First 'Hunting-Tony' Awards Honor Student Performers

It was a night of glamor and fun Tuesday at Engeman Theater in Northport when awards were handed out to performing arts students across the town for their plays and musicals.

Sponsored by the theater, the town’s first "Hunting-Tony" Awards ceremony attracted more than 370 students, parents and faculty members involved in area performing arts programs.

took honors for best supporting actress in a play and best playbill for a musical, while won for best musical and best actor in a musical.

Town Council members Mark Cuthbertson and Susan A. Berland offered opening remarks after a pre-show where student nominees, many of whom wore tuxedos and evening gowns, walked a red carpet.

There were 24 categories that recognized acting, singing, choreography, stage crew and design, orchestra pits, costumes and playbill design. A panel of volunteer judges attended each play and musical production performed by a public high school within the town, and determined the winners by using a standard judging rubric.

The show featured musical numbers from five high school productions: "Fugue for Tinhorns" from Guys and Dolls, performed by Josh Estes, Tim Hottinger and Sam Seleznow of Half Hollow Hills High School East; "If I Loved You" from Carousel, performed by Chelsea Holmes and Jonah Kramer of Huntington High School; "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid" from "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," performed by Josh Gaines, Matt Kunkel, Danny Meglio and Tom Meglio of Northport High School; "Impossible," from Cinderella, performed by Lexi Martin and Corrine Valenti of Half Hollow Hills High School West; and "Lily's Eyes" from The Secret Garden, performed by John Bolger and Kyle Timson of Harborfields High School. All performances had a musical accompaniment on a piano sponsored by Steinway & Sons.

The "Hunting-Tony" Awards show will be featured on Cablevision's MSG Varsity Channel 14 program "High School Journal" and will be shown on the town's government access channels.

The awards showcase the talent and passion that exists in the town’s high school's theatre and fine arts programs, Cuthbertson said.

Berland said the Hunting-Tonys “are a fantastic way to recognize Town of Huntington students who participate in the performing arts and spend countless hours perfecting their productions.” She encouraged everyone to support theater by attending high school productions as well as the shows at the Engeman Theater.

The evening was a lot of fun, said Huntington teacher Michael Schwendemann, drama club adviser and director.  "It was great to see the high school performing arts programs celebrated in a time where they seem to be the first to go during budget cuts," he said.