The Upper School theatre students who played a role in producing the musical “The Drowsy Chaperone” celebrated May 21 as five of their peers received coveted Cappie Awards, a national program that honors the best in high school theatre.
Students from 38 high schools in the Philly area, including The Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, Haverford High School and Episcopal Academy, competed for the honors, handed out during the 12th Annual Cappies Awards Gala. The red-carpet affair was held at Unionville High School.
“Cold Feets,” the dazzling tap dance that junior Drew Jacobson and freshman Zachary Ford performed in “Drowsy” won them honors as best dance ensemble. Senior Albert Chen won an award for outstanding set design and junior Brian Wang won an award for best comic actor in a musical. Junior Michael Carpenter was honored with the Spirit Award for best exemplifying the collaborative spirit of the theatre program at AFS.
Director Megan Hollinger said, “These awards wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and time put in by our Cappies critics team (captain Gabby Ford, Drew Jacobson, Jack Sutherland, Michael Carpenter, Kaitlyn Arms and Holly Myers). The team saw more than a dozen shows and wrote comprehensive reviews, many of which were chosen for publication.
“This is our eighth year participating in the Cappies, and I’m so grateful for the opportunities they provide for our students to meet and learn from theatre kids at other schools who are just as passionate as they are,” Megan said.
