Each year, NJACT gathers its membership on the first Saturday in August for one of the most anticipated meetings of the year. This annual meeting, open to the general public, features a "state of the union" address by the NJACT President, followed by the first public announcement of the previous season’s Perry Award nominees. Admission is $5 and a light lunch is served.

Location
In recent years, the nominations meeting has been held in the home venue of an NJACT member theater company. Hosting the Perry Award Nominations meeting is not only a great honor for most theaters, but it gives that theater a great deal of visibility among Perry Award reviewers and the general theater community. Months before the meeting, NJACT identifies a deserving member theater to act as host for the meeting. Often times, it is the winner of the previous season’s Community Theater of the Year Award, provided they can accommodate the crowd. In some years, meeting attendance has swelled to over 100.

State of the Union Address
Traditionally, the meeting opens with a speech by the NJACT President, who discusses how the organization did last season, the outcome of the review process, and any changes the organization has in store for its membership. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about the many new policies NJACT has recently implemented for the 2009-2010 season. The president’s speech is then followed by a light lunch, which is covered by the $5 admission fee.

Nominations
After lunch, the attendees gather again for the reading of the Perry Award nominations. NJACT board members read off the names of the nominees in each award category. Formal printed invitations to the Perry Awards Gala are then handed out to the members for distribution to their groups and especially to the people who received nominations for work on their shows. This is also an opportunity for member theaters to work with NJACT board members to confirm the proper names and spellings of the final nominees.

Perry Award Gala Preparations
Groups who have been nominated for either Outstanding Production of a Musical or Outstanding Choreography are invited to perform at the gala in September. Following the announcement of the nominees, nominated theaters have an opportunity to meet with the NJACT board to start planning their performance for the Perry Awards Gala. The nominations meeting is the first opportunity nominated groups have to talk about the requirements of the performance and schedule a time for their company’s tech rehearsal on the weekend of the gala.