Printer Friendly Version - Shoreline Actresses Star in No Costume, No Candy

Kassidy Keirstead and Sophia Speringo play best friends in No Costume, No Candy, and became good friends while working on the movie. Photo courtesy of Keirstead family

Shoreline actresses Kassidy Keirstead and Sophia Speringo play best friends in a soon-to-be-released short film No Costume, No Candy, which will have its premier Saturday, April 29 at Madison Art Cinemas, 761 Boston Post Road, Madison.

Keirstead, 16, of Madison says she’s excited to attend with Speringo, 14, of East Haven. She says Director Keith Bearden has become a close friend and mentor, and that she became good friends with Speringo as well. It will mark Keirstead’s fifth film appearance.

The film is about two longtime friends who go on their last night of Halloween trick or treating while in pursuit of a high school crush. It’s a sweet and funny tribute to the fun of Halloween and the power of young women’s friendships. The movie was written and directed by Beardon, a filmmaker and Middletown native. The movie was shot entirely in Middletown and was produced by Hello Stranger, a French production company.

Keirstead has also auditioned for two other feature films, and is adding modeling to her résumé. She says appearing in No Costume, No Candy, which is currently in post-production, was fun.

“I’ve wanted to do this professionally for a long time now and it was a lot of fun and gave me a lot of experience,” she says.

While pursuing her goal of attending college for forensic psychology and criminology, Keirstead will continue acting. In the meantime, she is finishing her junior year at Daniel Hand High School, where she is a member of the grand champion VIBE show choir, and a member of the softball team.

Speringo attends East Haven Academy, where she is an 8th grader. She first appeared in a school play when she was in 5th grade, and has since appeared in Doritos commercials and two movies, along with several plays and musicals.

“My costar, Kassidy, and I became really close. We started a streak on Snapchat,” says Speringo. “I can’t wait for the premiere because I’ve never been to Paris and have always wanted to go there. Being able to go there and see my work on screen and having other people being able to see it is really cool.”

The Paris premiere for No Costume No Candy will be this summer. That will be followed by European and American film festivals.

The premier of No Costume, No Candy will be Saturday, April 29 at Madison Art Cinema, in Madison, followed by a European premier in Paris this coming Sunday. Photo courtesy of the Kierstead family

This is Kassidy Keirstead’s fifth film appearance. Photo courtesy of the Keirstead family

No Costume, No Candy takes as its subject the fun of Halloween, a high school crush, and the enduring nature of women’s friendships. Photo courtesy of the Keirstead family.

Kassidy Keirstead is a senior at Daniel Hand High School, a member of the show choir, and also on the softball team. Photo courtesy of the Keirstead family

No Costume, No Candy was shot entirely in Connecticut, and features two actresses from the shoreline, Kassidy Keirstead of Madison, and Sophia Speringo of East Haven. Photo courtesy of the Keirstead family

Kassidy Keirstead, center photo courtesy of the Keirstead family

Sophia Speringo is an eighth grader who attends the East Haven Academy. Photo courtesy of Speringo family