Sophomore Kelly Campion was nominated for Gene Kelly Best Supporting Actress. Photo Courtesy of Evelyn Esek.

Sophomore Kelly Campion grew up watching shows at the Benedum theater.

“I’ve seen musicals there before, and I always thought it would be cool to perform on that stage someday,” Campion said. 

Now she will be able to. Campion is one of six Gene Kelly Award nominees for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the fairy godmother in the school’s production of Cinderella. The Gene Kelly Awards ceremony will be held on May 25. 

Campion will be a part of the opening number for the ceremony. Senior Olivia Garofalo, who reached the semifinal round of nominees for Best Actress, will also get to be a part of the opener. 

Campion, as a finalist, will line up on stage for the presentation of the Best Supporting Actress award. 

Campion found out about her nomination today in school. 

“I found out in gym class. I refreshed the web page and wanted to start screaming,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting it, so it was really exciting.”

In her fairy godmother role, Campion was lifted into the air to give the illusion that she was “flying.” She wore a harness under her dress for the whole show, and was hoisted toward the top of the curtains two times during the show.

“It was something new to try,” Campion said. “I got used to it quickly, after the first week or so. I had to have a lot of trust and go with the flow.”

Musical Director Alex Bowman also thought the maneuver was successful. 

“I think it was super fun. We brought (experts) in, they trained us how to do it, and it was really awesome,” he said. 

She started her musical journey at age 7. Now she has earned her first Gene Kelly nomination. 

Bowman believes that Campion has a bright future ahead of her.

“Her future is exciting to think about because she is someone who puts in the required effort to be the best that she can be. If she continues, there are no limits,” he said. 

Campion thanked her family and friends as well as her musical directors as her biggest supporters, and noted that the audience also played a big role in her success. 

“We got a lot of applause, and the audience loved all of the transitions,” she said. 

Her musical journey is far from over, as she plans to be a part of her remaining Baldwin High School musicals as well as theater in college. She will also continue her work with the South Park Children’s Theater this summer. 

I’ll be in ‘Hansel and Gretel’ this year,” she said. “I’m looking forward to it.”