Ever since I was a little girl, bright-eyed and eagerly watching "Annie" at the Hippodrome Theater, I have been in countless dramatic productions, waiting for my chance to take the big stage. Now, hovering anxiously in the wings of the same theater, I stood ready to perform a song from my school's musical in front of hundreds of people at the Cappies Gala.

Like many of my peers, I felt like my childhood dream was finally coming true. Though only a modest thespian with a small ensemble role, I learned early on there are no small parts, only small actors, and I took the stage with my fellow schoolmates and belted out the song from my heart.

The Cappies Gala is a celebration of high school theater; there are currently 18 Cappies programs flourishing across the country and in Canada. This year, 19 schools participated in the Baltimore Cappies, short for Critics and Awards Program, through which aspiring writers critique other schools' plays and musicals throughout the school year. The culmination of the performers', technical crews' and critics' hard work is the gala.

Amid the pandemonium and chaos, the Cappies Gala was full of people diligently working to get ready for the evening. All around me, students bubbled over with energy and enthusiasm for that evening's performance. Preparation for this one event alone was very extensive, and even though I was to receive not 15, but rather less than three minutes of fame, I, along with all other students performing that evening, attended numerous rehearsals before the show. We all arrived at the Hippodrome by at least 10 a.m. the day of the show so the performances that night would be executed flawlessly. People in the orchestra and singers and dancers in the opening and closing songs were to arrive much earlier.

While Sunday was a very long and trying day, I can say with confidence that when the time for the show arrived, the hard work definitely paid off. Just being surrounded by so many passionate students coming together for a common goal was a worthwhile experience in itself.

As both a critic and a performer, I was able to enjoy many aspects of the evening. As a critic, I enjoyed cheering for the different performers to whom I had given award and nomination points on voting day, and I found myself on the edge of my seat with anticipation to see which schools eventually won the awards. As a performer, I hoped for my own school to take home the most trophies.

Another highlight of the evening was seeing the diversity of talent within the Baltimore area. In addition to the awards, the Gala features an excerpt from every play or musical, performed live by the respective school. Each school's excerpt was enjoyable and commendable in its own way.

I was surprised by the depth of talent that just 17 schools housed, and was honored to be included among such remarkable performers. Between a powerful portrayal of domestic strife in Reservoir High School's scene from "Fences," an energized song about redemption from "Smokey Joe's Café" by Annapolis High School, and a raucous song from Marriotts Ridge High School's performance of "Once Upon a Mattress," I was struck by not only the energy and talent that each school portrayed, but also by the hard work evidenced by the students and their teachers who poured their hearts and souls into each production.

The most amazing part of the Cappies Gala, however, is the overall magic of the evening, sprinkled like fairy dust over unsuspecting high school students. Sitting in the beautifully grand Hippodrome Theater and surrounded by people in their finest attire, I felt like I was at one of the awards shows I grew up watching religiously on the television. It was as if I had been transformed from a typical high school girl in her school's musical to Broadway and the red carpet.

I am sure there is at least one thing that I took away from the evening -- the Cappies Gala is a truly amazing night in which any high school student interested in theater, from the leading actors to the supporting cast to the technical crew, should take part. Because the Cappies Gala is a place where everyone has a role and dreams really do come true.

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