Cappies celebrates 10 years in Ottawa
Citizen ex-editor played key role
When the Cappies program came to Ottawa in 2005, few people in Canada had even heard of it.
It started with 15 high schools in its first year and a year-end gala that filled nearly 900 seats in the National Arts Centre’s Theatre.
Today the Cappies celebrates its first decade in the national capital region as one of the biggest programs in North America. It routinely sees the participation of 35 or more schools and has been the catalyst for chapters in Edmonton and the Niagara region. The Gala outgrew the NAC Theatre in its second year and now fills Southam Hall every year.
Cappies, which stands for Critic and Award Program, was the brainchild of William Strauss, an American historian, playwright, and founder of the Capitol Steps political comedy troupe.
Strauss teamed up with Judy Bowns, then a Washington, D.C.area theatre and dance resource teacher. Their collaboration began following the mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado. The goal was to highlight, in the pages of the Washington Post newspaper, the accomplishments of students interested in writing and drama rather than athletics. Chapters followed in other states, including Ohio, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Texas and Missouri.
A coincidence brought the program to Ottawa. While on a leave of absence, Ruth Dunley, then the Citizen’s associate editor, heard Strauss and two students speak at a conference on ways newspapers could engage younger readers. Dunley decided to pursue the idea of bringing the program to Ottawa with the Citizen’s help.
“The students told me that, for the first time, they saw people like themselves in the pages of the Washington Post,” Dunley says.
“Having edited countless stories of young people in trouble with drugs or violence, Cappies seemed to me to be a great way for us to talk about the positive things that young people were doing in their communities. When I returned to Ottawa, I pitched it to our theneditor-in-chief Scott Anderson, and with the support of several other Citizen colleagues, we took it to the school boards and crossed our fingers.”
It worked. The boards and the Citizen joined forces with arts consultants Shelley Smith-Dale, Dale Taylor, English consultant Denise Shannon, and former OCDSB director Barrie Hammond to form the program’s first steering committee.
Hammond, the first educator Dunley approached, says the Cappies has provided Ottawa-area students with the opportunity to acquire valuable skills.
“The remarkable success over the past 10 years is a great tribute to the teachers and students who embraced the concept so enthusiastically in the early years and who continue to do so today,” Hammond says.
“Involvement in the arts is linked with improvement in everything from math to critical thinking. Arts education can enhance confidence and teamwork. Dedicated arts programming in schools helps to close gaps for students. It can help students develop a sense of belonging in their school,” says Jennifer Adams, director of education for the OCDSB. “The Cappies celebrates, honours and recognizes those students who take words and notes on a paper and bring them to life.”
Julian Hanlon, Ottawa Catholic School Board’s director of education, says the program has also provided fantastic opportunities for his students and staff.
“The Cappies have given high school theatre the profile it has long deserved,” he says. “All the students involved, not just the actors, have an opportunity to shine.”
Through the years, the Cappies expanded rapidly and grew to include schools outside the two sponsoring boards and on both sides of the Ottawa River.
Thousands of students have taken part as student critics who received their first byline in the Citizen. Many have pursued careers in writing and journalism, just as many of those who received onstage or backstage accolades have pursued studies in music, dramatic arts, costume design and technical work.
Caroline O’Neill, who was both a student critic and an actor at St. Mark High School, feels the program had a positive impact on her career path.
“I am currently in my third year of journalism at Carleton University. Cappies gave me a taste of this vast, fast-paced world where one conversation can lead to an interesting interview or a brand new story.”
James Gilchrist is in second year at Algonquin College. He says the program was special. “Cappies was one of the best experiences of my high school career. It’s where I met some of the most talented people I know and some of my closest friends.”
Thirty-eight schools are participating in Cappies this year with 36 performances of plays and musicals. The opening show of the 10th season will be There’s No Place Like Home at St. Patrick’s High School on Dec. 10.
Katie Lewis-Prieur, current program director for Canada’s Capital Cappies, is looking forward to seeing many of the upcoming shows and hearing the discussions in the critics’ rooms.
“The range of genres of shows being produced is astounding,” says Lewis-Prieur. “Schools are presenting contemporary works like The Addams Family: The Musical, which was on Broadway in the last few years, and Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet by Canadian Ann Marie Macdonald. There are also the classics being put up like Arsenic and Old Lace and Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It’s one of the best entertainment values in town.”
A veteran drama teacher who has been involved in the program since it arrived in Ottawa, Lewis-Prieur says organizers are already planning the next Gala on June 7, 2015.
“We’re so excited to be celebrating our first decade here in Ottawa. It’s hard to believe how quickly the time has gone, but when you look at how many student critics have gone through the program and how many plays have been shared, you can see the tremendous impact that Cappies has had on celebrating high school theatre and promoting literacy.”