Live From The Texas High School Musical Awards 2017 Part I

23 on the east coast, it is 323 on the west coast, it is the 18th of May in the year of
our Lord 2017, it is season 7 episode, I don't know, 40 something, 390 something times. This
voice has welcomed you to the Clubhouse podcast, normally we're live every Sunday,
97 eastern for Pacific, but times a little different. But before we get rolling, let me
introduce you to the man to my right, he is my co-host, and he is a man that I'm
going to dare say it, for the first time in many, many moons, I think about
dressing. He is Chad, welcome sir, only because I didn't want to wear a coach. I'm just saying,
I get one a year, I have my tie on, but I don't need to tie with this.
I don't need a tie with this, this is eight, it's a tough seat of it, just not
need a tie. We want to welcome everybody that's tuning in, we are at music
Hall of Fair Park in Dallas, it is the evening of the sixth annual Texas High School Musical
Awards, and I'm going to tell you something, cool champ acting here right now.
Yes, it is, we bring the music down a little bit, so if you look in here, that's a little bit
better. And usually, it wouldn't be this full. Last year, this is our second year covering
the festival, or the awards, if you will. It's a festival like atmosphere.
Yeah, I'll give you that. But, where there is some inclement weather coming here to the
Metroplex, so the red carpet, I could throw a quarter and hit the red carpet right now,
we're literally right next to it, and not have to fill with that hard. Last year it was
outside, they do have some of the red carpet stuff outside, but they brought it inside,
because you know, these kids take time and get ready for this thing. They are dressed to the
nice. There are some dapper people. A lot of them are dressed better than you and I can buy.
I'm just saying. Don is on his way. He's probably, he'll be here just a few.
Let me kind of, if you missed the show last year, let me kind of let you know how this is going to work.
We're going to be here for about the next hour and a half-ish with guests from the red carpet.
We're going to tell you all about some of the things that DSM is doing. This is part of DSM,
that's some of the musicals. Season 540 or something. We're in the late 70s.
I'm a little fikesity today. I'm not going to lie to you. The building is not older than the
country that the building is built in. I'm not going to say who am I? I wasn't there.
But this is the sixth thing, or I know that for a fact, and they're going to pack this joint
tonight. Yeah. I know people are ready to go. So we're going to be here covering some
right with some guests from the red carpet until the show starts. Once the show begins,
we are not going off air for longer than a few moments. We're actually going to pat up the gear
kind of sorta and then we're going to move back to the green room and just like last year we'll
be in the green room, interviewing some of the winners after they come off stage. The adrenaline's
flowing. It's a good looking award, too. It's a beautiful award. There they are. And as an added
bonus in case you haven't been listening in a few weeks, during the intermission of the show,
we are presenting an award tonight. Yes, we are. It was something we kind of floated out there last
year. Didn't think anything would come of it. Half joking, half serious, and half not.
And we just like, you know what, we like to do next year. We like to present an award. And they were like,
no, okay. I guess Don was kind of working behind the scenes a little bit. Well, Don tends to be
a little bit more persistent than most people we know. You know what? That's a fair point. That is
a fair point, sir. So during the intermission, we are going to be on Facebook Live. Yes, and then we're
also going to be on DSM's Facebook Live. Right. So this will be kind of a multi-angle, multi-cultural
experience, I guess you could call it. And so this is going to be an interesting night. Yes,
it's it's it's it's the same, but different than last year. We have the numbers. I mean,
because this is high schools from all across the state. I mean, this is a big, big deal.
Trying to find some numbers here. I am focusing. Yeah, I'm not sure how many schools are
participating this year. I want to say it's over 70 this year and it grows every year.
You're going to have people that are performing front numbers from their nominated
musicals. You're going to have, I know that DSM's been all over their Instagram the last couple
of nights with some of the nominated best actor and best actresses in kind of doing working on
their on a group thing and also seeing their own. But they weren't seeing songs from their
nominated musicals. Some of them were seeing songs from other musicals that they had selected.
I'm actually trying to do a countdown. You just be off. We went to public school. We don't
count well. Oh, geez. Well, we're going to have to go back live on new stream here in a minute.
So we're still going to be recording, but we're going to go back on the live stream here in a
minute firebox decided to want to work anymore. Oh, nice. But we're still recording. We're
still moving and it is restarting and as soon as we can get this thing up and running, we will be
back on live. This is why we record and broadcast redundancy. Yeah, it got to and it is over 60
appears to be over 60 schools. Okay. I mean, that's from all over the state. I mean, I was
coming in. There was a bus coming in from the Amarillo independent school district. And if you
know anything about the state of Texas, Amarillo is a hall. Yeah, it is. It's like they say it was
it, you know, El Paso is halfway to Los Angeles. If you want to know how big the state is from Dallas.
And that's really disturbing when you think about it because I've made that drive and it feels
every bit of it. And you know, I'm thinking the next time we have a regular studio show,
my next list is going to be top 10 things that we wish people would stop saying when it comes to
Texas. Or maybe just about I would wish they'd stop saying just because the whole things are
figuring everything's bigger and take them. Where's the out? And you've not been here, but what?
22 years. So about, you know, little less than half your life. No, little more than half my life. I'm trying.
I'm trying to give you credit. I'm trying growing up with it. And that's what I'm saying. I'm hearing
speaking for the states are, but the buzz is already going on up. Sounds like the first people are
coming down the red carpet. 75, I believe is the final count. 75 is your final count. 75 schools
from across the state all vying for a beautiful award. We've just got to hold one last year. Remember
the young lady that won best, not just brought her as with her. And it's got some weight to it.
So we range it from abling to wily, basically. I would be scared to carry this thing because it's
just because it's glass. We're almost there.
This is just, this is really cool atmosphere this going. There's last year we didn't have this
kind of an atmosphere because that red carpet was outside. This year we have that great atmosphere
because they're right in front of us. And they are energetic. That's what I love because we
don't feed off that. Yes. We feed off that energy. We are almost there, sir.
Well, my old burger is represented. Is it really? Uh-huh. But not your high school
problem. No, my high school proper. Poetit high schools is representing this key. Okay, but that's,
you know, aren't they getting ready to bring model? It seems like as soon as one high school or
middle school or even elementary school and is needed. It's done. Another one starts.
All right, we're back live on you stream now. Okay, good. Everything that's up and running
properly. I'll use to my knowledge. But we've got some people from DSM. They're going to be helping us
out tonight as well. Kind of my hub and make Don's life a little bit easier. And this is only,
this is one of three shows in the next 72 hours. We're going to be here tonight all night
through the end of the show Saturday night. We're going to be at Garland High School
for the real owl film festival. Where again, we will be broadcasting. Again, we will be
presenting this time for awards. And we're going to be judges. Yes. Somebody thinks we know
something about something. I don't know. Oh, do I have the pool? We know a couple of things about
a cup. I've always said, I know enough to be dangerous. Well, we're right here live Dallas
music, college, fair park. I don't know why I had problems saying that. I know you seem to
kind of trip and stumble over there. One of our favorite places to be even when we're not podcasting.
I feel like I'm more familiar with this building than almost any building in the city. And I
worked downtown. Yeah. I mean, that's that's something. I mean, you are here. What? We're going to be
here next week. Circus 1903 is next week. Press night. I'll be next Wednesday. We're going to be
there. We'll be reviewing it afterwards. And wrapping up this season in July. We'll be the
bodyguard. And a lot of people are like, they made the bodyguard into a musical. We'll technically
it was to begin with. But this one's interesting because it will be starring R&B Great Deborah Cox.
One of big fan of. I enjoy her fun work. Every time you mention that, you always make it a point to
mention her. Every time someone asks you about it. But and all the people we've told how many of
them have gone who they've all gone really. Yeah. So they're doing something right. And it's and what I
really dig about what I'm seeing from the bodyguard. It's not just songs from that soundtrack. They cover
a lot of Whitney's career. Yes. So that'll be in July, July 18th through the 30th. So right after my
couple weeks after my birthday. Because I don't know if I put a countdown day up today. I'm not
gonna have to do that at the break. That's that's shocking for you. It's been a long week, man.
45 days. The countdown is officially a quarter of the way over. God, this summer day, it was summer
band 44. And then we, and then we start counting down the mind and dawns. Yeah. Although we don't
do that. That's gonna work. That's your choice. I'm not stopping you. Well, I like that. I like the
jacket on this kid just walk. But I like it. Whether they're taking like, they look kind of like smoking
jackets, but they're touch jackets. Oh, the red one. I just look at this. I love it. That did look
kind of, that did look kind of dope. As you're looking through, what kind of musicals are our
represented tonight? Oh, gosh. They, they run the gannot. You see, spam a lot represented,
which was represented last year by a couple of schools. Some familiar ones beating the beast,
trick, Peter Pan. Heather's the musical. Yeah. That's the thing. Actually, promoted on
local affiliate WFA. Channel 8, who's just right down the way from us. Uh-huh. Something called
starmites that North Forney High School is presented. I'm kind of intrigued in 80s animated series.
Well, it's shop of horrors. How to succeed in business about really trying
school of rock. I'll be here next year. Uh-huh. Great vine high school,
put that presentation on. They're right up the street of boys. Let's see, thoroughly modern
millie. One, I'm really intrigued by independence high school did a, a production of big fish.
Yes, we have that represented last year as well. But I'm, I'm wanting to see that.
I'm a musical. Yeah. Yeah, because I love that thing. I'm a fan of that film as well.
Let's see, what's fun. A mattress, I see. Oh, goodness.
Disney's high school musical, but I'm by Bishop Lynch. Say, local private school for those of you that don't
live in the area.
And once, once also talk about, you know, some of the big winners tonight will have the opportunity
to go to New York City and compete nationally. As our best actress and best actor did last year.
When we spoke to the, do we speak to the best actor recipient at the North Texas Giving Day
was? Yes, because he made top four, I think, in the country. And he was still floating on a
cloud as he showed it. I mean, I, I would say the fair amount of his shirty. But there are
people listening to us right now around the world. But maybe I'll just, I'm not going to lie.
I'm pretty sure they don't do this in my home state of Florida. Which doesn't make sense to me.
You would think that that would be kind of a Lynch fan. Well, and but maybe this is, because
remember, we've talked to the dignitaries here that have said, this is the kind of program
that they're helping institute in other areas that have asked them to help them set them up.
I would really hope that, you know, as time goes on, more states would adopt this. Yeah,
because I would have given anything if, if this would have been in place never, I was going to
Missky High School. And think about the fact that, you know, you have, we don't know how far
south. We know as far west as the Amarillo. The fact that they have volunteers that play judges
that go, got play judges, but our judges and go to these high schools to watch these musicals,
so that they can be here and be represented on a night right tonight. That's amazing. That's
absolutely amazing to me that there is this much support thrown behind the, both local and
out of area high school. And a lot later than it was last year, just because there,
there was a little musical kind of called Wicked that kind of threw the time line off of everything.
But this, this is the perfect time to do it, because it's right at the end of the school year.
You know, kids are getting ready for summer break. Maybe get ready to already go off to college
for first semester in summer. So what a great way to wind up the school year as well.
Yeah, no kidding. I mean, like, I know whenever, whenever I was in high school and we were always
competing or striving to compete in UIO 1 Act, but that was kind of like our culmination of the
high school year as a theater class. This kind of blows that out of the water. Well, it's kind of like
the the end of year awards banquet just done bigger. Yeah. And with, with a bunch of schools together.
Yeah. I mean, it's the high school tonies. And this place, a musical fair park holds about
5,500 people if I remember correctly. Give or take. They're going to practice. Yeah.
Make no mistake. Because this thing, we're an hour and 22 minutes away from the award show itself.
And this place, this, this lobby is already packed full of people. I was packed before we,
along before we even went on the air. Exactly. I was shocked. I'm glad I got here as early as I did.
So I could get in here and get set up and not have to navigate the sea of people that there is right now.
Yeah. I was just, I was just trying to maneuver my way through and I had to, you know, dodge obstacles.
I felt like a, I felt like frog or crossing the high, well, now you were a high school
drama kid. I was a band kid. So I'm always interested to look at events like this from your
perspective. When you were in high school, was, was this, would this be something that would even be
feasible? Because I really think technology has helped this. So because, remember, this is six years.
So go back to 2011. If I do my math correctly, 2000, 2012. Uh-huh. Is, would this thing
kind of be feasible back then? It would be really hard to spread the word of what got seen and
and how many times it got viewed. And I don't know. I mean, it's, it would be a lot, I think they
could, but it would just be a lot more difficult. Yeah, it would be a lot of really, really high
foam bill. But yeah, the logistics would be a nightmare. But yeah, given the advent of
boner technology, it makes things like this easier to pass back and forth as far as maybe being
getting, getting a glimpse of some of these things without having to make the trip to actually view it,
things of that nature. I just didn't promise you, yes. I think it would be shut my wheels off.
That'll happen on nights like this, sir. That will happen on nights like this. We got to fake out.
Again, we are live at Dallas, music, college, fair park. I really can't say that. I don't,
we've been, we've been at this, we've been coming to events here for what three years now. You
think I would know it by. But we're not always reporting from here. Well, there's something to say
that the third time we've ever reported from here. So last year at this event, and we also did
North Texas Giving Day here last fall. Well, you could, well, no, I guess you really can't count
the earth they festival. That was on the ground. But it was not a block way. It wasn't in this building.
I'm trying to look at the glass box over there. There would carpet. I can't see what it is there.
I mean, yeah, I saw them carrying it through. I'm like, is that supposed to be holding ballots for
something? I don't know, maybe that's, that's my lifetime achievement award that they're going to
be getting me later tonight. Oh, is that what it is? It's going to be lifetime achievement for being awesome.
Oh, so is, is that why it's just a big box of hot air? Well, play, sir. It is very warm in here.
It is, but it just got warm out of nowhere. And then, you know, again, if you're in Dallas,
if you have to be out tonight, then be up. If you don't have to, because we're under some severe
weather warnings, but you know what, didn't stop from all these kids from being here tonight.
I don't know. They weren't going to miss this for anything. We also got to see our friend Francisco
just a little while ago. He came by and let us know what was going on. So that we're ready to,
oh, we're having people take our picture. Hi, how are you doing?
I love it when strangers take pictures. It doesn't make me worry about becoming a
meme that I'm not aware of. But, well, as long as it just says, as long as it doesn't
get any worse than two shrubs with a microphone, we'll be fine. You know what? I'm top and
come and trade marking that. I'm copyrighting that. I've been telling you to do that for the longest time.
In fact, it ought to be just like, I wonder if we could copyright if you listen to you. No.
We probably need to do this. There's a couple of things we probably need to copy.
Smartest man alive. You could. No, that's like you thing. That's not a show thing. Oh, okay.
But again, tonight we're here Saturday night. We'll be at Garvin High School for the real
owl film festival. I'm kind of, I'm really excited about that. He didn't see films done by students,
and then Sunday night we'll be back in the studio for WWE backlash. He believed that already.
Is that a raw or a SmackDown tape snack down? Okay. I've already talked Andrew said he will be
out of town, but he's going to send me his picks and his grade. Okay. So only five matches on the main
card right now. But that could and probably will change. You're going to fill three hours.
And also there's an XT take over Chicago about Saturday night, but I'm going to watch that on Sunday.
I'll be watching Ron SmackDown tomorrow because I'm working from home. Something to caught up on everything.
Okay. All right. We also remind you, stay with us. We're going to be on a long time tonight.
I've got plenty of bottled waters to help me out. Yeah, I forgot to do that. I saw many,
many pizzas being unloaded as I walked in. So I'm sure there'll be plenty of that in the green room.
I saw three of them being wolfed down right outside the front door. There's might have been
somebody else's up because I think he was from a different place.
You know what I want. I think about this day. Our next goal, we need to be the official podcast at the
SM. That's our next move. Okay. That's I don't think they have one.
Well, I think we know the guy to talk to to see if we can make that as true. That is true. That is true.
And you know, I haven't seen a friend of the show Tracey Jordan yet. I know he's here somewhere. He's got to be.
Oh, yeah. So we're going to have to lock him down. Probably we've at the end of the show like we did last year.
Because we're always going to ding Terry's at the end because they're doing so much other stuff during the show.
Well, I know his voice will be heard right at the beginning of the production. So you've got to script over there. Yes, I know.
You're going to be following along. We're going to keep you guys up to date as much as possible. Don, just got it.
Look, look at dawn. Wow. I think he's competing with the one time you don't wear a purple. He's wearing purple.
Because our war purple to the to our last theater production that we attended the other night.
Uh, that would be this one. Dom, what's going on, brother? Just got here. I know.
So it's up. That's why we didn't pick up the phone when you called because we were on the air.
We started early. No, we did.
Part of the sort of 530 brother. We had to be ready. Okay. All right. Well, I'm here. So all right. Let me get the red carpet going.
All right. Talk to you. There's somebody here from DSM. Okay. That is assigned to help us out. Okay. All right.
I don't know that you can see her, but she's just on the other end of the red carpet. Okay. All right.
Francisco came by earlier to talk to us. We are up and running. Okay. So just take a deep breath.
Get her going and do you because it's time. All right. Don is all over it. That is dawn forward. The official
fact checker of this show. He also is the guy that kind of handles our guests. I wouldn't say kind of he does.
He handles it with the mastery of of like a cattle rope or he just gets him in there. And this is the most
dapper I've seen him dressed for anything. We don't know that I've ever seen him in a tie before. This is the first.
There will have to be photo evidence of this on our Instagram. By the way, you can follow us on Instagram.
The clubhouse podcast. That's also our Facebook. You can also follow us on Twitter at clubhouse show
because we couldn't fit the other name. That was too many characters for Twitter. People have asked me.
Why clubhouse show? Because it's the only thing I could film to. And also our website. You can listen live.
We're not going to be doing video tonight except for during the intermission. We're on Facebook Live.
As we present the award for social media. And it will be mercifully short. I wrote a very short
script. And let me just say this. You haven't seen the script yet. No, but the script I have written.
You and Don have more dialogue than I do. Oh, well, that's generous. So I'm just putting it out there.
Before anybody starts calling shenanigans. And now have you. I'll have you go through it with Don as
soon as we're ready to kind of move the gear. Because once the show starts, we have to go
front. Right now we're outside. Music call again right next to the red carpet. Once the show starts,
we are going to be moving to the green room, which is backstage, right? With some of our friends
from DSM who are going to be interviewing as well. They're going to be handling the video. We're
going to be handling audio. Sitting at the little picnic table in there like we did last year.
What was that? I don't know. Oh, it's weight. Okay. You said they look on your face like you're
fixing to say something. I was kind of a sweet moment. Hold on. Don, don, don, don. Don's back.
I'm good. 30 seconds here we go. Let's get it rolling. All right. We have people sitting. We have
people standing. Don is blocking traffic. Everything's working out. All right. I'm very confused
by all of this right now. All right. How you doing? Good. You can write up into that
microphone. Tell everybody who you are. Hi guys. Hi. How you doing? Go ahead and introduce yourselves.
My name is Jane Shane and I'm the Vice Chair of Dallas Summer Musicals. Oh, very nice, sir.
A Randy Wright. I'm the Chair of Lex. I'll be chair of the next two years and then Jane follows me.
Oh, wow. Okay. So it's okay. So we've got the next, we've got leadership for like the next
15 years. I'm using my public school map. That is a strong series. I hate it math and school.
So is how many times have you been to this event before? Oh, every year it's happened.
So this is six. Yes. Yeah. It gets better and better. My fourth. Okay. So we have two four and six.
So there's math there. All right. This is, it just gets bigger every year. It does. We are very
excited to see all of the people here. The students look so great. The parents always just
are so thrilled to be here. They've all worked very, very hard. And we were trying to figure out earlier
because I forgot to bring the press release with me. How many schools? How many productions?
I'm a Randy. You're asking the wrong person. I think I have over 60 schools. From all over the
state of Texas. From bigger than the metro plaques. I know some have come from quite a ways away.
I did see Emma Rillow pulling in as I pulled, I was getting the people pulled in. So
Waco, I know we get the Waco schools. Yeah. All in Texas, but all over Texas. Yeah. And I mean,
you guys are going to pack music haul. There's, you know, what's it? 5,500 seats. Something like that.
34. 34. I'm going to say 55 as it sounds better. I think it's, I'll take it away.
But that's still, that's more, it's still more than I can fit the house. It's all I'm saying. The
noise level will be really high. And see, that's what I'm glad you mentioned that because last year
because from here, we're going to go to the green room during the show. So we'll be here all night.
We could hear the noise level from the front of house all the way back to the green room. And
that's one of the things is we have a little speaker so we can hear what's going on. But we still,
it's still loud enough that we almost in some cases don't even need it. Yeah. And
this, you know, having the red carpet right next to us this year versus last year where we were
inside and they were outside. It just makes that atmosphere so much bigger.
Talk about the prep work that it takes to even get to this point. Well, they start a whole year ahead of time
because they have to make sure they know which schools are going to participate and which musicals are
being done and they send out a team of judges to watch every single musical that's part of the program
and it's a year long process. And there's, it's not like four people going all over the state.
You guys have a very big group of judges that if I'm not mistaken or all volunteers. Absolutely.
All volunteers that we do have some paid staff that are in our educational group that facilitate
things. But most of that effort on judging is volunteer effort. Now, do you have to, when you're
getting the judges, is there a vetting process? Is there a requirement like they can't have a kid in a
program? Or are there any rails put around that, you know? I've always wondered that. Yeah,
definitely be conflict if someone, I think most of the judges are like me and well beyond
child bearing age. But I think most of the judges used to be performers. Oh, they are really
well-versed on what is really going to be a winner and very qualified to know what's a great
performance. Now, I'm always interested when we look through the list of musicals that are represented.
Has there been a musical that's being represented this year that made you go?
Okay, didn't you didn't know that would be done in the high school?
It's last year for me that was spammy line. Knowing spammy line was done in a high school.
I was like, I have so many quotes since right now. But I actually did to get to see it.
It's okay. So I can see what they took out and what they left in. But not even from a
content, even like I didn't even know there was a musical of that. Is anything kind of that
like taking you by surprise this year? No, honestly, they are recognizable shows that
are tough. Like spammy line is a tough show. But when we saw it last year,
that was one of my favorites because the performance was really super.
And best actress came from spammy line if I'm not mistaken. She was the lady of the lake.
You haven't seen the musical. No, I haven't. It is, it's so wonderful.
I say Monty Python fan, it covers the whole game bitch. I know it's killing me. I've been
dying to see this thing. My wife actually saw it in New York and she took me when it was actually
here a few years ago. And I love this building as well because it's one of those buildings that
you just walk in and you can feel the history of it. Can you talk about some of the things,
like especially the improvements over the last couple of years that's making this an even better
experience for people here? I'd say the biggest improvement is our sound for anyone who was
paying here. You're absolutely right. Even up through the 90s, you'd sit in the lower orchestra,
great seats, and you'd pretend you knew what they were singing. And you'd kind of note if you knew
the song, you could kind of sing along in your head, but other than that, the sound was so poor.
You really could not hear clearly. We've been fortunate to have a volunteer who's an engineer
put a lot of his own money into improving the sound here. Oh wow. And it's really the best
tuned building for musical theater in the area now. And not just for musical theater. We talked
about this year alone with the SM. You brought back the illusionists, right? I know this is an
audio medium and I'm pointing. Yeah. But even when we came for that because we come for all the events
because we're huge fans and we get to review it and everything else. But something like the illusionist
that isn't necessarily a musical production. But requires a very well-tuned sound system or a lot
of the things they're doing. That just brings that to another level as well. It does. And the big
difference is back in the day, the touring performances would bring their own sound system. So you'd
have an amplified sound from the front of the stage. Now we have an array of speakers all over the
building that's producing that sound. And also through sound engineering in the building,
we've been able to reduce the acoustical noise in the performances. So and that leads me to a
very interesting question as well. Because something I've wondered, with the improvements in music
hall, I'm assuming that every production still brings their own crew. Absolutely. It's a combination
that there will be touring musicians. But they'll bring their own sound people and we have residents
sound in junior law. So do they bring their own, I mean, I obviously would bring their own board
because their people are about to whatnot. How often now is it a lot less now that they actually
feel like they're bringing their own speakers? Or it's still kind of a week prefer they not bring
their speakers because ours, like I said, especially in the upper balcony, the projected sound
from the stage can't carry back their effectively. So we really want them to use our system.
And why wouldn't you? Right. You know? But the big announcement just a few weeks ago about
not only next season, but the season after for a couple of shows, I'm going to be on to the
I was floored. You know, there's going to be a couple of bucket list items that are getting checked off
in the next couple of years. Just today, someone came up to me at work. Totally unsolicited and said,
my son saw the lineup for the SM next year and he said, we got to go. And that is the reaction
we're getting over and over again. Well, for instance, you know, Chad and I were here
was at three years ago now for the state fair on the closing weekend because this for those
of you don't know, music hall is part of the entire complex at the Texas state fair as housed in every
year. We were coming in and we were leaving on a Saturday just as a Lion King performance was
getting out. So we were coming in as the Matt May was releasing. We were leaving as the evening
shows releasing. And both of us kind of looked and was like, you know what? That would be a great
musical to see. And it's coming back next year. It is with, you know, people, I've already
had people calling me going, hey, do you have a line on when Hamilton tickets are going? So I'm
like, dude, we're two years out. Let's slow it down a little bit. Easy thing to do. Get season
tickets now. And you'll have Hamilton tickets. And you can get those at Dallasummermusicals.org.
Don's giving me the high sign because you guys need to go get ready for the show. Thank you so
much for joining us. Thank you. Thank you so much for the season first. I'll go enjoy the evening.
Don's giving me pictures. Next is giving me stuff. All right. Thank you so much. Thank you for having
you. We are live Dallas, Fair Park, Newseco. I can't get this.
Newseco, a fair park in Dallas. Dog gone at Alden and Jersey. That, that, that, that, that, that,
six annual Texas high school musical awards. We're having some technical difficulties with
some headphones over there. I think we're square to wake you right up on that microphone.
Introduce yourself to everybody. Hello, my name is Griffin Jones. And I'm Rebecca
Blinken ship. Abelink Cooper checking in. We were just saying that Abelink now we got
Emma Rillow here. You guys are you tired from the road? Just a little bit. How long
good is it going here? Uh, it takes about three hours to get here. So what time did you guys
leave to get here? Um, we left out about like 11 this morning. So you had some time to get here
and decompress a little bit. Yes. Well, what musical are you representing at your school?
We are representing Fiddler on the roof. You know what? And this is impressive to me because
for people that don't know, Fiddler on the roof is not an easy musical to pull off. No. No. No.
It's musically complex. Coriography wise is complex. Even visually, it's very complex.
Yes, sir. When did you start working on it? We started working early November and we
performed end of January. Do you hear that, sir? 60 days. That's dedication. That's insanity.
I mean, did you sleep? Did you take a picture of your house in the daytime? So you remember
what it looked like? Like, that's about what we had to have. I was back to like, you know what?
We started last summer. We had no. Sorry, dude. We started before Christmas. We did it right
at before the Super Bowl. You know, that's, that's insane. And saying to me, what are you
guys? You're nominated for Best Actor? Yes, sir. Anything? I'm just good at it.
Hey, you know what? She's the arm candy. She's beautiful. Hey, you know what? I got nothing on that
because there's no, there's no good way to get out of that because I'm an old man. No, no.
Literally, all that up to be your grandfather. You know, I've led you're doing this to heaven.
We give age jokes to him all the time. That's epic. So, so did you have to go and come back and
go and come back? Because I know that they had the showcase with the best actor and best actresses the other night.
Well, I came up on the week and rehearsals. But this week, I came up Monday morning
and my director and I stayed in a hotel throughout the week. So I didn't have to travel
about how was that affecting finals? I didn't have to take any finals because I took my AP test
the week before we started doing this. So I was, I was clear. So you get to be here and kind
and really literally you're decompressing. I was, you're, you're coasting around the home stretch
at this big relaxing time. Is senior here? Yes, sir. Oh, sir.
What's Don doing? Don is giving me some kind of a signal. Oh, he needs the mic for some reason.
He's intercepting the microphone. We're doing something different. What are we doing?
We've got three sets of headphones, but we only have two microphones. So you're going to,
Bro, you, okay, yeah, you get to stay. You don't get to leave because you got to stay with him. Hey, Griffin, how
you? I'm good. How are you, Christian? I love you, Griffin. I love you, Griffin. I love you.
Christian, welcome, sir. Did you hear that? Did you hear that? Hi. They showed the love for each other.
As they should. And they're competing against each other. That's the worst. That's the greatest thing
about this, this award show is we all want each other the win and the fact that we all love each other
makes it so hard to like be mad at each other. Oh, absolutely. Because I mean, when they call
who wins, there is so much genuine love on the stage. We are just like, ah, we are like so excited.
Even though it's not us or, you know, but you can still say you're, you're what? How many
nominees are in the category? Nine. So nine, you think nine dudes out of like thousands and thousands
yeah, it is, it is pretty special. The math there is. It's a big thing. Yeah, it's a very big
thing and just Tuesday night when the judges judged us to see who would be the best actor and best
actress. We all huddled in the bathroom when we were like guys, no matter what happens,
we will always be in contact with each other. Now did you guys know each other before or did you
through this program? I knew Luke and John who were nominated for Best Actor and John one last year,
but last year, but everybody else I've met. I had met John this past summer, but that was the only
one I knew. So there was that John on the show twice. You had it last year after you won them
and he was here for North Texas giving day as well. Talk to me about just, now when you guys did the
deal this past weekend where you performed for the judges, I was actually following that on Instagram
as it was happening. Yeah. Oh, it might did, did I just like dream this or did you guys actually
get to pick a song outside of the musical you were nominated for to perform as well? Yes, Sir. We,
we did our medley where we did a song from our show and then we were asked to do a contrasting
solo that showed off our acting talent. Okay. Now were you prepared for that going in?
Yes. You have something in your back pocket? Yes. Yeah, we would go to Mark and we were like,
this is the song that we want to do for our medley and then we had it for the medley. You saw
the pick one from the production version. Yes, definitely. And then we just picked our contrasting
solos. We got worked with Tina Walsh, who's, by the way, is amazing. And we were on the show last year.
Yeah, and she is incredible. She helped us pick which, if that, if that song did not show
who we truly are as actors and as performers, she said scrap it, we're picking another one. And we
had a, we had a short amount of time and she was fully confident in us and everybody came together
at the very last minute. Just how musical theater is. Indeed. And there was no for the last minute.
Nothing would get done. Exactly. Exactly. And it turned out to be phenomenal, phenomenal.
I'm just, I'm, we got a long way to go and my brain is already fried from all this stuff at you.
I'm telling you, this, this night we covered it last year. We're covering it this year. And we've got to
keep plug in this thing. At the intermission, make sure you get on your phone because at the
intermission, we are presenting the award for social media. And we're going to be streaming it live.
The award for social media is a brand new award this year that we're giving away for use of social
media. Okay. So make sure that you get on your phones, tell everybody, you know, don't go,
you're running outside at the intermission. Because we're, I don't know if they're doing any
other awards during the intermission, but we know that we're presenting that one. All right,
we're getting the high sign from Don for you guys to go get ready for the show. Because we're 59
minutes away from this thing starting. Thank you for having remembered. If you win,
we're going to be in the green room. Okay. After we're, so if you win, you've got to come back and
see us. All right. All right. Yes, sir. Thank you for having so much for coming and hanging out.
Really. Okay. So we've got a couple more from the Metroplex joining us representing
Forty High School, which you talked about earlier in Mansfield High School.
Ladies, how are you? We're good. I get right up on that microphone, tell everybody who you are.
My name is Cameron Anthony, and I'm from Forty High School. My name is Shelby Pretty, and I'm from
Mansfield High School. All right. And what shows are you representing tonight?
I'm representing guys and dolls. I'm representing little women. Wow. So both old school.
That's what I got right here. So so you guys, did you know each other before this process?
Because I'm always, because there's a lot of this camaraderie, but they're like, yeah, I had no idea
who this person was a week ago. No, we didn't know each other, but actually we got really close.
We're planning to make this a long-lasting friendship. I love this competition because
I was in it two years ago, and I still talked to those people that I knew. It's just a great way
to make friends across the Metroplex, and it's just awesome, because you're able to keep those
friendships for a long time. Where are you at in your high school careers? I'm a senior. I'm also a senior.
Oh, so now the big things start to happen. Where are you guys going from here?
I'm going to major a musical theater at to see you. All right.
To major a musical theater at the Manhattan School of Music. Wow. That's not
Manhattan Kansas kids. That's where a state is. That's on the same thing. I'm just saying. All right.
So we didn't get to ask us of our last guests, but I'm going to ask this of you guys.
You get one shot to play the role that you've always wanted to play. What is it?
Meaning from rent. Oh, great call of bold. Extra ordinary girl in Americanity.
You know what? I have not seen Americanity. We caught rent when it came through here last year.
It's one of my favorites of all time. And you know, we do shows here. We've also done shows
for the windspir as well, so we get to see both. Have you guys been looking at the stuff that's
coming up? Because you're here in the Metroplex, so you're not that far from music call. Have you
looked at this stuff that's coming up next year? Music homes, it's been right going up next year.
I'm so excited. What's the one thing? If you only get chance there's a one show. Hamilton's two
years from now. So two years you're going to get a Latin and Hamilton. Those are the only two they've
announced for 1819. Right. For me, I'm looking forward to love never dies because that's coming next year.
Waitress is coming next year. The Lion King is coming next year. I'm like, you know, I just get your
sleep now. The color purple is coming next year. The color purple is opening this season.
I'm excited for color purple. Yeah. What? Are there butterflies or are you just at the point
now? It's like the things done. Because it's got to feel like a pressure cooker when you're in that
room in front of those judges. It is a pressure cooker. We all sit in there and we're like all
tense, but we all know like it's such an amazing talent. Every single person in that room has a talent
beyond belief. They open their mouth and you're just in awe from what they can do. And so when we're judging,
we just all boost each other up and just like, you know, we're all going to kill it. We're all
going to be great. And so right now, it just feels like it's a performance and we're all sisters.
We're all brothers. We're all here together as a family to be getting ready to produce something
for the people that we love. And so it doesn't feel so much like a competition anymore.
Now, when you go into this thing, how do you decide who goes when? Is it like just a random
drawing? For the judging? Mm-hmm. It was alphabetical order. Oh, oh, that's what I want to do
Is there is if you had had your preference? Are you a let me go first? Let me go last? Let me go somewhere in the middle?
I think because we've got an A and a million shots. I like going first because like like last
is also a good place to go because you give them something to leave off on or you give them something to
remember. The reason I was an alphabetical order because Milena Wilson, she plays Ursula and she
has to paint her entire body. I saw that on Instagram. They go full costume. Really Ursula,
full costume. Yes, she has to paint her body gray and so she needed to get out of that to
do her solo and since her name starts at the W, they're like, we're just going to do an alphabetical order
to get her time. The best and quickest costume change I've ever witnessed. Truly. I just I can't even
imagine. Oh, it's the same. Like when was the judge? The judging was Tuesday night. So Tuesday,
so she I do have started like Sunday morning. So that she would be great because I'm telling you,
I saw this on Instagram. That costume is insanity. So so 24 hours of getting the costume
24 seconds to get out of it. I got your made it. They didn't run it at all. They made the whole
box. Wow. I remember seeing it for the first time and I was like, what are these tentacles made
out of it? She said air ducts and we picked them up and we're just like, oh my god, it's so insane.
The the ingenuity that you see where you're like, that's got to be 19 tons and she's like,
five ounces. And I'm like, okay, fair enough. All right, we're getting the high sign for you guys
because we got we've got Don's got people backed up which is awesome. Enjoy the evening and if you
win, we're going to be in the green room, interview in the winners. So you got to stop and see us.
All right. Thank you guys for being here. Thank you. Don is all over this like a bad suit. And I just
dropped a thing. You were listening to the clubhouse podcast. We are live. Music Hall fair park.
Stuck the landing. Finally. We got two for best supporting actor up. Okay, all right. Gentlemen,
put your headphones on. Get right up in that microphone. Introduce yourself. I am Jess Westman for
am Abley and High School and I was in Footloose. Preston Nemo from Independent High School in
Frisco and we did Big Fish. Just a rewonder show last year. I was, yes. I thought he looked
in here. Your old man still got a memory. Welcome back, sir. Well, thank you. It's a little more crowded
than it was last year at this time because they've had to move the red carpet in because you've got
some rough some rough weather coming in. We want to make sure you guys are protected. That's
two of nothing else. How are you feeling right now? A little nervous, but I'm excited to perform
in so many people in front of so many people and it's a front process. Yeah, there's a lot of tension
in the air. It's you know, a lot of nervous energy, but I honestly feel that everyone that got
nominated is going to be happy whoever wins. Exactly. I love how we've heard that multiple times
in these interviews. There's not like if you wins, I'll kill him. It's honestly not about winning
at all. It's just about the experience and going through that and telling a story on stage.
Yeah. Is it different for you now than it was last year? Last year, I played a little boy and this
year, I've kind of played a mindless cowboy. So it was a lot different. I'll just put the experience here.
Was it? I'm sorry. I'm not going to judge you outwardly. The experience is a little bit different.
Things are more organized, but really, yeah. I have to debate them on that. I grew up in
Mesquite. There really isn't much difference between a little boy and a mindless cowboy. That's
fantastic. You're not even right about that one. I'll let you say that. I'm just saying speaking from
experience. So do you have a dress rehearsal in music hall or is everything done? Yeah, we actually
had one today. We checked in around 9 o'clock this morning and then we've been here all day
practicing rehearsing, getting ready for tonight. When you hit, when you hit that stage,
even though it's a dress rehearsal when there's maybe 19 people in the room. What is that feeling like
knowing that there's going to be the better part of 4,000 people in less than 12 hours in that same room?
It's it's scary for one thing, but it's also pretty exciting. You look out into the house and it's just like,
wow, there's going to be a person in all of those seats. It's really crazy. Do you just kind of block it out?
What is it? At that moment, because hopefully it's dark. I've always like,
make it darkest possible. So I don't see everybody. Whatever you get on stage, it's really,
if you look at the audience and show how scared you are, it becomes about you. It's not about everybody.
You try to just make it, make it feel like it's natural and then you're not afraid of them.
So where are you guys in your high school careers? I'm a senior this year. I'm also a senior. Okay,
so where are you going? Come fall. Next year, I decided on UNC for biochemistry. I'm going to
Texas A&M and Corpus to major in acting performance. I'm sorry, I'm trying to wrap around people up.
I want to make sure that we get you guys the time you need. Understand it? So are you at the point now?
It's like, everything done. Do you still have finals left? Do you are you having to deal with that?
Or is it actually at the point where we're done? We're just getting to the end. I mean AP tests are over and
yeah, things done. I mean we're all done. We're just like, it's like a lot about celebration.
Just killing time. Just killing time.
This is, I, I don't know, my adrenaline starting to flow and I'm going to need it because we're
going to be in this for the long on. Imagine these guys though. We got, we got nothing on these
teams. Yeah. I would like 10% of their energy and that might get me through about the next
month and a half. Are we, are we wrapping up? Don't, is that what I'm doing? Okay,
fair enough. All right, just keep me on time. Keep me on time because we have 50 minutes,
five zero, until the show starts. Because we're going to wrap up here. These are three minutes.
Okay, three to five. Okay, fair enough. We're going to wrap up here in about 40 minutes because we're
taking all this stuff backstage once the show starts. We're going to be in the green room talking
to all the winners as they come off. And we got to remind everybody, we're just hinted about 100
more times at the intermission. Get on your phones because tonight during the intermission,
we are presenting the award brand new award for social media. Oh, yeah. So we're going to be
Facebook, Living it. DSM is going to be Facebook, Living it. We're actually going to have to act
which is weird. I've actually written a script. It's not very funny, but we're going to get through it.
So I'm sure it's funnier than you think. I think I just saw Don turn like three different
shades of pale. No, Don, no. Don knows this is coming. Well, when you recently, we were going
to have to act. Well, Don's not, you know what, I'm going to let that ride. I can't even
count right now. Okay. So no, you open that door. This is the last question I'm going to ask you.
The one role that you want to play. What's your bucket list role? Phantom and Phantom of the
Opera. Oh, nice. Definitely elder price in the book of Mormon. We've seen both of those
glasses. Yeah, we saw that over the holidays. And I was like, I'm going to hell, but I'm driving
the bus once. I love the book of Mormon. And I'm not afraid to say it. All right, gentlemen,
go enjoy your eating because it's almost time. Remember, if you win, you got to come talk to us backstage.
Thank you. All right. Thank you. Make sure you stay with us because we are going to be live
streaming during the show itself. And if you miss any portion of the show, it's going to be available
on iTunes at the latest lunchtime tomorrow. It's good to depend on how long it is at night. How much
energy you have whenever you finally get around. I don't know about all that. All right,
this cavalcade of stars continues. Put your headphones on, ladies, we're going to get
right in that microphone. Tell me who you are. My name is Maddie Doyle. From Paris, Texas,
North and more high school. It's on the East side. I'm Haley Hatfield, and I'm from Mansville,
Texas. It's on the South West side. So, is Paris, do we know? Is Paris the farthest east
school? Because I know abolines, I think the farthest west. Probably. We're like two hours away from here.
So, maybe. Which that's almost, that's almost Louisiana at that point. If I do my math correctly,
what shows are you representing tonight? Sure. All right. Little one at it. I just,
the fact that they did little women. That's, that's the second time we've heard that tonight.
Yeah, my friend Shelby was nominated for Best Actress and Little Women. I just, I love that the
kids are there doing the new stuff what they're doing the classics. How old did I sound just now?
I'm not going to say anything. You don't have my laws. Basically, what you just found is that
I talked about your experiences this week. You had to come here Tuesday and stand and be judged
as they say. I mean, after that happens, do you find, do you just get to exhale or is it more?
I'm not going to exhale until I get on the bus that I'm headed home. Yeah, pretty much.
Is it better worse about the same than it was three days ago?
I, it's about the same because the stress level is still super high. But I mean, everyone's more
comfortable now because we've all gotten in no each other over the course. So, it's not like you're
going to bunch in a big place where you know nobody. Like exactly. Yeah. So, really,
because what I'm going with this is I'm always interested when you get you stand before the judging.
When I was a kid, many years ago, when dinosaurs were on the earth,
when we would be judged, like we knew pretty much immediately because there wasn't the fan
fair and everything else. Like you knew before you left the campus where you were sitting.
You guys have to wait three days. Oh my gosh, that's the worst. Like, because you don't know at all,
like you're just sitting there with everyone else, you're like, in competition with the
it's stressful, your faces. You can't tell what they're thinking with you.
Now, do you have that little voice in the back of your head that said, if it were me,
I would put my money on this person? Yes. Oh my gosh. Always. All done. How often is it not you?
Every time. I love the honesty. I love the honesty. And it was like instantaneous. Every time.
So, where are you in your current in your high school career? I'm a junior. All right. So,
you got another year to go? I'm a senior. So, where are you going after graduation? I'm going to
Oklahoma Central. Okay. So, we've had New York check in. We've had Oklahoma check in. We've had Texas
check in. Where are you looking to go if you have your brothers? I'll see you, maybe. Or,
T.C. you. I like T.C. You. T.C. You is one of those campuses. When I first moved the Texas,
it was like as big as this table. It was so small. And we went there for the Armed Horses ball last
year. I was like, it is this entire city. Yeah. It's taken over a big chunk of it. So, a lot of
things going on without some of musicals. Next year, I don't think I saw the list. The list is huge.
We're getting waitress. We're getting school of rock. We're getting love never dies. We're getting
it's killing. We're getting a Lion King. What's the one role that's on your bucket list right now?
Oh, the color purple. I keep forgetting about that. That's kicking off the season. Yes. Mine
would be going that in a wicked. All right. That was last year here. Christine DIA and love never dies.
See, I've not seen Phantom twice. I've never seen love never dies. And I'm so curious. Yeah. A lot of
people don't like it because they don't think it's true to the original story. Phantom of the Opera,
but the music. It's not really, even Andrew Lloyd Webber doesn't consider it the sequel. Really.
If you wouldn't call it a true sequel, but I love everything about it. And I love the story, the drama,
the music. And it gives me an excuse to be here. You kidding me? Exactly. I think you should come see it.
We're going to have to. We're not going to have a choice. And then two years from now, Aladdin and Hamilton
are coming to Hamilton. Yes. Yeah. I would say the Lions I think are forming now. And they haven't even
gone on sale. All right. We're going to let you guys go enjoy because it's almost time. You
got 44 minutes until the show starts. And if you win, we're going to be back in the green room.
It comes down with us. All right. Thank you guys for being here. We are moving and shaking. Don
is like, we might be in a surplus, sir. Famined to feast. We're moving and shaking. We are making
things happen tonight. We are live, music, hall of fair park, and Dallas. It is the sixth annual
Texas high school musical awards. We have more guests get right up on that microphone. Tell
it right who you are. Hi, I am Fay. I was nominated for Best Featured Actress.
This is where I was from. Hamilton had a 60-day business with that really trying.
From where? Grand Prix, fine arts academy. All right. Right down the road.
I'm Molly Gleck. I was nominated for Best Sporting Actress as well. And I was Mrs. Mears
and Thirly Modern Really. From where? By our Nelson High School.
All right. Did you do our show last year, Millie?
No, this is our first year. She's been really familiar with her. She does. That's back up again.
Maybe I thought it was just I was going crazy. How are you guys feeling right now?
You have a twin so far. So you haven't really gotten to that point of like, all right,
this is happening. We're just going to roll with it. Yeah, I'm very set. Like I got in the car
and I just hit me like this isn't like yes. It was pretty surreal. Where are you at in your
high school careers? I'm a junior junior. So you got no year to go. So do you know can you know
and can you talk about what the next thing your schools are doing is? I think so.
Nobody's sitting. It's okay. I don't know if it's set in stone, but I think we're talking about
Adam's family, her next musical. I have seen that. It's I love it. I love the story behind that.
I like the way they did the way they wrote it. Uh-huh. Uh, we are. It's to be determined.
They should tell us next week. Hopefully, but we have no clue right now.
Oh, that would drive me crazy. I'm like, let's just pick something to do. Let me start
working now so that I'm ready when it comes around. What is the average time for the time you
find out what's going on until performance? Like how long do you guys take to rehearse and get ready?
We go like usually we go from, uh, we have auditions in late early November and then we have our show
in late, uh, last weekend of January. So just one show a year? Yes. What do you want? We do, um,
a fall play, a Christmas play, a musical, and then we do student-directed plays and then our musical.
Oh, okay, fair enough. I want to say we rehearse for a month and a half.
Um, and then we do one week of tech and then we go on. So I mean, I'm amazed by the time frame that you
guys, because I'm always like, oh, you know, we'll start the summer. We'll get no, sorry. We start
almost football seasons over and we're ready by the time the Super Bowl has a leg.
Six longer to go chilling in a crock pot sometimes. I just, I'm just amazed at the
level because I've seen a couple of the high school musicals in the last couple of years and the
level of production you guys put into this is absolutely mind blowing. You know, because the first
time I was like, okay, it's like a high school play. I was like, holy crap. Like, this is so far
beyond anything my school ever would have done. Sorry. We have it. We had a simple painted
backdrop and maybe two, three stage props at best in the school and it's like two microphones
on the stage. If you were lucky. Drop mics. Yeah. Nobody was my personal. All right, we're getting
the high sign of what you guys go get ready for the evening. Best of luck to you. We're going to be
backstage in the green room afterwards. So if you win, you got to come sit down with us. We also
remind everybody at the intermission tonight, get on your phones because we will be presenting
the award during the intermission for best use of social media and it will not go to us.
I love you. I love you. I love you. Just stand. You are listening to the clubhouse podcasts. We
are moving things. We went from a school zone to a freeway on this thing, man. This is crazy.
We are live on U3 now. We're going to take some time off here and about a half an hour because
we have to move the equipment from right now. We're right outside of music hall. We've got to
go backstage to the green room. We have two young men joining us. Tell us who you are. I'm Brian
Wright. I'm Colton Strickland. Where are you guys from? I'm from Plano East in your high school.
All right. J.J. Pierce High School. Oh, right right in the corner from each other.
Yeah. So how does that work when you get our U.S. both nominated. I'm assuming? Yes.
For which, which place? Which shows. All right. Peter Pan. So in the heights. I want to talk about
that for a minute because that was the thing. If we don't have in the heights, we don't have Hamilton.
That's very true. And I didn't know that until I watched a PBS thing a couple of months ago.
So I'm not going to brag. I'm not bragging. Is there knowing what that musical is? Is there any
pressure on that when you go to perform it? Talk right into that thing.
Okay. I almost feel like it motivates us to do even better because we use Hamilton to promote
in the heights because Hamilton just came out and it's going to be here in two years. Exactly.
So that got a lot of draw from the audiences and stuff. So it just really motivated us to
just really try hard for it. And then you look at something like Peter Pan that sure it's been
around forever in a day. But I love how it just keeps getting reinvented. Was it two years ago
when we wouldn't saw it? And they did it in the round and a parking lot downtown and this huge
tense. Talk about like the history of it. Do you look back to the history of it? Are you just
focus on like I'm just doing this production and this is why Matt? Well, you know there are a lot of
different takes on Captain Hook that I kind of looked at and I looked at all of them and I thought
that seems kind of boring. Fair enough. It turned into a comedic role for me. Now does it turn into the
tradition of Captain? What's the else the other role Captain Hook place? The father, rather.
Yeah, father died. Oh, we really paid the fog. Okay. That was another man.
Because when we saw it it was the same guy. Yeah. Apparently like I'm a traveler and you don't
think that's how it usually is. So you've got to really focus on Captain Hook. I got to really
just focus and put all my energy there and it was just a lot of fun. Where you guys at in your high
school careers? I'm a junior. I'm also a junior. So you've got another year to go. Yes we do.
We live. One of the questions I love to ask of events like this. What's your bucket list
a role right now? I don't know if I have a role but I really want to see the color purple
when it's coming here in the fall. It's opening the new season. Yes. I think I would say Joe from
Sunset Boulevard. Wow. Bold. Yeah. You know what? We need a revival of that. That needs to come through
this town. You know I saw it on Broadway and it was incredible. Oh my god. See, that's another way.
I saw my bucket list. My wife has seen spam a lot on Broadway. I have like put a foot on it
one time and it was on a Monday so everything was dark so I was like oh this is a thing. You know twice
it was on a Monday. I was like you guys can't find me out here. Okay fair enough. Okay what's the
one show you're dying to see? Oh I actually just thought deer of enhancing and that was this
phenomenal. All right. So Ben Platten at the original cast was amazing but I really want to see ground
hugs there. Yeah. I'm dying to see Miss Igon. I'm obsessed with it. Thank you. Thank you. You're on my
list now. I think that's coming here year after next for at a different facility. If it happens
I don't I will move head and in. I'm going to see it on Broadway this summer and I will kill
anybody. I listen. I listen to the CD and it made me cry and I'm not afraid to say it. Just say it.
All right. We got to keep this thing moving gentlemen. I'm so sorry but go enjoy the evening. Come
join us backstage if you get backstage. All right. Thank you so much. Because we're going to be here
until the probably so you guys are gone. So and we're just getting started. Go enjoy the evening
fellas. We are 36 minutes away sir. And we are just John's just cranking him through. Who is?
Don is. Okay. That's a don. It's something just like John. I'm like John. I know who that is. You
look at this dude coming in. Look at this dude coming in. What am I looking at? I'm trying to
concentrate our guests. You're distracting me. Get right in those microphones. Tell us who you are.
I am Erica Harkins and I'm from Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy. All right. And I'm Dawson Holder
and I'm from also from Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy. She's P. Are you with me? That's probably
older than you. But that's an old reference and I'm okay with that. nominees?
Best supporting actress. Best supporting actor. What show? How to succeed in business without
really trying? You know I like how that shows kind of come back a little bit because that was a
big thing when when we were kids during Roman times when your scripts were on tablets. But this guy
tell me I'm lying. I think when Harry Potter does it you know you kind of have to do it again.
You know that's fair. That is a good point. That is fair. Do you look back to some of that
source material when you are formulating your performance or you do you know what? I'm just going
to do this how I see it and does that weigh on you at all? Absolutely. I personally I I based my
character a lot off of the movements and the emotional status of Marilyn Monroe. Wow. Yeah I know
because she's she's very smart and she's very cunning but she definitely uses her sexuality as
like a tool to advance in the business and I learned a lot from viewing old footage of Marilyn
and the old the other women who had played heady before me. Okay and with me I really just took
on a new character and I knew that bud was the villain so I just you know he was nepotism and
he was evil and he was nerdy and so I just took on this nerdy evil nepotism guy so cool where
you're careers. Oh I'm a junior sophomore. Oh so you got you guys have time last. Do you know
what's next or have they not told you? Not yet we are anxiously waiting. Okay so we asked
us of all of our guests what's your bucket list role right now. Oh okay Bonnie from Bonnie and Clyde
I love that. Which this is the 50th anniversary of the original film course which they and
they done away was just here. Really? As they were and Dawn actually got to meet her yeah I've
put they opened the Dallas International Film Festival this year celebrating 1967 and she was actually
here for the screening of the film. And for me I just saw Diervin Hanson on Broadway and Evan Hanson
is definitely my dream role. Two in a row on that one. Yeah that is back to back again then yeah.
All right so Dawn's giving me the size of the high sign we should have had more time to do this because
we're going crazy. Deep breaths. There you go. Because that's the only way you're going to
enjoy this thing. Just take lots of deep breaths. Just kind of take it all in. And again if you win
we're going to be backstage in the green room. Come sit with us. Okay all right. Thank you so much.
Thank you guys for being here. You do the same. You have a better night than we will like guarantee
it. And we're going to have it fought a lot of fun. All right. 33 minutes away sir.
Time is moving. Gentlemen join us. Let's talk right now Mike tell me who you are.
All right my name is Joey Whitten. I'm from Byron Nelson High School. And my name is Braden Welch.
I'm from Southwest Christian School and I played Will Bloom and Big Fish. Big fish. Where is Byron Nelson
High School? It's in trophy club right now. I'm near Port Worth and all that because this is the
weekend of the Byron Nelson. I know because my job is right next to the course so I have to leave
work early or I never get a get home. So you work you can for Big Fish. We did thoroughly modern
milly and I'm nominated for my role as Jimmy Smith. So Tuesday was the night you guys had to come in.
I was actually following on social media because I actually wanted to be here but time was not on my
side this week. How are you feeling now versus how are you feeling as you walked into that room?
Actually none of us were nominated for a neither of us were nominated for the best actor. We're both
so that was just actor and actors? Yes it was. Okay I didn't realize that the supportings were
involved in that process. So how are you feeling right now? I'm actually I'm I'm really excited.
I did the finale here last year so I got kind of the whole acting in front of thousands or hundreds
of people. I know there's thousands. All people. Thousands fit in this deal. Woo! Okay. Thousands is
correct. Well after acting in front of that I got those jitters out but man I'm starting to get nervous.
Does it is it the same kind of jitters second time around? It's it's it's similar stuff. It's a
little more a little more real this time because we have nominations on the line here but honestly
I'd be glad to lose to any of these guys because they are just also talented. And see I love that.
I'm such a fan of that. Everyone that we've talked has been so gracious about that they're like
I don't care if I win or lose. I don't have to be glad that I'm here. And your first go around with
this deal? Yes this is actually my school first first time at DSM and so we are very proud of
the nominations that we've gotten. First time at the awards. Talk about that moment you've found
that out. Well I mean we knew we had a good show. We were really hoping for a best musical
and we have a great leading guy Joe Kasky and so we we thought he might also get a best leading
male and all the rest we got we got a nomination for every acting category and that was I had no
idea I stopped I stopped following the the nomination list after after best musical best actors best
actor and then someone just saw me in the hall and said hey you got nominated for a best supporting
actor and I freaked out and you're like I'm sorry could you say that in my good yeah.
So I actually I'd lost my train of thought as we were talking about that.
So what well who are you besides outside of your category? Who are you rooting for tonight?
I'm rooting for Zach Garcia as a best featured actor he is just amazing guy he's actually
at Byron Nelson and he a sweet sweet guy really really really talented and so I'm kind of throwing
my bell in for him tonight. I agree I definitely second that and McLean Bold and also for my
school nominated for best featured actress. All right we've got to ask everybody we've got to ask
you guys what's your bucket list role right now? I would have to say Dan from a show called Next
and Normal and I would probably say quasi-motor from hunchback and Odom. I like how we've
gotten a lot of different things featured tonight it's very few repeats yeah just I think we have
had maybe two so not to be in so let's flip the script a little bit what's your bucket was
production to see. I would really love to see deer Evan Hansen and the third time or that one's in
yeah I love the soundtrack once again it would have to be next to normal because I love that show
cool well I think we're gonna like what you guys go enjoy the eating we're on your careers by the way
I'm a junior all right and I'm a senior I worry you had it to in the hall I'm going to
Oklahoma City University it's the second time that would come up tonight all right gentlemen go
enjoy the eating and we're gonna be backstage in the green room clever in that and during the
intermission to make sure that you're on your phones because we're giving in a way or during the
intermission for social media awesome so you didn't I don't even know who's nominated I haven't even told
to shit so it's not in the playville we're so secret we're not even the playwood is the
nominees are not so awesome we're not even in the playville but I told that word that the logo is
gonna be featured so look at that gentlemen go enjoy some even thank you so much where were
rapidists went up down down's given me the high star and I was actually I timed that one
all right I think or these are last ones done oh we might have one or two more fair enough
welcome welcome welcome welcome welcome somebody who you are hi I'm Taylor Ratliffe I'm from
Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy and I'm nominated for Best Featured Actor and how to
succeed in the business without really trying my name is Blake Fisk and I'm from T.H.H. School
I'm from Greece and I am nominated for Featured Actor and where is your high school
taking high school which is where it's it's about 30 minutes from course Ganon okay so you're
good southwest yes okay for I know where course he is so I can have a little I think I want to say
Wico's as far south as we go Paris as as far east as we go and Abelina and Marilla was as far west as
we go tonight what's it been like meeting all these other people from around just everywhere
it's been so surreal I know a lot of these kids just from summer intensives and from workshops
for college auditions and so on and so forth but it's been really awesome just getting to see
the areas a high school community of fest beings in Texas it's really awesome whenever I first
meant everyone it was kind of intimidating because there's so many people but like you like create
so many friendships and you get to see how much like talent is in our actual state so it's a really
cool experience to be involved in that are you still as just are you still just as on the
edge as you've been all week or you finally got to point up like you know what we're just
going to go in there just we're going to do the thing and it's just going to happen like it's going
to happen I think you know like if you don't have a little bit of nerves you like to have nerves
you kind of care so I do have a little bit of nerves but I'm excited and nervous so yeah absolutely
I'm I'm the exact same way actually I haven't really gotten nervous until about right now
so thank you so thank you so thank you so thank you so thank you for bringing it up.
You're welcome thanks for your microphone so what's going on from here I mean I'm going to go home and
sleep like when school starts up again oh well I I'm a senior so I graduate a week from today
and then yes and then I'm going to the Whites and Offer School of Musical Theatre at
University of Oklahoma which I'm very nice I did about thank you and so after that
I'm just going to go keep learning um and I'm a junior so next year we are planning on doing
slick and right as of right now I am in the role of slick so I'm like really excited for that
but I have not decided what college I want to go to yet just because I have a year to plan so yeah
but what's your bucket list role? Oh god um you go first because I have to think I actually think
my bucket list role was to be teen angel because it was like really cool to experience like
how to be an angel so yeah I would know how to take that if somebody said that to me yeah
do you need to know how to be an angel? Oh man it's how intensive is the training for this
I'd have to say it depends on whether or not I can gender bands with my three roles hey cart launch my friend
okay then let's let's go with uh Norma Desmond stands up all of our second uh
Sunset Boulevard right on tonight all right so we're gonna flip the script on you guys too what's the
the production you want to see the most Sunset Boulevard there enough? I'm like not super familiar
with musicals so like I'm like it's gotta be something that's out there that'll treat you
I'm really open like to see in a bunch of musicals just because like I think it's cool to be
a bunch of them on the wall over here okay let's see we will do we will do kinky boots
kinky boots actually I'll tell you one thing that I'm ready for coming in July
would you see back here on the wall the bodyguard than usual? Well not a huge fan of the film
but the way they're doing the musical it's actually songs from across her whole career and
Deborah Cox is playing the lead which I'm a huge fan of her so that ought to be really interesting
this summer and then the next week circus 1903 a full-sized animatronic working elephant is involved
in this thing well so we're gonna be seeing that next week I'm very excited we're gonna let you
guys go get ready okay thank you guys for sitting down with us six annual oh I
thought you know that's what's in the in the glass box I got one of the awards sir okay I
couldn't tell yeah what you kind of can't see it from this angle because it's sitting to the side
of it but people are pouring yeah did you somebody use the new just walk on yeah yeah
she's looking for a daughter she's part of the the big fish cash from independent
high school Denise Lopez we graduated together I I was one way to go together well I'm
just saying I was I was just checking the Facebook page for the event and I saw who all was going
from my friends list and she popped up I'm like oh and make sure you stick with us once the
production starts now we're gonna go out there for a little while here in about 10 minutes or so
but stick by the channel because we've got to move all of the equipment to the green room
luckily we've got some time and you may want to check the the script over there find out
where that first award is so we know how we're how much time we're gonna have okay
I think I need some more water because I'm not sure but I think my voice just cracked yeah
I'm not pretty far too much so and after we're done here tonight tomorrow night I'm gonna
go see here come the mummies you're coming with me aren't you yes I am you're going to
see one of my favorite bands over at House of Blues and then Saturday night we'll be back
on the air live for about an hour at the real owl film festival at Garwin High School we're
going to be talking to some high school filmmakers we're going to be also judging some of the films
and we're going to be presenting four awards that night we are we are full board and all right that's
fair and then Sunday night we'll be doing our pre-show for WWE backlash we're busy we got stuff
happening not going to get much sleep all right go ahead and get get our guests sent situated
there dawn if you would get right up on that microphone tell everybody who you are
fine I'm a very upsteen there you go there you go yeah much better all right
very upsteen I'm a member of the board on the executive committee of DSM what is a
night like this like for you this is great to see everything happening here all the excitement
and I especially feel I really appreciate the kids that are involved tonight I've had the
pleasure of being on the scholarship committee and reviewing a lot of their resumes and the
interesting pattern not only are they doing well in school have all the time for the intense time
that it takes for doing something like the musical theater but if you look to these are the
same kids who are on the honor society they have jobs they're taking care of their siblings they're
participating in charities they're participating in other school activities we could ask for a better
future than we're going to see we haven't talked about the scholarships today how many scholarships
are being given out this evening I'm I think there's either 15 or 17 I'm not sure they
that's amazing how much money told being given away time can you ballpark probably about 35
40 thousand dollars how great is that just given away scholarships the kids just for doing what they
love would you now do they all know coming in they're getting the scholarships or what are they
finding out tonight they I believe they found out last night oh okay I could be prepared for tonight
that's fair that's fair what's what kind of things selection criteria are you looking at when
these kids apply well yeah so you're just to say what they've accomplished in school what they're
doing in terms of the theater usually what comes out of it is their dedication I mean the
hours some of them put in I mean I remember reading some mood working behind stage you know they
would come in at 4 a.m. to work on the lights if there was a problem in the lights and so forth
they're very very dedicated very hard working you know at the same time if you think about it
the teamwork that has to take place absolutely so it's it's I think really a great experience
well and plus being on the board you get to kind of be involved in some of the the plaques that are
over here on the wall what's what was the one musical I mean we have two left in the season
but what's the one going into this season that you were most excited for if I think of this season
probably uh kinky boots because I've session up each show and I kind of great show I caught in a
couple years ago when it's here I was actually out of town this go around but yeah what a great show
really I did see kinky boots which one was like yeah you did I was there I missed one of
kinky boots this year oh that's what it was okay I'll tell you I'm really looking forward
next week the circus 1903 this is such I don't I I almost don't know what to expect like I
understand what it is but I don't know that I have any expectations on it I'm not sure either
I know from people have seen it they said it's a very good show and it's sort of like going back
as I guess you'd expect in the name to what the circus was and so on so I think it'll be good
I mean we did Nord Texas giving day last fall everybody all these that could talk about
was an American in Paris and I was worried that when we finally got to see it that there may have
been too much hype and that was not the case that was a musical absolutely knocked me out
so what do you have anything because I you'd probably get to see a lot of things is there anything
on your on your list right now of musicals to see that you haven't um course like everyone I'd
like to say Hamilton I'm ready I'm ready oh did you watch the PBS documentary they did on it
no I did not ever change it's about a 90 minutes I want to say it was an independent lens that they did
it was really really good documentary because they were actually able to film him as he was
developing the music because they were actually there when it all happened such if anything else on your
on your list no I think that's it for right now I enjoy all the shows I've had occasion to be involved
and read the acoustics and sound here so yeah I tend to look at the shows from a different perspective
that is true and you know as we made all the it made improvements and so forth I find now
I can relax and watch the shows where I used to think oh where's that echo coming from where's that
problem and the sound system here the improvements they've made have been so amazing that there's
not there's not a bad scene in the entire musical that's right anywhere you sit you're going to
hear things perfectly it's going to sound clean and you're just going to have a good time like
everybody's going to have tonight I have no doubt well we're going to go let you get settled because
it's almost time thank you so much for joining us sir oh it's our honor to do so down how you're
feeling you were doing works yeah good mercy got here and I was on the ball and we're going to
keep it moving oh yeah here in just a few minutes I just need to breathe for a minute that may be
the the most rapid fire that was like the lightning round yeah we just did yeah we had to they're
they're they're they're hitting the nominees are there little place in the back yeah yeah yeah that's
so the butterflies are flying and as they should be I mean this is there's a lot going on tonight
and again our three shows and four days done yeah four shows and eight days oh yeah between
the last Sunday and this coming Sunday may have something going on the next weekend we don't know
for sure yet so we'll keep you posted I don't want to I don't want to talk about more of a
weekend yeah you're going to be out of town yeah I'll be in Montana yeah I got to see my knee
scratch away the modulation shaley yeah it's exactly I mean this is the high school music
awards why wouldn't you congratulate her on a week yeah so the show starts at seven
we're going to be hopefully will we will be up and running in the green room shortly after the
show starts and then we'll be presenting our award at the intermission woo hoo probably be
backstage at the time uh done you're going to be Facebook Living at Forest but you do have a role
okay so uh don't you get to get to say something I wrote the script okay I just want to say
I wrote it the winner is or the not we're all we're all going to say who we win okay all right
I'm good you know and then I will say the winner is and then we're all going to say the winners
need to get there cool so that's that's how I've got a script hey Chad the yeah Texas got the
late in the mail the what you guys are going to do the dumbest down here yeah yeah sure they did
and people are still pouring in this is I'm telling you there there's no way they didn't sell
this out again this year oh they always deal over 35 hundred people are about to be
in music hall at fair park and what's really cool about this whole thing is you know you
would expect that you'd have the kids and their parents at something like this but it's so much
more than that you see their peers there there's kids that are coming I was like I'm
even now many for anything I'm just hanging out with my friend and supporting them and I love
that it's so incredibly cool how they're dressed oh yeah everybody's just at a 9's tonight
it's like a lot for the I mean it really is it really is our the high school version of the
Tony's no doubt I mean that's how we've pitched it for the last three weeks and our second year
on down we have a new mission what's that we were talking about it earlier what's that we want to be
the official podcast of the SM okay that's what we want to do that's our next goal okay
so all right we did see Francisco earlier but for you got here he came by make sure we were
settled and right yeah we got to give you your your media oh bracelet okay woo I'm
sure you get that so that way nobody gives you any grief backstage we ready just about
so anything else we want to do before we start moving equipment now the sooner we could
start it on this the better off I think we're gonna be all right let me move my papers so I
can get us to where we can do the plugs because we always want to do the plugs regardless
of when the show ends or doesn't make sure you you're probably visiting our website right now
continue to do so we're gonna go off air for just a little while and then we're gonna be back
on there as we get ready when the show begins www dot the clubhouse podcast dot com is where you
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crump house is temporarily closed but not for Britney Palmer so it's available for her