Ottawa Student Theatre Gets an Irish Soul
Ottawa's vibrant student theatre scene got a standout moment this Cappies season when St. Pius X High School staged To Have the Confidence of a Man — an original play that ventured far from the usual musical-theatre comfort zone and landed somewhere genuinely moving.
Set against the misty landscape of Northern Ireland, the play draws on chilling Irish mythology to tell a story of identity, courage, and cultural pride. It's a bold choice for a high school production, and by all accounts, the St. Pius X team pulled it off.
An Original Work Takes the Stage
What makes this production particularly noteworthy is that it wasn't adapted from an existing script. Teacher director Alisia Cardinali and student director Maeve Ludmer guided the cast through an entirely original piece — a rare feat in school theatre at any level.
Critic Sophia Di Iorio of Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School, writing for the Cappies program, described the show as "an ode to the beauty of Irish culture." That framing captures what made the production resonate: it wasn't just a play, it was an act of cultural love — a group of Ottawa students committing fully to bringing another culture's mythology and emotional landscape to life on a local stage.
The Cappies: Ottawa's Student Theatre Showcase
For those unfamiliar, the Cappies (Critics and Awards Program) is a peer-reviewed theatre competition in which student critics from participating Ottawa-area schools attend each other's productions and write reviews. It's one of the most meaningful ways Ottawa's school drama programs get recognized — and one of the best pipelines for developing young critics and performers alike.
St. Pius X, located in the Alta Vista neighbourhood, has long been a participant in the program, and this year's entry clearly made an impression.
Why It Matters
Original plays at the high school level are rare. Most productions lean on established musicals or classic scripts — and for good reason, since the rights, resources, and audience recognition make them safer bets. Choosing to mount something wholly new, rooted in Irish myth no less, speaks to the ambition of the St. Pius X drama program and the creative leadership of Cardinali and Ludmer.
For Ottawa audiences and fellow students in the Cappies circuit, it's a reminder that some of the most exciting theatre in the city isn't happening on professional stages — it's happening in high school gyms and auditoriums, driven by teenagers with a lot to say.
Catch the Cappies
The full Cappies season wraps up with an awards gala that celebrates the best student performances, productions, and critics across Ottawa's participating schools. If To Have the Confidence of a Man is any indication, this year's slate has some genuine talent worth paying attention to.
Keep an eye on the Ottawa Cappies program for gala dates and a full list of nominated productions.
Source: Ottawa Citizen / Cappies. Critic review by Sophia Di Iorio, Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School.
