Critics and Awards Program for High School Students
Encyclopedia
The Cappies is an international program for recognizing, celebrating, and providing learning experiences for high school
theater and journalism
students and teenage playwrights.
There are currently 17 Cappies programs in the U.S. and Canada, ranging in size from five to fifty-five participating high schools. Within each program, every participating high school selects three to nine students for a critic team. After receiving intensive training in theater criticism and review writing
, they attend plays and musicals at other high schools in their area. They write reviews (of roughly 400 words) on deadline. Volunteer teacher-mentors lead discussions and select the critic-written reviews that are later published by area newspapers, with student bylines.
The programs operate in and around Baltimore, Maryland (see "the Cappies in Baltimore, Maryland
"); Cincinnati, Ohio
; Dallas, Texas
; El Paso, Texas
; Ft. Lauderdale – Palm Beach, Florida; Houston, Texas
; Kansas City, Missouri
; Melbourne, Florida
; Northern New Jersey; Orange County, California
; Orlando, Florida
; Philadelphia, PA; St. Louis, Missouri
; Salt Lake City, Utah
; Springfield, Missouri
; Washington, DC; Edmonton, Canada; and Ottawa, Canada.
To start a Cappies program, a group of interested persons must organize a local Steering Committee and apply for a charter. There is no fee for the first year, but costs of Cappies for schools are rising. According to Cynthia Bates, an Ottawa school teacher, "there was previously a capital reserve fund that helped to offset the immense costs associated with Cappies. This fund has been eliminated - now each school is asked to come up with $1,400 to register." Unfortunately Cappies may become a more expensive, exclusive program, which goes against the founders vision. The Cappies is a charitable organization, and the adults who run the program are volunteers.
founder Bill Strauss approached Fairfax County, Virginia
public school administrator Judy Bowns, and together they developed the plan for the program. The program began in Fairfax and immediately became popular among high school drama departments in the area, growing from 14 schools in the fall of 1999 to 23 schools by that spring. The Cappies quickly spread to encompass the entire metro Washington, D.C., area. The Washington Post
, as well as several other local papers, published student-written reviews often with photographs (They have since ceased this activity, but instead now post these reviews online in a section entitled "Tomorrow's Critics"). As a result, the Cappies became a showcase for local theater and journalism talent, with over 50 schools around Washington, the largest Cappies region. Since 2002, it has operated nationwide, with new regional groups appearing yearly.
Participating schools select one show (a play
or a musical
) as their Cappies show. (Some smaller Cappies programs allow schools to select two shows.) The schools also select teachers to be mentors, who supervise the student critics and help maintain the integrity of the review-writing process. Before the season begins, the mentors and critics receive training from Cappies officials and are often aided by local journalists.
On the night of a Cappies show, the critics arrive early, attend the performance
, and hold private discussions beforehand, during intermission
, and after the show. Afterward, they do a preliminary awards evaluation, selecting who will be on the Cappie awards ballot at the end of the year. After returning home, each critic
writes a 200- to 600-word review. The mentors select the reviews they consider the most honest, objective, and best-written, which are then forwarded to local newspapers, many of whom publish these reviews with student bylines.
Critics are encouraged to write real reviews, differentiating between shows that are outstanding and those that fall short in various ways. Cappies reviews can and usually do include criticisms, but these should be objective and fair. Also, individuals responsible for a problem should not be named. For example, if a vocalist sings off-key
, a critic may state that as an issue in the show, but may not identify the vocalist. With these rules, the Cappies program reflects a consensus among theater teachers, that at the high school level, criticisms are appropriate if they are constructive, not if they are harsh, sarcastic, or personal.
After awards voting, each program then holds a Cappies Gala to present Cappie awards and to celebrate the year’s shows. Sometimes these Galas are held at a high school, other times at major theater venues. The Cappies of the National Capital Area holds its Gala in the Concert Hall of the Kennedy Center; the center's largest performance space.These Galas are formal and generally include local V.I.P. award presenters, along with performances of songs or scenes from nominated shows. They usually run from two-and-a-half to three hours and some are televised.
for Cappies nominations and awards. Except for critic awards (determined by a digital formula), all Cappie nominations and awards are decided by student critics.
The student critics gather at a central computer site to vote. This process is carefully supervised by adult proctors, and reviewed for accuracy by a trustee and auditor. Depending on the program, there can be anywhere from three to five nominees per award category. The nominees are announced shortly after the voting.
The outcome of all awards is determined by a unique software developed in 2002 by two high school students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
in Alexandria, Virginia
.
Awards are only given to high school students in grades 9-12. The amount of adult involvement in offstage work (building sets
, sewing costumes, playing in orchestras, etc.) is strictly established in the rules. A Cappies show that has adults exceeding the allowed level of involvement is not eligible for that category, but is eligible for all other awards.
A Steering Committee of a regional Cappies program can, if it chooses, give a Special Award for Service to a high school student who gave exceptional help, either to the Cappies or to high school theater throughout his or her region.
The Cappies International Theater is a summer program focused on the development of dramatic and musical skills. They produce several shows, in different categories, and often perform the work of their peers. Students interested in the technical elements of theater also have opportunities to practice and demonstrate their skills.
Cappies International Theater began in the summer of 2002, at a small theater in Hollywood. In 2003, in partnership with the Kennedy Center, it moved to Washington, D.C., under the name Cappies National Theater. When the first Canadian program (in Ottawa) joined the Cappies in 2005, the name was changed to Cappies International Theater. Starting in 2006, C.I.T. began featuring works by high school student playwrights, including the two full-length musicals Edit:Undo and Senioritis. Both those musicals were written by nine-person creative teams of student book writers, lyricists, composers, and a digital artist.
of Edit:Undo are available for sale on the web site.
In 2007, the C.I.T. company presented the student-written musical Senioritis, which is about the anxieties of senior year. A CD and feature-length film will be made of Senioritis, following the Kennedy Center performances.
In 2008, the Cappies entered into a Licensing Agreement with the schools musical publisher Next Gen Publications, to represent Edit:Undo, Senioritis, Free-the-Music.com and founder Strauss's Makiddo worldwide.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
theater and journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
students and teenage playwrights.
There are currently 17 Cappies programs in the U.S. and Canada, ranging in size from five to fifty-five participating high schools. Within each program, every participating high school selects three to nine students for a critic team. After receiving intensive training in theater criticism and review writing
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
, they attend plays and musicals at other high schools in their area. They write reviews (of roughly 400 words) on deadline. Volunteer teacher-mentors lead discussions and select the critic-written reviews that are later published by area newspapers, with student bylines.
The programs operate in and around Baltimore, Maryland (see "the Cappies in Baltimore, Maryland
The Cappies in Baltimore, Maryland
The Cappies are awarded to honor excellence in high school theater across the United States. The Washington metropolitan area contains over 50 high schools and is therefore the largest Cappies region...
"); Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
; Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
; El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
; Ft. Lauderdale – Palm Beach, Florida; Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
; Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
; Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of 2009, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 78,323. The municipal area is the second largest by size and by population in the county. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida...
; Northern New Jersey; Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
; Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
; Philadelphia, PA; St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
; Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
; Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
; Washington, DC; Edmonton, Canada; and Ottawa, Canada.
To start a Cappies program, a group of interested persons must organize a local Steering Committee and apply for a charter. There is no fee for the first year, but costs of Cappies for schools are rising. According to Cynthia Bates, an Ottawa school teacher, "there was previously a capital reserve fund that helped to offset the immense costs associated with Cappies. This fund has been eliminated - now each school is asked to come up with $1,400 to register." Unfortunately Cappies may become a more expensive, exclusive program, which goes against the founders vision. The Cappies is a charitable organization, and the adults who run the program are volunteers.
History
The Cappies began in 1999, in response to the Columbine tragedy, as an effort to bring more positive attention to teenagers engaged in creative pursuits. Capitol StepsCapitol Steps
The Capitol Steps are an American political satire group. It has been performing since 1981, and has released approximately thirty albums consisting primarily of song parodies. Originally consisting exclusively of Congressional staffers performing around Washington, D.C., the troupe now primarily...
founder Bill Strauss approached Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
public school administrator Judy Bowns, and together they developed the plan for the program. The program began in Fairfax and immediately became popular among high school drama departments in the area, growing from 14 schools in the fall of 1999 to 23 schools by that spring. The Cappies quickly spread to encompass the entire metro Washington, D.C., area. The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, as well as several other local papers, published student-written reviews often with photographs (They have since ceased this activity, but instead now post these reviews online in a section entitled "Tomorrow's Critics"). As a result, the Cappies became a showcase for local theater and journalism talent, with over 50 schools around Washington, the largest Cappies region. Since 2002, it has operated nationwide, with new regional groups appearing yearly.
Organization and Process
Each regional program has a Steering Committee, with a charter from The Cappies. These are volunteers who oversee the work done by critics and teacher-mentors (who are also volunteers), and who then produce the Cappies Gala.Participating schools select one show (a play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
or a musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
) as their Cappies show. (Some smaller Cappies programs allow schools to select two shows.) The schools also select teachers to be mentors, who supervise the student critics and help maintain the integrity of the review-writing process. Before the season begins, the mentors and critics receive training from Cappies officials and are often aided by local journalists.
On the night of a Cappies show, the critics arrive early, attend the performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
, and hold private discussions beforehand, during intermission
Intermission
An intermission or interval is a recess between parts of a performance or production, such as for a theatrical play, opera, concert, or film screening....
, and after the show. Afterward, they do a preliminary awards evaluation, selecting who will be on the Cappie awards ballot at the end of the year. After returning home, each critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
writes a 200- to 600-word review. The mentors select the reviews they consider the most honest, objective, and best-written, which are then forwarded to local newspapers, many of whom publish these reviews with student bylines.
Critics are encouraged to write real reviews, differentiating between shows that are outstanding and those that fall short in various ways. Cappies reviews can and usually do include criticisms, but these should be objective and fair. Also, individuals responsible for a problem should not be named. For example, if a vocalist sings off-key
Off-key
Off-key is a term often used to denote musical content that is not at the expected frequency or pitch period, either with respect to some absolute reference frequency, or in a ratiometric sense Off-key is a term often used to denote musical content that is not at the expected frequency or pitch...
, a critic may state that as an issue in the show, but may not identify the vocalist. With these rules, the Cappies program reflects a consensus among theater teachers, that at the high school level, criticisms are appropriate if they are constructive, not if they are harsh, sarcastic, or personal.
After awards voting, each program then holds a Cappies Gala to present Cappie awards and to celebrate the year’s shows. Sometimes these Galas are held at a high school, other times at major theater venues. The Cappies of the National Capital Area holds its Gala in the Concert Hall of the Kennedy Center; the center's largest performance space.These Galas are formal and generally include local V.I.P. award presenters, along with performances of songs or scenes from nominated shows. They usually run from two-and-a-half to three hours and some are televised.
Cappie Awards
- Critic (based on gender or year in school)
- Critic Team
- Sound
- Make-Up
- Props and Effects
- Lighting
- Sets
- Costumes
- Stage Crew
- Orchestra
- Choreography
- Creativity
- Ensemble in a Play
- Ensemble in a Musical
- Featured Actor
- Featured Actress
- Female Dancer
- Male Dancer
- Female Vocalist
- Male Vocalist
- Comic Actress in a Play
- Comic Actor in a Play
- Comic Actress in a Musical
- Comic Actor in a Musical
- Supporting Actress in a Play
- Supporting Actor in a Play
- Supporting Actress in a Musical
- Supporting Actor in a Musical
- Lead Actress in a Play
- Lead Actor in a Play
- Lead Actress in a Musical
- Lead Actor in a Musical
- Song
- Play
- Musical
Awards Rules
At the end of the school year, within each program, critics who review the required minimum number of shows (usually 5) become judgesAdjudicator
An adjudicator is someone who presides, judges and arbitrates during a formal dispute. The term adjudicator essentially means a judge, without invoking the legal term. An ombudsman is a type of adjudicator in local government in the United Kingdom....
for Cappies nominations and awards. Except for critic awards (determined by a digital formula), all Cappie nominations and awards are decided by student critics.
The student critics gather at a central computer site to vote. This process is carefully supervised by adult proctors, and reviewed for accuracy by a trustee and auditor. Depending on the program, there can be anywhere from three to five nominees per award category. The nominees are announced shortly after the voting.
The outcome of all awards is determined by a unique software developed in 2002 by two high school students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a Virginia state-chartered magnet school located within Fairfax County, Virginia, United States...
in Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
.
Awards are only given to high school students in grades 9-12. The amount of adult involvement in offstage work (building sets
Set construction
Set construction is the process by which a set designer works in collaboration with the director of a production to create the set for a theatrical, film or television production...
, sewing costumes, playing in orchestras, etc.) is strictly established in the rules. A Cappies show that has adults exceeding the allowed level of involvement is not eligible for that category, but is eligible for all other awards.
A Steering Committee of a regional Cappies program can, if it chooses, give a Special Award for Service to a high school student who gave exceptional help, either to the Cappies or to high school theater throughout his or her region.
Cappies International Theater
Every summer, winners of Lead Actor and Actress awards from all programs are invited to attend the Cappies International Theater. This C.I.T. company presents three shows, all written entirely by high school students: Starz! (monologues, songs, and minimusicals), Playz! (short plays), and a full-length student-written musical. The last two shows are performed at the Kennedy Center Theater Lab.The Cappies International Theater is a summer program focused on the development of dramatic and musical skills. They produce several shows, in different categories, and often perform the work of their peers. Students interested in the technical elements of theater also have opportunities to practice and demonstrate their skills.
Cappies International Theater began in the summer of 2002, at a small theater in Hollywood. In 2003, in partnership with the Kennedy Center, it moved to Washington, D.C., under the name Cappies National Theater. When the first Canadian program (in Ottawa) joined the Cappies in 2005, the name was changed to Cappies International Theater. Starting in 2006, C.I.T. began featuring works by high school student playwrights, including the two full-length musicals Edit:Undo and Senioritis. Both those musicals were written by nine-person creative teams of student book writers, lyricists, composers, and a digital artist.
Student Written Musicals
In 2006, C.I.T. presented the student-written musical Edit:Undo, which is about teenage life and relationships in the digital era. A CD and DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
of Edit:Undo are available for sale on the web site.
In 2007, the C.I.T. company presented the student-written musical Senioritis, which is about the anxieties of senior year. A CD and feature-length film will be made of Senioritis, following the Kennedy Center performances.
In 2008, the Cappies entered into a Licensing Agreement with the schools musical publisher Next Gen Publications, to represent Edit:Undo, Senioritis, Free-the-Music.com and founder Strauss's Makiddo worldwide.
See also
- Canada's Capital CappiesCanada's Capital CappiesCanada's Capital Cappies is the name given to the Cappies program operating in Ottawa, ON, Canada.-2007-08 Season:The 2007-08 season, Ottawa's third Cappies season, featured 32 shows performed by 30 schools across the city...
(Ottawa, Canada) - The Cappies in Baltimore, MarylandThe Cappies in Baltimore, MarylandThe Cappies are awarded to honor excellence in high school theater across the United States. The Washington metropolitan area contains over 50 high schools and is therefore the largest Cappies region...
- National Pacemaker AwardsNational Pacemaker AwardsThe National Pacemaker Awards are awards for excellence in American student journalism, given annually since 1927. The awards are generally considered to be the highest national honors in their field, and are unofficially known as the "Pulitzer Prizes of student journalism."The National Scholastic...
(high school and college) - Edit:Undo
- High School Musicals
- SenioritisSenioritis (musical)Senioritis is a high school musical comedy about the stresses of senior year and is a satire on teachers, parents, college admissions, celebrities, and the money culture...