Talented teens from high schools around Huntington are competing for the 2018 Hunting-Tony Awards.
Young theater performers gathered at Town Hall on Monday to witness the nomination announcement for the 8th Annual Hunting-Tony Awards, an awards ceremony celebrating local high school plays and musicals. Council members Mark Cuthbertson and Joan Cergol were present to announce the nominees.
“We want to welcome everyone to a first, for us, Hunting-Tony awards nominations,” Cuthbertson said. “We’ve never announced the nominations. We wanted to do that just like the real Tonys. So we are coming to you live from Huntington Town Hall to announce the nominees for the 8th annual Hunting-Tonys.”
“Congratulations to all for this year’s nominees,” Cergol said. “Thank you to all the actors and actresses, stage crews, orchestra, and members of faculty for the outstanding fall play and spring musical productions you put on.”
The nominations were determined by a cast of volunteer judges, who witnessed a plethora of burgeoning talent from this year’s nominations.
“Those judges did tell us that we have a lot of rising stars in our midst,” Cergol said, “so we’re very proud of the work you’ve all done, no matter what happens on June 4th.”
The awards ceremony will be held on June 4 at a red-carpet event at the John W. Engeman Theater in Northport.
Here are the list of nominees:
Best Supporting Actor in a Play: Blake Sortino for “The Laramie Project” from Half Hollow Hills West. Dean Cohen for “Antigone” from Harborfields. Evan Roth for “Our Town” from Commack. Keenan Lyons for “The Dining Room” from Huntington. Zach Campbell for “You Can’t Take It with You” from Cold Spring Harbor.
Best Supporting Actress in a Play: Abby Semeisberger for “The Dining Room” from Huntington. Amelia Maggio for “The Dining Room” from Huntington. Grace Bleck for “The Crucible” from Half Hollow Hills East. Julia Bravaro for “You Can’t Take It with You” from Cold Spring Harbor. Samantha Carey for “Front” from Walt Whitman.
Best Supporting Actor in a Musical: Brendan Kispert for “Annie” from Walt Whitman. Bryan Vogt for “The Music Man” from Northport. Johnny DiGiorgio for “The Secret Garden” from Half Hollow Hills West. Ty Ellenbogen for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” from Harborfields. Zach Campbell for “Beauty and the Beast” from Cold Spring Harbor.
Best Supporting Actress in a Musical: Emily Kowalski for “The Secret Garden” from Half Hollow Hills East. Isabella Donneruno for “The Music Man” from Northport. Jordyn Axelrod for “The Phantom of the Opera” from Commack. Sara Meade for “The Music Man” from Northport. Savannah Greene for “Beauty and the Beast” from Cold Spring Harbor.
Best Stage Crew for a Play: Commack for “Our Town.” Half Hollow Hills East for “The Crucible.” Harborfields for “Antigone.” Huntington for “The Dining Room.” Walt Whitman for “Front.”
Best Stage Crew for a Musical: Commack for “The Phantom of the Opera.” Half Hollow Hills West for “The Secret Garden.” Harborfields for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” John Glenn for “The Little Mermaid.” Walt Whitman for “Annie.”
Best Scenery in a Play: Cold Spring Harbor for “You Can’t Take It with You.” Half Hollow Hills East for “The Crucible.” Half Hollow Hills West for “The Laramie Project.” Huntington for “The Dining Room.” Walt Whitman for “Front.”
Best Scenery in a Musical: Cold Spring Harbor for “Beauty and the Beast.” Commack for “The Phantom of the Opera.” Half Hollow Hills East for “Into the Woods.” Huntington for “Cinderella.” Northport for “The Music Man.”
Best Orchestra Pit: Commack for “The Phantom of the Opera.” Harborfields for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” Half Hollow Hills West for “The Secret Garden.” John Glenn for “The Little Mermaid.” Walt Whitman for “Annie.”
Best Costumes in a Play: Cold Spring Harbor for “You Can’t Take It with You.” Harborfields for “Antigone.” Half Hollow Hills East for “The Crucible.” Huntington for “The Dining Room.” Walt Whitman for “Front.”
Best Costumes in a Musical: Commack for “The Phantom of the Opera.” Huntington for “Cinderella.” John Glenn for “The Little Mermaid.” Northport for “The Music Man.” Walt Whitman for “Annie.”
Best Female Vocalist: Ava Dell’Aquila for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” from Harborfields. Lexie Spelman for “The Little Mermaid” from John Glenn. Meaghan Maher for “The Music Man” from Northport. Samantha Foti for “The Phantom of the Opera” from Commack. Shelby Herling for “Beauty and the Beast” from Cold Spring Harbor.
Best Male Vocalist: Adam Brett for “The Phantom of the Opera” from Commack. Augustine Maiorino for “Beauty and the Beast” from Cold Spring Harbor. Matty Levenberg for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” from Harborfields. Terrence Sheldon for “The Little Mermaid” from John Glenn. Trevor Bacchi for “Beauty and the Beast” from Cold Spring Harbor.
Best Dance Performances: Commack for “The Phantom of the Opera.” Harborfields for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” John Glenn for “The Little Mermaid.” Northport for “The Music Man.”
Best Technical Production for a Play: Harborfields for “Antigone.” Half Hollow Hills East for “The Crucible.” Half Hollow Hills West for “The Laramie Project.” Huntington for “The Dining Room.” Walt Whitman for “Front.”
Best Technical Production for a Musical: Commack for “The Phantom of the Opera.” Half Hollow Hills East for “Into the Woods.” Harborfields for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” Huntington for “Cinderella.” John Glenn for “The Little Mermaid.”
Best Actor in a Play: Aiden Mallon for “The Crucible” from Half Hollow Hills East. Johnny DiGiorgio for “The Laramie Project” from Half Hollow Hills West. Marco Chiriboga for “Front” from Walt Whitman. Trevor Bacchi for “You Can’t Take It with You” from Cold Spring Harbor. Will Fallon for “The Dining Room” from Huntington.
Best Actress in a Play: April Carmine for “Front” from Walt Whitman. Isabella Cahill for “The Dining Room” from Huntington. Nicoletta Gasparis for “The Crucible” from Half Hollow Hills East. Shelby Herling for “You Can’t Take It with You” from Cold Spring Harbor. Victoria Barics for “Our Town” from Commack.
Best Featured Actor in a Musical: Alex Pinals for “The Music Man” from Northport. Felipe Gonzalez for “The Little Mermaid” from John Glenn. Joe Labua for “The Music Man” from Northport. Nolan Hinphy for “Beauty and the Beast” from Cold Spring Harbor. Quinn Theobald for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” from Harborfields.
Best Featured Actress in a Musical: Ana Cooke for “The Secret Garden” from Half Hollow Hills West. Jacqueline Barics for “The Phantom of the Opera” from Commack. Jordyn Axelrod for “The Phantom of the Opera.” L.J. Kindall for “Cinderella” from Huntington. Madison Maiella for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” from Harborfields.
Best Actor in a Musical: Adam Brett for “The Phantom of the Opera” from Commack. Augustine Maiorino for “Beauty and the Beast” from Cold Spring Harbor. Jackson McGill for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” Noah Marcus for “The Secret Garden” from Half Hollow Hills West. Terrence Sheldon for “The Little Mermaid” from John Glenn.
Best Actress in a Musical: Julia DeVita for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” from Harborfields. Lexie Spelman for “The Little Mermaid” from John Glenn. Marley Jacobson for “Into the Woods” from Half Hollow Hills East. Samantha Foti for “The Phantom of the Opera” from Commack. Shelby Herling for “Beauty and the Beast” from Cold Spring Harbor.
Best Ensemble in a Play: Cold Spring Harbor for “You Can’t Take It with You.” Commack for “Our Town.” Half Hollow Hills East for “The Crucible.” Half Hollow Hills West for “The Laramie Project.” Walt Whitman for “Front.”
Best Ensemble in a Musical: Harborfields for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” Half Hollow Hills East for “Into the Woods.” Huntington for “Cinderella.” John Glenn for “The Little Mermaid.” Walt Whitman for “Annie.”
Best Play: “You Can’t Take It with You,” Cold Spring Harbor. “Antigone,” Harborfields. “The Crucible,” Half Hollow Hills East. “The Dining Room,” Huntington. “Front,” Walt Whitman.
Best Musical: “Beauty and the Beast,” Cold Spring Harbor. “The Phantom of the Opera,” Commack. “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” Harborfields. “Into the Woods,” Half Hollow Hills East. “The Music Man,” Northport.