Cappie Awards Top Off Student Theater Careers

The Dale Williams Fine Arts Center at Missouri Baptist University was packed with patrons and students attending the Seventh Annual Cappies Awards ceremony Sunday evening. Students, parents, teachers and classmates turned out to see some of the best high school theater students receive awards for their talent and hard work. 

, also known as the Critics and Awards Program, was established in Washington D.C. to promote and celebrate high school theater. Since its inception, it has spread to several states including Missouri where the program is now in its eighth year around St. Louis. The program awards actors, singers, directors, and technicians, as well as student theater critics who also select the night's award-winners.

“The whole thing was very exciting and it was a great experience,” said P.J. Palmer, a Marquette student who won the Best Male Vocalist Award for his performance as Link Larkin in the school’s production of “Hairspray.” 

The ceremony started off with the introduction of the evening’s host, FOX 2 News Meteorologist Glenn Zimmerman who kept the night light and brisk as he facilitated the awards ceremony for the 30-plus recepients. In fact, in the name of brevity, the winners were asked to , which helped make the acceptances all the more refreshing and meaningful.

In a different sort of bittersweet moment, the evening also brought news that St. Louis Cappies Co-Founder Judi Greene would be stepping down as Chairwoman after an 8-year run. Green also serves as a director for productions at .

“I truly do believe that theater changes your life,” Greene said in her speech before receiving a standing ovation on behalf of the hundreds of students she impacted through her instructional and leadership roles.

In true Tony Awards-style fashion, the ceremony also contained performances from each of the shows nominated for Best Picture or Best Musical. These single-scenes and songs gave the audience a brief but excellent example of the quality of these productions.

In the end, however, the best star qualities didn't come from the performances but from the strong character of the people behind them and the student actors themselves. Matt Perry is a senior at Marquette, who along with fellow seniors Austin Jones and James A. Greene, won the award for Best Ensemble in a Play for their titular roles as “The three Musketeers.”

“The three of us are really good friends, and it’s great to go out like this,” Perry said.  His two partners were quick to agree that winning the award was the perfect capstone to a rewarding high school theater career.