25th anniversary, and in honor of the Showcase's first participants and the memory of music teacher Perla Espinal. The show was broadcast on NJN on June 29, 2011. June 2011 saw the debut of Perks, a musical webseries described by Playbill as "Glee meets Wii", in which Strong stars as Courtney, the object of affection for geeky high school gamer Josh (Alex Wyse), the series’ male lead, who is too shy to express his feelings to her. In August 2011, Strong auditioned for the Broadway musical Mamma Mia!, on the advice of Bye Bye Birdie'''s musical director. A week later she was cast as a temporary replacement for a cast member who had suffered a concussion. Strong sang all 23 songs in the production, learned multiple dance numbers, and was the understudy for Ali, the supportive best friend of the show's main character, Sophie. On June 2, 2012, Strong sang the American National Anthem and the Colombian National Anthem at the opening of Union City's Columbia Park, which celebrated the city's Colombian American population, before a crowd that included Union City Mayor Brian P. Stack and the city's Commissioners. In 2013 Strong was one of 14 applicants selected to attend the week-long Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriter's Project at Northwestern University in Chicago, a workshop for promising American songwriters.Morris, Paige (August 9, 2013). "Union City actress, musical performer Allison Strong to play from debut EP at NYC show Sunday". NJ.com. That July Strong played Captain Jess Hartline in the off-Broadway play Volleygirls, for which Strong and her fellow cast members were given the 2013 NYMF Award for Excellence for Outstanding Ensemble Performance at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. The following month saw the release of Strong's debut EP album, Rewind, a 12-track record described by Playbill as an "eclectic fusion of Latin, country-folk and piano rock."<ref name=Playbill8.22.13>{{cite web|author=Gioia, Michael|date=August 22, 2013|url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/volleygirls-and-mamma-mias-allison-strong-will-release-dual-language-album|title=Volleygirls and Mamma Mia!'s Allison Strong Will Release Dual-Language Album|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903071337/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/volleygirls-and-mamma-mias-allison-strong-will-release-dual-language-album|archivedate=September 3, 2014 |magazine=Playbill}}</ref> In analyzing the title track "Rewind", whose lyrics describe making amends with a lover, Katie Lebert of Gadfly Online stated, "In her revealing chorus 'Can I apologize for what I have realized?', Strong accurately encapsulates the guilt and indecision we may face near the end of a failing relationship. A truthful, memorable track, Strong immediately proves that sincerity and emotion." In November 2013, Strong won Top Female Solo and People's Choice awards at the Hoboken Music Awards.