an awards ceremony on June 27 at the Marquis Theatre in New York City, according to the Paper Mill Playhouse website.

"The National High School Musical Theater Awards (NHSMTA) is a celebration of outstanding student achievement in high school musical theater," the website says. "The program recognizes individual artistry in vocal, dance and acting performance and honors teachers and their schools’ commitment to excellence in performing arts education."

Activities start on June 22, with rehearsals, master classes, private coaching and interviews with theater professionals leading up to the live awards show where the Jimmy™ Award for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress will be presented.

The high school's production of "Fiddler on the Roof" had received eight nominations for the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards.

Because the Paper Mill has long been considered one of New Jersey's most preeminent theatres and a launching pad for Broadway stars, just being nominated for the Rising Star Awards is prestigious.

Other nominations for "Fiddler" include:

• Outstanding Performance of a Chorus
• Outstanding Achievement in music direction: staff members Terry Bojanowski and Scott Visco
• Outstanding Achievement in staging and choreography: Darragh Cimis
• HONORABLE MENTIONS:
• Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical
• Outstanding Achievement of a teacher or outside director: Ian Kearns
• Outstanding Achievement in hair and make-up: Darragh Cimis
• Outstanding Costume Achievement: Debi Bilotta; Ada Roman and Kathy Stewart

Paper Mill Playhouse conceived and created the awards in 1996 to give schools the opportunity to showcase their musical arts programs on a state level.

The musicals are adjudicated by Paper Mill Playhouse throughout the spring by a group of 70 evaluators, with each school receiving four independent evaluations. 

Schools nominated for Outstanding Overall Musical and leading actor/actress nominees performed at the Tuesday night event and award recipients were presented with a crystal award from Tiffany & Co., Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards' partner.