Northwest, Summit Drama Students Nominated for Cappies Awards

Singers and dancers and actors and actresses are among the nominees for the annual Cappies Awards to be presented at a gala ceremony Saturday at Missouri Baptist University. The Cappies are awarded to Theater Arts and Journalism students for acting, theatre production and review writing.

Several students from  and high schools are among the nominees in a variety of categories.  Northwest produced two plays this season including The Wizard of Oz and The High Schoolers Guide to the Galaxy. Rockwood Summit students produced Plaza Suite and The Wedding Singer.

The Cappie awards are given in every category from Best Actor and Actress in a Musical to Best Set, Props and Stage Crew. 

The Cappies, short for the Critics and Awards Program, trains high school theater and journalism students as critics. The student critics attend shows at other schools and write theater reviews, which then are published in local news outlets. At the end of the year, the critics vote for awards that are presented at the formal Cappie Awards Gala.

Now in its sixth season, the St. Louis Cappies includes 17 private and public high schools from St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson Counties, down from last years total of 24 schools.

The awards ceremony Saturday will feature performances from several schools along with guest speakers, including local professional actors and high school principals. 

Local nominees from Northwest and Rockwood Summit High Schools include:

Supporting Actress in a Musical: Emily Rice, Rockwood Summit High School, The Wedding Singer

Supporting Actor in a Play: Nate Camden, Northwest High School, The High Schooler's Guide to the Galaxy; Kyle Twomey, Rockwood Summit High School, Plaza Suite

Supporting Actress in a Play: Elyse Bertani, Rockwood Summit High School, Plaza Suite

Comic Actor in a Musical: Spencer Blow, Rockwood Summit High School, The Wedding Singer

Comic Actor in a Play: Brandon Janssen, Northwest High School, The High Schooler's Guide to the Galaxy

Comic Actress in a Play: Julie Creath, Northwest High School, The High Schooler's Guide to the Galaxy; Emily Rice, Rockwood Summit High School, Plaza Suite

Male Vocalist: Nate Camden, Tin Man, Northwest High School, The Wizard of Oz

Female Vocalist: Elyse Bertani, Rockwood Summit High School, The Wedding Singer; Molly Fowler, Dorothy, Northwest High School, The Wizard of Oz

Male Dancer: Kevin Hayes, Jitterbug, Northwest High School, The Wizard of Oz

Featured Actress in a Play: Arianna Rice, Northwest High School, The High Schooler's Guide to the Galaxy

Choreography: Kevin Hayes, Northwest High School, The Wizard of Oz

Creativity: Brandon Meshell, directing, Northwest High School, The Wizard of Oz; Jacob Van Tuyl, Rockwood Summit High School, The Wedding Singer

Ensemble in a Play: Act 1-Visitor from Mamaroneck, Rockwood Summit High School, Plaza Suite

 Critic Team: Rockwood Summit High School

Returning Critic: Elyse Bertani – Rockwood Summit High School; Audrey Lipsmire – Northwest High School