WHHS has many students who are passionate about theatre. Due to this passion and a willingness to work, the WHHS Theatre Department is able to participate in the Cincinnati chapter of the Cappies, an awards program for high school productions in the greater Cincinnati area. 

In order to participate, a school must have both a Cappies-critiqued production and a Cappies critic team.

WHHS’s critic team has flown under the radar for a while, but in 2019, SENIOR Iris LeCates won the Female Critic award, and SENIOR Reeya Dighe was nominated for Top Critique.

“I feel like that’s the best thing I’ve ever won because… you really have to show up and actually work for it,” LeCates said.

This year’s WHHS critics consists of nine students, a mix of sophomores, juniors, and SENIORS. 

“When I read more about what Cappies was, I thought this is the perfect fit for me,” Sophia Rooksberry, ‘22, said. This is Rooksberry’s first year as a Cappies Critic, and she is excited to continue. 

Dighe has been on WHHS’ Cappies critic team for three years, and has been the team’s lead critic for the past two seasons. Dighe has been involved in the WHHS theatre department since eighth grade, and decided to join the Cappies critic team after attending her first Cappies Gala during her freshman year.

 “It’s definitely been one of my favorite parts of high school,” Dighe said. 

The process of Cappies reviews can range from 30 minutes to five hours, depending on both the show and the writer. “I usually spend about an hour just writing, then the next morning about two hours cutting into it and editing it,” Aiden Litmer, ‘21, said. Litmer is a first-year critic and plans to continue next year. 

Cappies Critics are passionate about two things: theatre and journalism. The Cappies program allows WHHS students to expand their knowledge of both subjects, and attend local high school productions. All Cappies reviews can be found at cincicap.com.

Disclaimer: Chatterbox member, Nadya Ellerhorst, is a WHHS Cappies Critic.