Many consider Perry Morgan the founding father of NJACT. By creating the AVY Awards in 1973, which eventually became the Perry Awards, Perry Morgan created a movement in the New Jersey theater community that thrives today. Each year at the Perry Awards Gala, we celebrate not only outstanding artistic achievement, but the sense of pride and community that started with Perry Morgan and his friends over 35 years ago.

Today, Perry Morgan is the director of musical theatre studies at Northwestern State University in Louisiana, where he teaches advanced acting, playwriting, directing and the musical theatre track (voice, history and performance). Perry began his professional acting career opposite his sister Nancy in The challenge of the Cross. He is a graduate of Long Island University (BFA - Music/Theatre and MS-Education), The Actor's Institute (Mastery Program) and Naropa University (MFA-Contemporary Theatre Performance). Perry served as Company Composer

for Cara Gargano and Dancers, premiering his ballet and dance scores in New York, Switzerland and France. As Company Composer for Pyramid Productions (Indiana) he received two Grammy Award nominations. Before settling at Northwestern State, Perry Morgan was a member of the Producing Artistic Staff at the historic Barter Theatre in Virginia. He shares his life with his wife, actress Josephine Hall, and their energetic twins Max and Molly.