Saints Earn Their Halos at Theater Awards Ceremony

The lights were bright, the competition was fierce, and Canterbury’s theater program had plenty to celebrate at this year’s Semina DeLaurentis Halo Awards. With 11 nominations recognizing the extraordinary talent and dedication of the Saints who brought Peter Pan: Non-Flying Version! and Disney’s High School Musical to life, Canterbury students joined the state’s top high school theater performers for an unforgettable evening, with one student—Yuhan “CiCi” Lu ’28—bringing home a top honor.

First held in 1993, the Halo Awards serve to recognize high school theater productions and the students who make them possible. More than 100 Connecticut schools headed to the Palace Theatre for four days of ceremonies. In addition to nominations for Best Chorus and Best Contemporary Musical for Disney’s High School Musical, nine Canterbury students earned individual nominations across eight categories.

• Best Performance in a Featured Male Role in a Play: Ryan Diaz ’27 as Tootles in Peter Pan: Non-Flying Version! 
• Best Performance in a Featured Female Role in a Musical: Hannah Soifersmith ’27 as Mrs. Darbus in Disney's High School Musical 
• Best Performance in a Comic Female Role in a Play: Donna Zhang ’28 as Nana in Peter Pan: Non-Flying Version! 
• Best Hair and/or Makeup Design and/or Execution: Isabella Mitchell ’27 for Peter Pan: Non-Flying Version! 
• Best Props Design: Raven Reaves ’26 for Peter Pan: Non-Flying Version! 
• Best Stage Management: Maeve Prendergast ’27 and Nora Merkel ’29 for Disney's High School Musical 
• Best Performance in a Supporting Female Role in a Play: Victoria Ostrowski ’26 as Wendy in Peter Pan: Non-Flying Version! 

CiCi took home the Halo for Best Lighting Design and/or Execution for Peter Pan: Non-Flying Version to the enthusiastic cheers of her fellow Saints.

“The competition is incredibly strong,” says Co-Director of Theater Keiko Mathewson. “We’re thrilled to have received so many nominations and are incredibly proud of CiCi’s win.”

But CiCi wasn’t the only Canterbury student to take the stage that evening. Sebastian Lucio Galvis ’26 and Amelia Welsh ’26 performed a number from Disney’s High School Musical, and Hudson Soifersmith ’27 was honored in a special recognition. Based on a Broadway tradition, the Halo’s “robe ceremony” recognizes a student from each nominated school who has made a special contribution to their theater program.

“It's a wonderful tradition because it recognizes students whose impact might not always be reflected through awards,” says Mrs. Mathewson. "For us, Hudson was the perfect choice. We were really hoping to bring new students onstage, and while Hudson had always worked backstage doing technical theater, he’d never auditioned for a part until this year. Once he committed, he threw himself into the experience with such genuine enthusiasm.”

In the 2026–2027 academic year, Canterbury’s theater program will open in the fall with Game of Tiaras, a comedy Mrs. Mathewson describes as “Disney princesses meet Game of Thrones with a little bit of King Lear mixed in.”

Bravo, Saints! We can’t wait to see what you have in store for us next!