Robinson Secondary School, Madison and Westfield High won five, four and three Cappies, respectively, to garner 12 — nearly a third — of the 35 total awards presented at this at Sunday night's 2003 Cappies Gala at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Robinson's production of "My Fair Lady"'s technical merits were honored with awards for best stage crew, best makeup and best costumes. On-stage performances for best male vocalist and best featured actor in a musical.
"This is a total surprise. I worked hard, but this is a shock," said Jessica Mueller, the 16-year-old junior whose makeup caught the Cappies' eye. "I'm shaking all over. I'm so happy — this is a dream come true for me."
Dreams also came true for Ryan Ransom, the 18-year-old Robinson senior who won best male vocalist. "I was Freddie Eynsford Hill, the love interest of Eliza [Doolittle]," Ransom said. "It's really, really cool. My goal in the beginning was just to be nominated, so winning is just great. I'm happy — wow — that's all I can say."
Robinson junior Richard Gartrell, 17, picked up a featured actor Cappie for his portrayal of Col. Pickering in "My Fair Lady." The hardest part, he said, was "making my cues — knowing what's going on when I was offstage." The best thing about playing this part, he said, was that "the accent and the characterization were a lot of fun."
"I like the Cappies," Gartrell said. "It's good to see recognition for works like this," he said. "[Winning Cappie awards] is a good reflection on our school and our program."
Centreville High's "Rumors" was honored as best play, and Madison High's "Chicago" took the trophy for best musical.
Centreville's Eric St. Peter was chosen best lead actor in a play for his portrayal of party guest Lenny Ganz, and Emily Bever captured best lead-actress honors for her performance in the title role of Chantilly's "I Remember Mama."
Yasir Latifi was selected best lead actor for his portrayal of Julian Marsh in Hayfield's "42nd Street," and Margaret Long of Osbourn Park, in Prince William County, was honored as best lead actress in a musical for her role in "Camelot."
The experience honored both individual and team efforts, but in the end many winners took time to reflect on the teamwork that makes or breaks a theater piece. Said Jim Gertzog, a part of the Cappie-winning W.T. Woodson "Little Shop of Horrors" stage crew, "We all worked very hard. The whole company worked together to put this on, and we owe [this award] to the whole effort."
Under the auspices of the Cappies (Critics and Awards Program), nearly 300 theater students from public and private high schools in Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., attended each others' shows, wrote reviews for newspapers and TV and served as judges.
Except for the three critics awards, all Cappie nominations and awards were based entirely on the votes of student critics. Some 43 shows — 25 musicals and 18 plays — competed for this year's Cappies, which honor both actors and tech crews.