Critics and Awards Program For High School Students - Cappies International Theater

Cappies International Theater

Every summer, winners of Lead Actor and Actress awards from all programs are invited to attend the Cappies International Theater. This C.I.T. company presents three shows, all written entirely by high school students: Starz! (monologues, songs, and minimusicals), Playz! (short plays), and a full-length student-written musical. The last two shows are performed at the Kennedy Center Theater Lab. The Cappies International Theater is a summer program focused on the development of dramatic and musical skills. They produce several shows, in different categories, and often perform the work of their peers. Students interested in the technical elements of theater also have opportunities to practice and demonstrate their skills.

Cappies International Theater began in the summer of 2002, at a small theater in Hollywood. In 2003, in partnership with the Kennedy Center, it moved to Washington, D.C., under the name Cappies National Theater. When the first Canadian program (in Ottawa) joined the Cappies in 2005, the name was changed to Cappies International Theater. Starting in 2006, C.I.T. began featuring works by high school student playwrights, including the two full-length musicals Edit:Undo and Senioritis. Both those musicals were written by nine-person creative teams of student book writers, lyricists, composers, and a digital artist.