Marquette Thespians Nominated for Area Theater Awards

theater and journalism students were commended this week for their unique contributions to the local arts scene.  

The Cappies, short for the Critics and Awards Program, trains St. Louis area students and aspiring critics nationwide by having them attend peer performances at other schools. Students then write reviews of the performances, have their worked critiqued and published in local news outlets. The year builds up to a large, critics’ choice awards ceremony in which the students vote on various aspects of local theater production and performance.

Marquette student Matt Perry was nominated along with fellow seniors Austin Jones and James A. Greene for Best Ensemble for their performance in “.”

(Editor's Note: For the complete list of this year's nominees, click here.)

“It’s always really exciting that somebody unbiased thought we were entertaining,” Perry said.

The St. Louis Cappies is one of the largest chapters in Missouri and is currently in its sixth season. It includes 17 private and public high schools from St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson Counties. 

Judi Greene is the theater director at Marquette High School, and chairwoman and co-founder of the St. Louis Cappies. Greene said she's excited about the talent pool within the 19 nominations that Marquette received this on Monday, with the awards to be handed out later this month.

“We have a very strong team, but we’ll just have to see what happens this year,” Greene said of this year's nominations.

Zoe Lefebvre from Ballwin is a senior at Marquette.  She was nominated for Best Lead Actress in a Play for her role as “Milady” in The Three Musketeers.

“It was one of my favorite roles and it’s nice to be recognized for my work,” Lefebvre said.

While the styles and types of talent that were nominated varied, from Best Female Vocalist to Best Comic Actor in a Musical, all the nominees interviewed expressed gratitude and excitement.

The awards will be presented on May 22 and model the Tony Awards for achievements in Broadway Theater. In addition to presenting the awards, the ceremony will be modeled after the Broadway-based Tony Awards, and will include brief performances from nominated productions.

 “It’s like a high school version of the academy Awards,” said Ryan Martin, a senior who was nominated for Best Lead Actor in a Play.

Since many of the nominees are seniors, the Cappies also are an excellent send-off for students with a future in the performings arts, and a perfect way to cap their brief but memorable careers at home.

For more information on The Cappies, visit their official website. To find out more information about the May 22 award ceremony, contact Judi Greene, chairwoman and co-founder of the St. Louis Cappies and Marquette High School Theater Director: 636-891-6000, ext. 26059