Wakefield's Patrick Moore won the award for Best Actor in a Comedy Play at the Kennedy Center Cappies Gala, held on Sunday, June 8. Moore, now an alumnus of Wakefield as of Saturday's Commencement, played Algernon Moncrieff in Wakefield's spring production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. He was nominated in the category of Comic Actor in a Play.

The black-tie gala showcased extraordinary talent in the National Capital Region Cappies program. Moore was the winner among the 5 outstanding nominees in this category. The program contained mention of several other Wakefield students.

Another Wakefield student, rising senior Josh Mohney, was nominated in the category of Lead Actor in a Play. He portrayed Jack Worthing. Each category had five nominees from the National Capital Region, which includes more than 50 schools in the Northern Virginia area.

The Cappies, "Critics and Awards Program," is a program through which high school theatre and journalism students are trained as critics, attend shows at other schools, write reviews, and publish those reviews in local newspapers. At the end of the year, the student critics vote for awards that are presented at a formal Cappies Gala.

The Wakefield Cappies Team consists of Eleanor Dunnigan, Byron Bushara, Maddie Dargis, Mary Clubb, and Cory Kleinman. These students attended area school productions and Washington Post training seminars and wrote and published their reviews.

In the Cappies critics reviews of Wakefield's production, Mohney and Moore were mentioned as standouts in every one.

"A play that relies entirely on the execution of witty dialogue poses an immense challenge for high school actors. Lead Jack Worthing, played by Josh Mohney, handled the dialogue seamlessly. Mohney displayed excellent pacing and ability to play off his supporting cast. His facial expressions, complete with impressive mustache, added vibrancy and humor to his scenes and all his very physical reactions, from angry stamping to enthusiastic hugs, earned great responses from the audience," one review said.

Another review said of Moore, "Algernon, played by Patrick Moore, had great chemistry with Mohney. The duo handled Wilde's comedic banter with ease. Moore created many comic moments, timing his lines expertly with his constant consumption of English tea snacks. Moore also displayed impressive poise when a stinkbug flew into his ear in the middle of the second act, playing it off as a perfectly normal occurrence to have in a garden."