Westfield High and Robinson Secondary garnered the top honors at Sunday night's sixth annual Cappies Gala at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Some 37 Cappies were awarded overall before an audience of 2,400 people.
Racking up six awards overall for its production of "Metamorphoses," Robinson received the Cappie for Best Play. Westfield took home three Cappies — including one for Best Musical — for "Fiddler on the Roof."
Lead actor and actress awards in the play category went to Patrick Barrett (McLean) and Amanda Roberts (St. Stephen's & St. Agnes).
Barry Armbruster (Westfield), in the lead role of Tevye, captured the Cappie for Lead Actor in a Musical. Westfield's other Cappie — in its first time being eligible for this category — was for Choreography.
Robinson's other Cappies were for Special Award: Creativity, Cameo Actress, Sound, Lighting and Costumes.
For its third year in a row, T.C. Williams won the trophy for Critics Team. Individual critic awards went to Greg Benson (H-B Woodlawn) and Mary Austin Slate (Herndon).
Thomas Jefferson won in the Song category, for "Gee, Officer Krupke."
Arlington high schools made a strong showing, with H-B Woodlawn and Wakefield each winning three Cappies.
Most of the 50 participating schools are in Virginia, but the two Montgomery County schools in the program each won a Cappie — Walt Whitman for Marshall Nannes as Male Vocalist, and Winston Churchill for Orchestra.
A major highlight of the evening came when two performers from the Cappies of Baltimore — Jay Frisby and Nick Lehan — earned a standing ovation when they sang "Muddy Water." The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization had twice before denied permission for them to perform that song, because of the racial cross-casting. After the Cappies protested, Rodgers and Hammerstein agreed to let Jay and Nick sing the song at the Cappies Gala.
There are currently 15 Cappies programs in the United States, based on the model started in the National Capital Area six years ago.