Critics and Awards Program for High School Students

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The Critics and Awards Program for High School Students or short form, The Cappies, is an American high school awards program intended to encourage students to become involved in the theater. Each participating high school selects several students to serve as critics, who attend musical and dramatic performances by at high schools, reviewing them and voting on participants for an awards ceremony in late Spring.

The Cappies Awards are given at a gala at a performing arts space, usually a fairly notable one; for example, the National Capital Area Cappies Gala is held in the opera house of the Kennedy Center. The events are generally black tie and cost admission to attend. Because the galas usually attract several hundred students, tickets can be difficult to get. The ceremony lasts several hours and includes performances of many of the nominated songs or short scenes from plays.

The program operates in and around Washington, DC; El Paso, Texas; Cincinnati, Ohio; Kansas City, Missouri; Dallas, Texas; Orange County, California; Orlando, Florida; and Melbourne, Florida. In 2006, St. Louis, Missouri; Miami, Florida; Baltimore, Maryland; Springfield, Missouri; Charleston, South Carolina; the Treasure Coast in Florida; the Greater Philadelphia area; and Ottawa, Ontario all saw interested individuals open new chapters.

In addition to the local programs, winners of the individual Cappies awards can attend the Cappies National Theater, a summer program focused on workshopping and performng a dramatic play, a musical, and a variety or cabaret show.

Contents

[edit] History

The Cappies began in metropolitan Washington as a way to give recognition to performing arts, especially dramatic and musical theater in high schools, in light of the 1999 Columbine massacre. Capitol Steps founder Bill Strauss approached Fairfax, Virginia public school administrator Judy Bowns, lamenting the level of attention that he felt was given to student athletes in comparison to the amount of effort and passion needed to perform. Together, they developed the plan for a large-scale recognition similar to the Tonys. Instead of simply notifying reporters, they chose peer review, since Strauss had been concern that local newspapers simply would not cover the articles.

The program immediately became popular among high school drama departments in the area, growing from 14 in 1999 to 38 in 2002. A major boost occurred when the Washington Post began publishing student reviews in the Local Extra section, usually with photographs. As a result, it became a showcase for local talent, with over 50 schools around Washington alone. Since 2001, it has operated nationwide, with new regional groups appearing yearly.

[edit] Organization and process

Each local area has a steering committee, which holds a charter from the national organization. These are volunteer groups that select and coördinate the critics, member schools, and the gala event. Once a member, a school picks a show to submit for performance. The schools also select students to serve as critics, while adults can volunteer to be mentors to ensure fair treatment of both the play and the critics. Before the season begin, the critics receive training from local journalists, since the students will have to write reviews for the five plays they must attend.

On the night of the show, the critics arrive and view the performance, taking notes. Afterwards, they discuss the play in seclusion, each rating individuals in the appropriate categories. Each critic writes a 300-400 word review, one of which the mentors choose for publication. That review is then published in local newspapers, as well as in the local sections of wide-circulation newspapers.

Later, the critics gather to vote on the best performances, announcing five nominees. The winnners are announced at the gala ceremony in May.

[edit] Cappies Awards

Awards are only given to high school students in grades 9-12. However, adult supervision is permitted for activities in all awards categories. Likewise, ensembles containing some adults or younger students are accepted, although awards do not go to them. A large trophy with three stars is given to the play or musical winners, while individuals receive a smaller trophy with only one star. All nominees get gold medallions, as do members of groups of awardees.

Also, up to four individuals from each school can be given commendations - bronze medallions - for miscellaneous important contributions, but these are not handed out at the ceremony.

[edit] Critics

  1. Critic, based on age, gender, or year in school. The number awarded is determined by the steering committee.
  2. Critics Team.

[edit] High School Awards

  1. Sound.
  2. Lighting.
  3. Sets.
  4. Make-Up.
  5. Props and Effects.
  6. Stage Crew.
  7. Orchestra.
  8. Choreography.
  9. Creativity.
  10. Ensemble in a Play.
  11. Ensemble in a Musical.
  12. Cameo Actor. (may be split into two awards, for a play and for a musical).
  13. Female Dancer.
  14. Male Dancer.
  15. Female Vocalist.
  16. Male Vocalist.
  17. Comic Actress in a Play.
  18. Comic Actor in a Play.
  19. Comic Actress in a Musical. .
  20. Comic Actor in a Musical.
  21. Featured Actress in a Play.
  22. Featured Actor in a Play.
  23. Featured Actress in a Musical.
  24. Featured Actor in a Musical.
  25. Lead Actress in a Play.
  26. Lead Actor in a Play.
  27. Lead Actress in a Musical.
  28. Lead Actor in a Musical.
  29. Song.
  30. Play.
  31. Musical.

[edit] Special Awards

Occasionally, the steering committee of the local Cappies group can choose to award individuals who exceptionally helped either the Cappies program itself or at a local high school. Unlike other prizes, this award can be given to adults.

[edit] Cappies National Theater

Cappies winners can elect to attend the Cappies National Theater, a summer program focused on the development of dramatic and musical skills. They produce several shows, in different categories. Usually the students perform the work of their peers. Students interested in the technical elements of theater also have opportunities to practice and demonstrate their skills.

[edit] Criticism

The largest complaint amongst students is the amount of censoring that goes into the reviews written about shows. Previously students were not allowed to write anything negative about shows they were critiquing. Though restrictions have loosened recently, significantly negative reviews are still censored.

Another issue is in the selection of cast members in shows to be nominated for awards. Often, cast members will be assigned seemingly random nominations. Reasons are often based around student desires to "Spread around" the awards, and Adult desires to end post-show meetings.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  • Adam Campbell and Victoria Hays, "How the Cappies Got Started: An Interview with a Co-Founder" http://www.cappies.com/usa/start/strauss.html. Accessed at 7:40 AM UTC, January 31, 2006.
  • The New York Times, "Theater Students Get Their Share of the Limelight." The New York Times June 23, 2002. Late Edition - Final. Section 1.
  • Meredith Billman-Mani, "Adversity Begets Cappies — and More." The Connection Newspaper April 15, 2004.
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