We sat down with some NJACT Perry Awards nominees from Studio Playhouse’s 2024-2025 season: Thomas J. Donohoe II, John Fraissinet, and E. Dale Smith-Gallo to discuss their nominations and all things The Laramie Project!
Studio Playhouse has an outstanding seven nominations for The Laramie Project, including:
- OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A PLAY: Thomas J. Donohoe II
- OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A PLAY: Thomas J. Donohoe II, John Fraissinet
- OUTSTANDING SCENIC DESIGN IN A PLAY: Thomas J. Donohoe II, Patrick Mannix, E. Dale Smith-Gallo
- OUTSTANDING PROPERTIES IN A PLAY: Beatriz Esteban-Messina
- OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY: John Fraissinet, E. Dale Smith-Gallo
- OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY: Donna Fraissinet
At the time of their nominations, Donohoe was busy working on another production, Smith-Gallo was speaking to a NJACT representative about Studio Playhouse as a whole when the news dropped; and Fraissinet?
“We were at the auto dealers, in the process of buying a new car…. so we were somewhat distracted. Then during a lull, we got a congratulatory text from one of the crew members. We blurted out excitedly to the salesman that we were nominated. He feigned excitement (what are the Perry Awards?) and congratulated us (please sign the papers).”
John Fraissinet’s wife, Donna Fraissinet is also a NJACT Perry Awards nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actress for The Laramie Project.
“This was especially great, as we didn’t have to be jealous of each other if only one of us was nominated,’” says Fraissinet about the dual-nominations, being nominated Outstanding Supporting Actor in A Play.
All three have previous ties to The Laramie Project before this nominated production. Their prior profound love for the piece drew them to this production. For Smith-Gallo, a theater teacher when he is not at Studio Playhouse, the script was given to him in 2002 to use in his curriculum. He’s wanted to be a part of the production since, and finally had his chance at Studio Playhouse. He is now nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in A Play.
Donohoe took part in another production of The Laramie Project in high school and it stuck with him ever since.
“When we discussed possibilities for the season, I knew right away that we could pull this off and how I envisioned it,” says Donohoe. This production earned Donohoe a nomination for Outstanding Direction of A Play and Outstanding Production of A Play.
Studio Playhouse’s recent production of The Laramie Project is the third time Frassinet has performed this play, each time given a new set of characters to portray.
On top of acting in this production, both Smith-Gallo and Frassinet play an important role behind the scenes.
Though he spent much of the time on stage, Fraissinet was also the Producer of this production of The Laramie Project, which earned him another nomination for Outstanding Production of A Play. When asked about juggling between actor and producer duty, Frassinet said:
“This show took up a great deal of my time. I’d say it was fifty percent acting and fifty percent producing. The challenges of playing so many distinctly different characters consumed me mentally for four months. I find monologues to be difficult for me to memorize so I had a regular schedule to work on those. But, on the producer side, there was also work orienting a director new to Studio, and helping with the technical pieces.”
Smith-Gallo may have the most challenging role of all on top of being an actor: Board President of Studio Playhouse. When asked about taking on both responsibilities, Smith-Gallo said:
“Being board president is a lot of work. We had a flood in my second month. A car ran into the side of the building, requiring immediate repairs. We discuss things like snow policies, fire inspections, and new membership structures. It’s important work, and I am happy to contribute, but it’s hardly what draws anyone toward the theatre. Acting or directing reminds me why I do it. I love going onstage and telling stories. It’s not about ‘juggling’ responsibilities to me– it’s about reengaging with the passion that landed me here in the first place.”
Donohoe wore multiple hats as well, both as director and as lighting designer, which earned him another nomination in Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play. When asked about his directing processing going hand-in-hand with scenic design, he said:
“It always starts with scenic design. How big is the playing space I have to work with? What furniture is needed? For this show, it was mainly a large open space. Stuff had to be fluid and easily movable. Once I know what I have to play with, then I can figure out how the show will be staged. Thankfully, Patrick [Mannix, who is also nominated] and the crew helped me figure out how to put it together practically. The visual elements on the set came out of not wanting to spend a lot of time with videos and projections, which ended up being more of an advantage than a setback.”
For this production, cameras, televisions, and microphones were used during news sequences to reflect the rest of the world watching the updates of the story unfolding.
“When I am directing, I do a lot of research. Watch a lot of previous versions and come in with ideas. I try lots of things and see what sticks. But then I scrap certain things once I see what the actors themselves bring to it.”
The 2025 NJACT Perry Awards will be taking place September 21, 2025 at the Strand Theater in Lakewood, NJ.
Studio Playhouse has been providing quality theatre at affordable prices since 1937. Studio Playhouse is located at 14 Alvin Pl. Upper Montclair NJ 07043