Wilton has nationally-ranked athletes, impressive debaters, talented artists, and all around kind-hearted and genuine kids. One Wilton High School senior has shined on the stage, reaping awards including this year’s Fine and Performing Arts Scholarship, starring as Guineviere in the spring WHS stage production of Camelot, and taking part in a national girls’ empowerment campaign music video. But for Caitlin Witty, who is pursuing her lifelong dream of a career in musical theater at Webster University next fall, last night she had an even bigger dream come true–attending the Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Caitlin’s parents, Kimberly and Jason Witty, surprised her with the graduation present of a life time–two tickets to attend the Tonys, which recognize outstanding performances in Broadway productions! “I told them not to get me anything because they helped me so much with college auditions…they’re amazing!” she says.
Luckily Caitlin just went to prom so she had a formal long black dress in order to be red-carpet ready. She brought along one of her best friends, fellow WHS senior Lauren Echausse, who also plans on studying musical theater. They were both over the moon about going to the celebrity-studded event of the season for anyone who’s who in the theater world.
“I wouldn’t say I’m hoping to meet anyone, I’m just beyond excited to be there and feel the energy in the room,” Caitlin said.
She has always known she’d wind up in the world of theater and acting. With a laugh she says, “My mom says I was singing before I could speak.” She participated in her first show in the 4th grade at Crystal Theater in Norwalk.
“It has never been a question. I have always known that this is what I want to do. It’s always been very serious, I was always going to get a BFA in musical theater, there has never been any other path,” she adds.
In addition to her turn as Queen Guinevere, she performed in a plethora of WHS production, from the whimsical 2011 Underclassmen Show: Gooney Bird Green, where she played the lead as just a freshman, to a lowly street orphan in Oliver!, to Eponine in Les Miserables, to Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, and an inordinate amount of other miscellaneous plays at WHS and other professional and recreational studios.
It’s clear her ardor runs deep, as she gets a little misty talking about her love for musical theater.
“It makes me really emotional when I talk about it, because I just want to impact people. I think [I most love] all the passion that goes into it, because to make really good art and a really good piece of theater everyone is so invested in it, it gives you the opportunity to make people feel uncomfortable and to challenge them; and to present something to them that they wouldn’t normally see and to take them out of their normal, every-day lives; and talk about topics that people don’t usually talk about.”
She’s got some advice to anyone aspiring to pursue musical theater professionally.
“Know in your heart that you are good enough, regardless of what anybody else says, the fact that you have that makes it so special. To be open and really listen to what other people say and be as honest as you can. Never lose the love of what it is and don’t ever feel pressure to impress anyone or like you need to live up to someone’s expectations; you do this because you love it, not for other people, you are always doing it for yourself and to feed your own personal soul, not to impress others, or meet their expectations.”
So last night was her first trip to the Tony Awards; does she hope it won’t be the last, with perhaps one day hearing, ‘And the Tony goes to…Caitlin Witty!’
“I think any musical theater performer is lying if they say they have never dreamed of one day receiving a Tony, and possibly fake rehearsing their speech in their bathroom just in case–but it’s not a ‘goal.’ I want to make art and impact people, everything else is icing on the cake.”