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A shining star whose light will live on
The local theater scene lost one of its greatest supporters this past week. Bill Strauss, who elevated high school theater to a level few could’ve imagined just eight years ago, died Tuesday of pancreatic cancer.
Bill was first diagnosed in 1999, and it was partially because of the diagnosis that he decided to pour his considerable energies and remaining time into developing a program that would showcase the incredible talent of our schools’ young performers. With Judy Bowns, he founded and developed The Cappies – The Critics and Awards Program for High School Theater – in part to bring the same kind of attention to performing arts programs that athletic programs have traditionally enjoyed. The tragedy at Columbine cemented for him the concept that we need to showcase all that’s good about our teens.
The Cappies program now involves 60 high schools – 60! – in the Washington metropolitan region. The program has been catching on nationally, and internationally, in 16 cities across the United States and Canada. Just in our area the Cappies has brought recognition to untold legions of young actors, set and costume designers, lighting technicians and musicians -- not to mention the budding journalists who write reviews that appear in The Washington Post, on this Web site and in local papers across the region.
The Cappies was merely one of the last major achievements in a life blessed with remarkable creative breakthroughs, but it is the legacy for which we here in Fairfax County are most grateful. Thank you, Bill, for shining the spotlight on our talented young people and the dedicated teachers who work so hard to coach and guide them. You will be missed.
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