Taft students took home several prizes during the 2016 Halo Awards. Sponsored by Waterbury’s Seven Angels Theatre, the Halo Awards celebrate the best in Connecticut high school theater. More than 40 awards were presented to nominees from 64 high schools.
Kaedi Dalley ’18 was named Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray. Producer Maggie Luddy ’16 and director Emily Axelberg ’16 accepted the Fearless Award for their production of The Laramie Project, while Carey Cannata ’16 took home the Artistic Director prize, a special recognition award given by Seven Angels Theatre.
“A number of teachers and judges at the event commented on how many nominations Taft received,” said Music Teacher TJ Thompson, who accompanied Taft students to the awards ceremony and is an integral member of Taft’s theater production team. “The nominations, themselves, are a reflection of how hard everyone in the program has worked. The nominations represent the excellence of our collective effort, and recognize everyone involved in each of our shows.”
Taft's nominations are as follows:
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL:
- Kaedi Dalley as Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray
- Kayla Kim as Marcy Park in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL:
-Kimberly Wipfler as Amber Von Tussl in Hairspray
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A CAST IN AN ENSEMBLE PRODUCTION:
The Laramie Project
BEST STANDOUT PERFORMANCE IN AN ENSEMBLE PLAY:
-Brady Grustas as Doc O'Connor/Fred Phelps/Russell Henderson/ and Baptist Minister in The Laramie Project
-Carey Cannata as Aaron McKinney/Jedadiah Schultz/Andy Paris/Dr. Cantway in The Laramie Project
FEARLESS AWARD:
The Laramie Project
BEST CONTEMPORARY PLAY:
The Laramie Project
BEST CONTEMPORARY MUSICAL:
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The 13th Annual Seven Angels Theatre Halo Awards were presented over two nights at the Palace Theater, Waterbury, CT. The event featured a gala Red Carpet event for the nominated students. Awards categories included Best Actor and Actress in a Musical, Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a Musical, Best Acting by an Ensemble Cast, Best Specialty Ensemble in a Musical, Best Student Choreographer, plus categories for lighting, design, stage management, and special effects.
