New Jersey Association of Community Theatres

New Jersey Association of Community Theatres (NJACT)

NJACT is a non-profit corporation dedicated to recognizing achievements by artists of all disciplines involved in the performance and production of Community Theater in NJ

NJACT is open to any Community Theater in New Jersey. Through a standardized method of scoring both technical and performance elements of productions, NJACT will send a representative from its nominating committee to view a NJ Community Theater's production. Once each year the nominees will be announced with the awards being presented at an awards gala.

2019 Awards 2008 Awards
2018 Awards 2007 Awards
2017 Awards 2006 Awards
2016 Awards 2005 Awards
2015 Awards 2004 Awards
2014 Awards 2003 Awards
2013 Awards 2002 Awards
2012 Awards 2001 Awards
2011 Awards 2000 Awards
2010 Awards 1999 Awards
2009 Awards

If you or a theater you know of would like more information, please e-mail (admin@njact.org ) with your name and address and information will be sent.

New Jersey Association of Community Theater
PO Box 511
Clifton, NJ 07012

Nomination Process

Theaters notify NJACT of a production that they are producing and which they wish to have attended by members of the Nominating Committee. Two members of the Committee are then scheduled to attend two different performances. The Committee Members complete the evaluation form and return it to NJACT. The information from the two evaluation forms are compiled and averaged. At the conclusion of the NJACT season all the tabulated information is compiled and the highest scores determine the seven nominees and ultimately the recipient. 

An explanation of categories and factors used in the evaluation is given here.

About the Perry Awards

The Perry Awards have been named in honor of William Perry Morgan. Perry, as he has always been known to his friends, is a gifted Director, Actor, Composer and Musician who was a driving force in New Jersey Community Theater for many years. During this time Perry and several of his close colleagues came to file realization that there was a need to recognize the many great accomplishments of their fellow thespians who gave so freely of their talents to enrich the lives of theater patrons in New Jersey. It was out of this that the AVY awards were born. The Awards were held each year in June and the announcement of each years nominees was a much anticipated event throughout New Jersey's Community Theaters. Perry continued to produce the AVY Awards for 20+ years until, in 1994, he announced that he and his wife were relocating to Memphis. Although a great void was left, a small group of individuals decided that the intent and the spirit of the AVY Awards should continue.

The process continued under a different name until 1998. Under new leadership, and with the express permission of Perry, the awards were rechristened "The Perry Awards" Perry stated at that time, "The acknowledgment of excellence in Community Theater by any "Award" serves only to re-enforce that which is already known; That some of the finest theatrical productions ever produced are done so

40 Days & 40 Nights Like 40 Productions Roche Players
Actors' NET of Bucks County Little Theatre at Felician College Saint Genesius Players
Attic Ensemble Livingston Community Players Shakespeare '70
Baird's 'Jewel' Theatre Main Street Theatre Company ShowKids Invitational Theatre (SKIT)
Bergen County Players Mainstage Center For The Arts Showmakers Theater Guild
Brick Children's Community Theatre Margate Players Sketch Club Players
C.A.S.T. Community Actors Student Theatre Marlboro Players Somerset Valley Players
Carnival Productions Maurer Productions OnStage South Mountain TheaterWorks
The Carpenter’s Theatre Mighty Oak Players Spartan Productions
Center Players (Bayonne) Millennium Productions Spotlight Theatre Company
Center Players (Freehold) MOC Musical Theatre Spring Lake Theatre Company
Chatham Players Mystic Vision Players St. Anne Stages
Cherry Blossom Players NENA Productions Theater Project St. Catherine's Performing Arts Guild
Chester Theatre Group North Brunswick Young Adult Drama Group St. Paul's Players Community Theater Group
Circle Players Nutley Little Theatre Stage Presence, Inc.
Corpus Christi Community Theatre Oakland Community Theater Stagecrafters Inc.
Cranford Drama Club Ocean County College Stars In the Park
DreamSpinners Theater Company Old Library Theatre Strand Theater Project
East Brunswick Community Players Oldwick Community Players Strollers
Enchanted Players Over The Rainbow Productions Studio Players
Entertainers Repertory Theater Park Players Productions Inc SummerStage at Leonia
First Avenue Playhouse Peddie Community Players Summit Playhouse Association
Flemington Raritan Community Theatre Pennington Players Teaneck New Theatre
Florham Park Players Phoenix Productions The Conservatory Players
Galaxy Players Pierrot Productions Theater Guild of Old Bridge
GB Productions PIM Repertory Group Tragoedia Theatre
Guild Theatreworks, Inc. Players Guild of Leonia Trilogy Repertory Company
Hackensack Theatre Company Players Theater Company Triple Threat Foundation for the Arts
Haddonfield Plays and Players Playful Theater Productions Villagers Theatre
Hexagon Players Princeton Opera Association Washington Crossing Repertory Company
HTC Productions Proteus Productions West Milford Players
Hudson Theatre Ensemble Radburn Players Westfield Community Players
Iron Mountain Stage Company Readington Community Theatre Y-PAC
JCC Musical Theater Company Rhino Theatre Company Yardley Players