So what's this buzz about the Cappies?
Last May, when the chair of the Fairfax County School Board called Jack Dale to offer him the position as superintendent of schools, his wife Val whispered in his ear, "Before you say yes, ask for two tickets to the Cappies Gala." He did, they got the tix, he accepted the job, and the rest is history.
The Dales knew, as many others around town are learning, that the National Capital Area — the birthplace of the Cappies — is emerging as one of America's premier locations for high school theater.
MOST HIGH SCHOOL theater and music departments in our area are really, really good. The teachers are skilled, dedicated, and demanding. And, as a result, the plays and musicals you can see here are, on the whole, outstanding.
In this era of budget challenges, most of our school systems are continuing to give the arts a high priority — funding teaching positions, renovating theaters, even adding "black boxes" to give young performers space for smaller shows. So here's a "thank you" to the taxpayers, too.
Our teenagers are so wonderfully talented, and the shows they put on are so good, so fresh, so fun. They're bringing back that old "That's Entertainment" MGM-Busby Berkeley glam, with enormous sets, extravagant costumes, big dance numbers, and that old Judy Garland — Mickey Rooney "let's put on a show' attitude.
If anyone tries to tell you that today's American teenagers — or, more to the point, teenagers around Northern Virginia — don't meet any global standards, ask them to find you schools anywhere else in the world that have music and theater programs anywhere close to what you'll find here, in public, private, or parochial schools. You won't find this in Japan, England, Germany, you-name-it.
SIX YEARS AGO, in the aftermath of the Columbine tragedy, Judy Bowns and I founded this "critics and awards" program called the Cappies, as a new way of celebrating students with talent in theater and journalism. Each year, we train high school students as theater critics. Then they attend and review each others' shows, aided by teacher volunteers, who select the best reviews for publication in The Connection, The Washington Post, and other area newspapers.
On Sunday, May 15, the critics will act as awards judges, and will vote to determine who wins "Cappie" awards and nominations. Three weeks later, on June 5, those awards will be presented at a formal Tonys-style Cappies Gala at the Concert Hall of the Kennedy Center.
Cappies Galas also take place every May or June in grand theater venues in Baltimore, Cincinnati, Fort Lauderdale, and other cities. We've added new Cappies programs in Orlando, St. Louis, and Charleston, South Carolina — now there are 13 across the U.S. — and next year, we expect to have new programs in Philadelphia, San Diego, and San Francisco, among other places. And it all started here, in Northern Virginia.
This year, we have 50 participating schools in the National Capital Area, most in Virginia, but several in Maryland and the District of Columbia. We've trained over 300 critics. On the night of a Cappies show, usually about 40 critics attend. You can't miss them, with their binders and buttons, as they file into their seats right before show time. Cappies night is an especially good occasion to see a high school play or musical, because the excitement level is so high — but they often sell out, so you'd better make reservations in advance.
THIS SPRING, area high schools are presenting a terrific lineup of shows. A handful are plays, ranging from the classic ("Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "Lysistrada," "Noises Off") to the unfamiliar ("Morph," "Spofford"), to the contemporary ("The Laramie Project").
First and foremost, spring is the season for musicals. Some are shows not often done by high school ("Children of Eden," "Crazy for You," "Evita," "The Fantasticks," "The Wiz"). In April and May, you'll also have a chance to see a number of old favorites — "Bye Bye Birdie," "Damn Yankees," "Guys and Dolls," "Into the Woods," "Les Miserables," "Man of La Mancha," and "West Side Story." Often, high school theater departments find clever ways of giving an old standard a new twist.
Those are just the Cappies shows — and there are lots of other terrific spring shows presented by schools whose Cappies shows were last fall. You can learn about those, especially the ones close by, in the pages of this Connection pullout section.
This summer, you can enjoy a special Cappies treat, by attending one of the three shows of the Cappies National Theater. Now in its fourth year, the "CNT" invites top Cappies winners from across the U.S. — the lead actor and actress winners in each program — to join an all-star teenage cast and crew. Over a span of just 24 days, these 50 up-and-coming young stars will present three shows.
On Monday evening, July 25, they will present "Starz!," a cabaret of new songs and play cuttings, at McLean's Alden Theater. On Monday evening, Aug. 1, they will present "Playz!" — a festival of one-act comedies — at the Kennedy Center's Theater Lab, and on the evening of Monday, Aug. 8, they will present "Muzical!," a developmental workshop of a new musical, also at the Theater Lab. All tickets will be $20.
Each of these must-see shows will also be performed on successive Sunday afternoons (July 24, July 31, and Aug. 7) at Woodson High School, where tickets will be $10.
This summer, the Cappies National Theater is pleased to join forces with the Fairfax Youth Partnership, and a major part of the show proceeds will go toward funding programs benefiting teenagers in our community. So you'll know that, when you buy a ticket to see these talented young people, you'll be helping to raise money for a very good local cause.
TODAY'S YOUNG PEOPLE are putting on wonderful shows, and it's up to the adult community to support them. We're pleased to report that, with very few exceptions, local papers are doing their part. The Connection has taken a very active and commendable role here. Over the past three years, The Connection has published special fall and spring season high school theater pullout sections, like this one.
The edition you're reading here, for schools in your immediate area, shows only a fraction of what The Connection is reporting about high school theater, across most of Northern Virginia and parts of D.C.'s Maryland suburbs. I know of no other paper, anywhere in the U.S., that matches what you'll find on these pages.
I'm sure Steven Mauren, editor of The Connection, would join me in urging: If you're driving by a school, any school, and you see a play or musical posted on the marquee, mark your calendar. When the time comes, roll into that free parking lot, pull out the eight or ten bucks, and treat everybody in your family to a good time.
(Bill Strauss is director of the Capitol Steps, and co-author of "Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation.")