“And the Winner Is…” Three Saints Who Took Home Halos!

This year’s Canterbury theater students may be young, but they have plenty of talent and, now, three Halo Awards and seven nominations to celebrate.

Co-Director of Theater and Language Department Chair Keiko Mathewson and Director of Community Life EJ Soifersmith P ’27, ’27 accompanied 10 students to the Palace Theater in Waterbury, Connecticut, for the awards ceremony on May 28. The contingent was overjoyed when the Canterbury winners were announced: 

Maeve Prendergast ’27—Best Sound Design and/or Execution, Godspell

Amelia Welsh ’26 and Zachary Mwanza ’27—Best Performance by a Couple or Dynamic Duo in a Musical, as Jesus and Judas in Godspell

“We are beyond proud of this young group,” Keiko said. “It was an amazing night filled with talent from Hartford and Litchfield counties. This year’s Halos included 108 schools in Connecticut! The energy is always great and so much fun for our students.”

In addition to earning a Halo that night, Amelia had the opportunity to take the stage and sing “Beautiful City” from Godspell. She delivered a stunning vocal performance, much to the delight of the enthusiastic audience.

“I was both nervous and happy to perform, and everyone was so supportive and cheering,” she said. “I had previously told my friends, ‘I want to win a Halo while at Canterbury.’ When they announced it, Zach and I were yelling and jumping up and down. It was awesome!” 

Our other Halo recipients were equally thrilled to hear their names called. “It was an amazing experience, and being surrounded by my friends made it even better,” Zach shared. “Winning a Halo was surreal, as I had never imagined I would be up there. I am glad I chose to continue doing theater in high school.” 

Maeve said her winning moment was both unexpected and exciting, and she was grateful to her peers for their encouragement. “During the intermission after I won, Zach and Amelia were so happy in congratulating me,” she recalled. “They genuinely cared, so it was nice to see them win, too. I love how everyone supports each other. People like Mrs. Mathewson have built a great theater community here at Canterbury.”

Kudos to Keiko, Theater Co-Director and Performing Arts Chair Christopher Rich, and Theater Technical Director Leif Smith for guiding students through two wonderful productions this past year—One Stoplight Town in the fall and the musical Godspell this spring. 

And congratulations to all of our theater students, including these Saints who received Halo Award nominations this year:

Best Sound Design and/or Execution: Maeve for Godspell
Best Scenic Design and/or Execution: Tech Theater Class for Godspell
Best Stage Management: Ella de Marval ’25 for One Stoplight Town and Godspell
Best Chorus: Godspell
Best Performance by a Couple or Dynamic Duo in a Musical: Amelia and Zach for Godspell
Best Performance by a Cast in an Ensemble Production: Godspell

With so many students returning to the theater program in September, the future is indeed bright. “We are already gearing up for next year,” said Keiko. “We are extremely grateful to everyone who supported us. It takes a village, and we have the best one!”