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Schools

Nerinx Hall Cappie Winners Speak to Success

Kudos go to the school's impressive production of Les Miserable, including Best Musical.

Sunday night at the Cappies Awards Ceremony, the Webster Groves high school walked home with 10 awards.

Kirkwood-Webster Groves Patch followed up with students to learn just how significant the wins were for the young thespians and theater technicians.

Nerinx Hall junior Allie Lucke won for Best Comedic Acress for her performance in Les Miserable. “Last night was extremely enjoyable,” Luecke said in an email. “My favorite moments were watching all of my friends receive their awards, seeing cuttings from different shows that I've never gotten to see before, and most of all when my comedic partner Ben Weber and I used each others' names for our acceptance speeches.”

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Even the technicians and crews get awards at the ceremony, for sets, lighting, and more. Brianna Duda, Nerinx Hall sophomore received the award for Best Props and Effects for Les Miserable. Duda said she was nervous before the awards and not very confident that she would win.

“When they called my name, I couldn't believe it,” Duda wrote in an email. “I felt like a star walking across the stage in my dress as the spotlight followed me. All my hard work had finally paid off, and I was shaking with excitement for at least twenty minutes after I got it. My friends were so excited for me and I just sat there and thought, 'I won a Cappie. I really won a Cappie.'"

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The students take much more away from their experience with the Cappies than just the awards, including reading the reviews that the student critics write about each school's shows.

“I always love reading the Cappies reviews because I like to hear how all of our hard work paid off and what improvements we can make in the future,” Luecke said.

Duda concurred.

“I have learned more about other schools and how their theatre programs work, I get to read reviews about how other schools like our shows,” Duda said. “I've gotten to meet so many talented high school teens who deserve to be recognized. I think Cappies is a great program (that) rewards hard-working people and shares our stories with the St. Louis community.”

2010 Cappie Awards Presented to Nerinx Hall

Nerinx Hall, best musical: Les Miserable
Caroline Amos, best featured actress in a musical: Les Mis
Amanda Jerry: best female vocalist in a musical: Les Mis
Allie Luecke: best comic actress in a musical: Les Mis
Ben Weber: best male actor in a musical: Les Mis
Alex Prakken: best leading actor in a musical: Les Mis
Zack Ehrhardt: best featured actor in a musical: Les Mis
Joe Essig: best supporting actor in a musical: Les Mis
Brianna Duda: Best Props and Effects in a musical: Les Mis
Audrey Smith: Top critic from Nerinx Hall

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