Cooper Toland has been honored as the 2025 recipient of the Connecticut The Heart of the Arts Award. It is a prestigious recognition presented to a student, adult, or group associated with a school’s arts program who exemplifies integrity, citizenship, and outstanding character.
Toland’s passion for drama began at the age of five when she took classes at Curtain Call Stamford. Since then, her journey has taken her from middle school productions to starring as Belle at the very place where it all began—Curtain Call—last August. Currently, she serves as President of the Strawberry Hill Players at Stamford High and has been a dedicated member of the Curtain Call board for seven years.
Beyond her commitment to the arts, Toland excels academically and in leadership roles. She is an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) student, the Assistant Director of UKnighted Nations tutoring, Vice President of Cancer Kids First, and the Connecticut representative for the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Foundation. Looking ahead, she plans to combine her love for the arts with her future career by studying Political Science next fall, with aspirations of becoming an entertainment lawyer.
Winning this award also meant being nominated for national recognition. As part of this honor, a camera crew followed Toland for a day, capturing how the arts have shaped her life. The resulting video features interviews with her teachers and family. It serves as a testament to her dedication and impact. On April 1st, she will attend a gala where her video will premiere on YouTube, celebrating her achievements and the profound role of the arts in her journey.
The Round Table: Who introduced you to this award, and how did you first hear about it?
Toland: I didn’t know anything about it. Miss Dunn told me she was nominating me for this banquet situation for presidents of drama clubs and it turned out to be the Heart of the Arts. So I really didn’t know anything about it until I found out that I won.
TRT: What does receiving this award mean to you?
Toland: I respect this foundation a lot. I haven’t known about it for very long, but they recognize people who work very hard within the arts. This could count as performance, physical art, debate, some athletes are also considered. It’s students and teachers, so anybody can be nominated. Half of the award is also that this person has overcome something, which is so important. I have never performed in the hopes of recognition, I do it because I love it, but it was definitely reassuring to see that my hard work didn’t go unnoticed.
TRT: How did you feel when the cameras came to your school to follow you for the day?
Toland: That was crazy actually because the way they made it sound in the email is that it would be one guy with his phone and when Miss. Dunn and I got down there, it’s 5 people, 3 cameras, and like a PR person. It was so much fun and everyone was super supportive.
TRT: Including the arts and not, who has been your biggest supporter on your journey?
Toland: Definitely my family, which is such a basic answer, but people not in theater don’t understand the commitment that being in a show requires. The rehearsals are everyday and all hours, the closer you get to the show the later they go. I’m a senior so I’ve only been driving for a year and a half. So before that, the rehearsals that ended at midnight, my parents would have to come pick me up. I’m very grateful to have them but it’s also an industry that is so subjective. It’s easy to get rejected and beaten down. Having my family help me pick myself back up is one of my biggest blessings.
TRT: How challenging is it to balance school and your artistic pursuits?
Toland: It’s definitely easiest when intertwined. Strawberry Hill Players for example, it’s the school’s drama club so we are able to work around school. It’s also helpful having an IB teacher as an advisor. She definitely understands everything. It’s hard when it’s out of school, but I just try and make sure I have time for everything.
TRT: What motivates you to push through long days or difficult times?
Toland: I think it’s the people involved, there is nothing like the community you find onstage. It’s really like having your own little family in every show. If there’s days where I don’t want to do this or doing it for me isn’t enough, I’m able to do it for them and just power through because I love them all.
TRT: Have the arts always had the biggest impact on your life, or have you recently reflected on your journey and realized the significance?
Toland: I did my first show when I was in 3rd grade, I was 10, I always loved singing. My parents would tell me I never shut up so it was fun to finally have an outlet for it. So I think because I grew up with it at such a young age and I was never an athlete, the arts were definitely my main extracurricular. Also, just growing up with it, the older you get, the more say you get in it. I’ve accumulated a few positions on boards across Stamford and leadership positions through the arts, and I’ve been able to see a lot of the things that go really well and don’t. So I think it’s had the biggest impact of anything because it led me to my future career of wanting to be an entertainment lawyer to help people get the representation they deserve.
TRT: What has been your favorite show to perform in?
Toland: Beauty and the Beast easily, being Belle was like a dream. That was awesome.
TRT: What’s your biggest pet peeve on stage?
Toland: My biggest pet peeve on stage is when people forget their lines and other people start whispering the lines to them on stage, when their mics are on.
