20 Theater Awards Nominations for ANC!

photo collage of students on stage and participating in the performing arts
20 Theater Awards Nominations for ANC!

ANC’s fall production of “The Play That Goes Wrong” has been nominated for 15 Cappies Awards, and the spring production of “The Addams Family” has been nominated for 5 Philadelphia Independence Awards. 

The national Cappies program was created in 1999 to promote high school theater and journalism programs; ANC has been a part of the Greater Philadelphia Cappies chapter since 2006. Students are trained in journalism, fairness and theater critique at the beginning of each school year and attend five shows throughout the year at other area high schools. At a Cappies show, there are 20-40 student critics from different high schools in attendance as Cappies. They meet before and immediately after the show for a discussion facilitated by a teacher mentor. Each critic writes a short review which is anonymously read by the teacher mentors, who then chooses the top four reviews for publication.

Cappies critics attended the Saturday performance of “The Play That Goes Wrong” and, judging from their reviews, thoroughly enjoyed it. On Monday, April 29th the nominations came out. ANC’s production of “The Play That Goes Wrong” was nominated for 15 awards: 

  • Play: THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG
  • Lead Actor in a Play: Markus Bryntesson
  • Supporting Actor in a Play: Zachary Ruth
  • Supporting Actress in a Play: Maggie Dooley
  • Comic Actor in a Play: Padraic Frazier
  • Comic Actress in a Play: Aurelia Sullivan
  • Featured Actor in a Play: Paxton Cooper
  • Featured Actress in a Play: Isabel Waelchli
  • Ensemble in a Play: Cornley Players Stage Crew
  • Stage Crew: ANC Stage Crew
  • Stage Management: Grace Childs & Hilani Wahl
  • Creativity: Alex Kline, Corbin Larsen, Isabella Furness
  • Sets: ANC Stagecraft class
  • Special Effect: Grace Childs
  • Marketing and Publicity: Hilani Wahl & Jamie Evans

Award winners will be announced at the Greater Philadelphia Cappies Gala held at Cardinal O’Hara High School on June 2nd at 3:30pm. 

The Philadelphia Independence Awards is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating regional high school musical theater and its student artists by providing rigorous development for existing high school theater programs, promoting diverse elements of the professional theater community, and fostering support for under-resourced school theater programs through its "Give a Musical" grant. The Philadelphia Independence Awards is one of three programs in the state to afford students the prestigious opportunity of participating in the Jimmy Awards.

14 adjudicators for the Philadelphia Independence Awards attended the first weekend of performances for “The Addams Family.” A week after the show, their reviews are sent to the directors. Samples of their critiques:

“Rarely does a production of "The Addams Family" have me teary-eyed, but this one did, thanks to the heartfelt, committed performances of the cast of principals. They understood the story and devoted themselves to telling it with style and charm.”

“​​The cast of this production was really well rounded out! From the Addams to the Beinekes and the ancestors - each group had a great understanding of their roles.”

“The Academy of New Church's recent production of "The Addams Family" showcased a remarkable display of talent, especially in the solo vocalists who tackled the challenging score with confidence and flair.” 

“Makeup was incredibly well designed! Particularly the Addams who were a perfect middle ground between their ancestors and the Beinekes - amazing subtlety of the grayscale contour.”

“Really impressed by the amount of student work behind the scenes.” 

“The StageCraft Class did a world-class job of creating a mood shifting set. Not only did Gareth and Solomon star in the show they also constructed a phenomenal set.”

The adjudicators have nominated ANC’s “The Addams Family” for 5 awards:

  • Lead Actor: Padraic Frazier
  • Supporting Actor: Tait Asplundh
  • Makeup: Hilani Wahl, Windsor Smith, Sadie H, Maggie Dooley and cast
  • Sound: Corbin Larsen, Tova Larsen & Zion Nobre
  • Scenic Design: Stagecraft class

The winners will be announced at the Philadelphia Independence Awards on May 20th at the Temple Performing Arts Center. 

We are proud of our students for being recognized regionally for their accomplishments in high school theater, both on and off the stage. 

Check out photos from “The Play That Goes Wrong” here and “The Addams Family”  here.