Robinson, Lake Braddock Schools Score Wins At 2022 Cappies Gala

BURKE, VA — A Lake Braddock Secondary School student and several students at Robinson Secondary School won awards at the 22nd annual Cappies Gala, a program recognizing excellence in high school theatre around the D.C. region.

The Cappies Gala was held Monday night at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. Cappies, a program that trains high school journalism students to write reviews of high school theatre shows, provided awards in 40 performance and technical categories. The awards are considered the Tony Awards of high school theatre in the D.C. region.

The Cappies program trains student critics, who attend high school shows throughout the year. The best student reviews are published in local media. At the end of the season, student critics vote for the awards.

Liesl Winternitz, a student at Lake Braddock Secondary School, won the top award in the category of Lead Actor in a Female Role in a Play, for her performance in "The Heidi Chronicles."

"The role of Heidi Holland was triumphantly portrayed by Liesl Winternitz," Zibby English of South County High School wrote in her Cappies Review of the play. "Winternitz was one who commanded the stage and sunk into her role. Heidi seemed real and was excellently displayed through Winternitz's physicality of the character, genuine and sincere facial expressions, and her great diction and inflection of words."

Robinson Secondary School's Amelia Preble took home an award in the category of 2022 Bill Strauss Graduating Critic.

Other Robinson Secondary School winners included Katie Eagan, Chad Kassan and Haley Novotny in the lighting category for the school's production of "Head over Heels."

"The lighting (Haley Novotny, Katie Eagan, Chad Kassan) illuminated a wondrous scene of superficial creatures swarming the King and Queen, adding to the mystical nature of the show," Gabriella Sanchez of Langley High School wrote in her review of "Head over Heels."

Robinson's production of "Head over Heels" also took home the top award for costumes, with students Jessica Boalick, Andy Lawrence, Lora-Berkeley Macaranas and Ella Patterson honored at Monday night's gala for their costume work in the musical.

Here is a full list of winners:

• McKenzie Phelan: Andy Mays Rising Critic category, Quince Orchard High School
• Gwen Ihde: Maryland Theater Guide Returning Critic category, Oakton High School
• Amelia Preble: Bill Strauss Graduating Critic category, Robinson Secondary School
• Clare A'Hearn: Marketing and Publicity category, "Airness High School Edition" at McLean High School
• Leydi Cris Cobo Cordon, Ryan Lien, Mayuka Valluri, Aiden Zurcher: Special Effects and/or Technology category, "Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical" at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
• Sabrina Beadie, Emery Graninger, Erin Sharpe: Hair and Make-up category, "Airness High School Edition" at McLean High School
• JT Fulkerson, Ethan Jones, Emma Springer, Matthias Zahniser-Renteria: Sound category, "Airness High School Edition" at McLean High School
• KD Bectel, Lyra Jaffe, Kate Schneider, Tanween Syed: Props category, "Little Shop of Horrors" at Alexandria City High School
• Katie Eagan, Chad Kassan, Haley Novotny: Lighting category, "Head over Heels" at Robinson Secondary School
• Jessica Boalick, Andy Lawrence, Lora-Berkeley Macaranas, Ella Patterson: Costumes category, "Head over Heels" at Robinson Secondary School
• Talia Holzman: Sets category, "Crazy for You" at South Lakes High School
• Karina Yakubisin: Choreography category, "Crazy for You" at South Lakes High School
• Leaf Playwriting Team: Creativity category, "Leaf" at Loudoun Valley High School
• Dominique Monette: Stage Management category, "Puffs (Two Act Edition for Young Wizards)" at South County High School
• Luca He, Lucas Kelly, Jane Sullivan, Conner Tone: Stage crew category, "Freaky Friday" at Langley High School
• The Jurors: Ensemble in a Play category, "Twelve Angry Jurors" at Duke Ellington School of the Arts
• Follies Girls: Ensemble in a Musical category, "Crazy for You" at South Lakes High School
• Mary Ulses: Featured Actor in a Female Role category, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" at James Madison High School
• Cyrus Rivers: Featured Actor in a Male Role category, "Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical" at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
• Karina Yakubisin: Dancer in a Female Role category, "Crazy for You" at South Lakes High School
• August Rivers: Dancer in a Female Role category, "Crazy for You" at South Lakes High School
• Jeanne Lubika: Female Vocalist category, "Mamma Mia!" at Clarksburg High School
• Conor Farah: Male Vocalist category, "Freaky Friday" at Langley High School
• Katie Rice: Comic Actor in a Female Role in a Play category, "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [Revised]" at Meridian High School
• Logan Baker: Comic Actor in a Male Role in a Play category, "Puffs" at Fairfax High School
• Ryan Lien: Comic Actor in a Female Role in a Musical category, "Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical" at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
• Jonah Uffelman: Comic Actor in a Male Role in a Musical category, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" at James Madison High School
• Emma Harris: Supporting Actor in a Female Role in a Play category, "Tony n' Tina's Wedding" at Herndon High School
• Anna Rae Eppard: Supporting Actor in a Male Role in a Play category, "Puffs (Two Act Edition for Young Wizards)" at South County High School
• Melanie Becker: Supporting Actor in a Female Role in a Musical category, "Anastasia" at Bishop Ireton High School
• Sloane Helmick: Supporting Actor in a Male Role in a Musical category, "Disney's Beauty and the Beast" at Freedom High School
• Liesl Winternitz: Lead Actor in a Female Role in a Play category, "The Heidi Chronicles" at Lake Braddock Secondary School
• Santiago Moriarty: Lead Actor in a Male Role in a Play category, "Twelve Angry Jurors" at Duke Ellington School of the Arts
• Katie Phillips: Lead Actor in a Female Role in a Musical category, "Mary Poppins" at Independence High School
• Matthew Rubin: Lead Actor in a Male Role in a Musical category, "Disney's Newsies" at Quince Orchard High School
• "I've Got Rhythm": Song category, "Crazy for You" at South Lakes High School
• Quince Orchard High School: Critic Team category
• "Airness High School Edition" at McLean High School: Play category
• "Crazy for You" at South Lakes High School: Musical category

Along with the presentation of awards, the gala included performances from 11 schools nominated for best play and musical. The performances included "Mary Poppins" by Independence High School, "Tony N' Tina's Wedding" by Herndon High School, "Freaky Friday" by Langley High School, "Airness High School Edition" by McLean High School, "Anastasia" by Bishop Ireton High School, "The Heidi Chronicles" by Lake Braddock Secondary School, "Crazy for You" by South Lakes High School, "Puffs" by Fairfax High School, "Disney's Newsies" by Quince Orchard High School, "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [Revised]" by Meridian High School and "Head Over Heels" by Robinson Secondary School.

Cappies was founded by the late Bill Strauss, a McLean resident who also founded the Capital Steps. The current director of the Cappies is his wife, Jane Strauss, a former teacher and Fairfax County School Board representative for the Dranesville District. The 2022 Cappies program had 48 participating schools, 1,628 reviews written, 279 reviews published and 308 voting critics.

A recording of the Cappies Gala is expected to be available Friday. For more information, visit www.cappies.com/nca.

RELATED:

• Cappies Review: 'Head Over Heels' At Robinson Secondary School
• Cappies Review: 'The Heidi Chronicles' At Lake Braddock Secondary