High School Theater Students Take Home Cappies Awards at 14th Annual Award Ceremony
Press Release By: Savannah Whaley/ Pierson Grant Public Relations
FORT LAUDERDALE – High school theater students from 14 public and private schools throughout Broward and Palm Beach counties took home awards from the 14th Annual Cappies Awards Gala held on May 24 in the Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland received the most awards with seven. The most honored play was Falling produced at American Heritage School while there way a two-way tie for the most honored musical between Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Boca Raton Community High School) and Shrek (Stoneman Douglas High School).
Award winners are determined by votes from the students through a weighted peer review voting process. Nominations are made by student critics from participating schools who attend productions at rival schools and write reviews, which are then edited by theater educators and published on FloridaTheaterOnStage.com.
The students who were recognized as Senior Critic, Lead Actor in a Play, Lead Actress in a Play, Lead Actor in a Musical, Lead Actress in a Musical and Stage Management and Crew each received a $500 scholarship.
Additionally, two scholarships were awarded to three Cappies nominees who submitted an application detailing their goals in pursuit of future education and a biographical essay describing their experiences in the program.
Two Melinda Clarke Spotlight scholarships which funds $750 for college or future theatrical training were awarded to Taylor Barth and Carlo Feliciani. One Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training scholarship that funds tuition, room and board for one session at Stagedoor Manor in Loch Sheldrake, NY was given to Hagan Oliveras.
Etai Benson and Randi Kleiner, the first ever recipients of the South Florida Cappies for Lead Actor and Actress in a Musical held in 2003, returned to host the Gala this year.
The awards ceremony was presented with support from the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, which has hosted the event since the South Florida chapter of the Critics and Awards Program (Cappies for short) was founded in 2002 as a part of the national non-profit organization honoring high school theater programs.
The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located in the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District at 201 SW Fifth Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. AutoNation, Bank of America, Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, LATAM AIRLINES, MasterCard, Paramount Refreshment Solutions, Rick Case Automotive Group and Sun Sentinel are proud sponsors of the Broward Center.
2015-2016 CAPPIES AWARD WINNERS BY SCHOOL
American Heritage School – 6
Archbishop McCarthy High School – 2
Boca Raton Community High School – 5
Cooper City High School – 1
Cypress Bay High School – 4
Deerfield Beach High School – 1
Dillard Center for the Arts – 1
JP Taravella High School – 2
Pompano Beach High School – 1
Somerset Academy – 2
South Plantation High School – 1
Stoneman Douglas High School – 7
University School of NSU – 5
West Boca High School – 4
American Heritage School (Falling)
Best Play
Sound: Rachael Banach
Props: Emily Grossutti
Sets: Brian Haimes
Lead Actress in a Play: Delaney Lovejoy
Lead Actor in a Play: Diego de la Espriella
Archbishop McCarthy High School (The Crucible)
Featured Actress in a Play: Marisabel Correa
Supporting Actress in a Play: Bella Miulescu
Boca Raton Community High School (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat)
Best Musical
Special Effects and or Technology: Stewart, Ballarte, Piccin and Crew
Lighting: Adams, Posner, Chapman and Guin
Ensemble in a Musical: Brothers
Lead Actor in a musical: Trevor Wayne
Cooper City High School (Legally Blonde)
Supporting Actress in a Musical: Francesca Maurer
Cypress Bay High School (Cats and criticism)
Costumes: Angelica Herrera, Jillian Moore, Adrian Machado and Crew
Choreography: Jordanne Cantrill
Featured Actress in a Musical: Jillian Moore
Female Dancer: Jordanne Cantrill
Deerfield Beach High School
Junior Critic: Maya Quinones
Dillard Center for the Arts (The Wiz)
Orchestra: DCA Jazz Orchestra
JP Taravella High School (Hotel Paradiso)
Featured Actor in a Play: Kevin Cruz-Capella
Supporting Actor in a Play: Hagan Oliveras
Pompano Beach High School (Lost in Yonkers)
Comic Actor in Play: Ryan Swart
Somerset Academy (Mr. Burns, a post-electric play)
Ensemble in a Play: 3rd Act Residents of Springfield
Comic Actress in a Play: Gianna Milici
South Plantation High School (Singin In The Rain)
Supporting Actor in a Musical: Jesse Castellanos
Stoneman Douglas High School (Shrek and criticism)
Critics’ Team: Stoneman Douglas High School
Senior Critic: Kayla Goldfarb
Marketing and Publicity: Kayla Goldfarb and Company
Hair and Makeup: Michaela Bajic, Kelly Blauschild
Creativity: Lee Alhanti, Directing
Featured Actor in a Musical: John Barnitt
Comic Actress in a Musical: Bridget Foley
University School of NSU (Spamalot and criticism)
Freshmen Critic: Aysha Zackria
Sophomore Critic: Erin Cary
Female Vocalist: Michelle Langone
Comic Actor in a Musical: Avrumie Tornheim
Song: You Wont Succeed on Broadway
West Boca High School (Chicago)
Stage Management and Stage Crew: Mathew Kanterman, Nick Morelli, Kayla Stricker
Male Dancer: Samuel Cadieux
Male Vocalist: Ryan Lim
Lead Actress in a Musical: Alexia Assuncao
