Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2012 - (Page 30)

All PHotoS By DonnIe BIGGS/FAIrFAx County PuBlIC SCHoolS A cast of dancers selected from schools in the National Capital Area chapter performs in the ﬁnale at the 2011 Cappies Awards Gala. adrenaline rush that comes when hundreds of eyes are watching my every move. I entered high school knowing that I wanted to perform in school productions, and I’ve been fortunate to do that and so much more. I began as a member of the ensemble, taking on increasingly larger and eventually leading roles: King Edward IV in Richard III, John Proctor in The Crucible, and Bela Zangler in our soon-to-open Crazy For You. Recently, as student director, I led a one-act version of David Mamet’s Oleanna to competitions and accolades across Virginia. One role I didn’t expect to play was presented to me at the beginning of my sophomore year. After noticing my commitment to theater, my teacher invited me to become a theater critic as a member of our school’s Cappies Critics Team. Although I had attended many plays in the past, I was about to see the stage from a completely different perspective. F by Joseph Biagini rom my very first performance in my fourth grade class’s modified version of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, I knew I loved the stage. I enjoyed and then craved the Through a Critical Lens Cappies—the Critics and Awards Program for High School Theater and Journalism—is devoted to uniting and recognizing high school theater departments across the country. Our school belongs to the National Capital Area chapter, the original chapter founded in 1999. There are now 17 Cappies chapters across the United States and Canada. After I went through a training session to learn the rules and guidelines of the program, I was assigned, like the other critics on the team, five shows at other area schools that I was required to attend throughout the year. We were also encouraged to volunteer to see and review additional performances. Each high school designates a certain date for its Cappies performance, so there are Cappies critics from other schools at each show we attend. There might be as few as 20 or as many as 100 other critics, but typically the number is somewhere in between. Before the show, we meet as a group in a separate room to discuss the history of the show. During intermission, we discuss the performance so far and what we Joseph receives his award for Best Returning Critic at the 2011 Cappies Awards Gala. tHInkStoCk

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2012

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2012
Big Picture
In My Own Words
Theater Bound
Art Song
Out of My Head
Playwright’s Journal
Play(wright) in Progress
For All Time
My Life in Felt and Foam
Preserving the Golden Past of the Silver Screen
An Actor and a Critic
Selected Opportunities & Resources
Broadcom MASTERS
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2012