PBS Wisconsin Music & Arts

female announcer

Broadcast of Overture's High School Musical Theater Awards

is funded in part by

Julie and Larry Midtbo Mary Ellyn and Joe Sensenbrenner A. Paul Jones Charitable Trust and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.

electronic pop music

is funded in part by

Being on stage is just a totally different experience that you can't get from anywhere else, and it's just the most amazing feeling in the world. Breathtaking, eye-opening, just amazing. It's really cool, actually. There's so many talented people that share the same, like, passion and love for this that I do that I've never even seen before. It makes me feel just so alive. I perform because it's the only thing that makes me feel whole. It's my way to inspire others, to understand other people's stories. I'd just say it's probably one of the best learning experiences someone who wishes to go into the arts could have. Spectacular. Nothing like it.

upbeat piano music

is funded in part by

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Once torn asunder Down six feet under We get together here Hold your decaying Hear what we're saying Time now to give a cheer Line dance! Bunny hop. Do the twist. Rigor mortis.

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Death rattle! When you're an Addams That's right when you're an Addams You have a very special duty Late night out with the Addams When you're an Addams - With one bite You're obligated to the clan It's family first And family last And family by and by When you're an Addams The standard answers don't apply When you're an Addams You do what Addams do or -

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Die

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"The Addams Family"! Well, hello! Welcome to the Tommy Awards! This is our eighth year of the program.

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To participate in the Tommy Awards, schools must reside

in one of three regions

either the Madison region, the Milwaukee region, or the Wausau region. That's right, you heard me say "Wausau."

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in one of three regions

So to participate in the program, schools apply to have their high school musical reviewed. We send out three reviewers who complete a very thorough critique. Sometimes those critiques are 25 to 30 pages. Ooh. Along with the review, they also get nomination for awards, and so at the end of the year, when we finish our last production, we announce our recipients for the year and we put on this really big show. This year, we are awarding 56 performers at lead performers, so we medleyed those leads together and here's our first medley of the night. Enjoy the show.

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in one of three regions

I love him But every day I'm learning All my life I've only been pretending Without me His world will go on turning A world that's full of happiness That I have never known I love him I love him I love him But only on my own

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in one of three regions

Walk on, walk on With hope in your heart And you'll never Walk alone You'll never walk Alone

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upbeat piano music

in one of three regions

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gasps

in one of three regions

A customer? Wait, what's your rush, what's your hurry You gave me such a fright I thought you was a ghost Half a minute, can't ya sit Sit ya down, sit All I meant is that I haven't seen a customer for weeks Did you come here for a pie, sir? Do forgive me if me head's a little vague Ugh! What is that? But you'd think we had the plague From the way the people keep avoiding No you don't Heaven knows I try, sir Ech! But there's no one comes in even to inhale Right you are, sir, would you like a drop of ale Mind you I can't hardly blame them These are probably the worst pies In London Only lard and nothing more Is that just revolting All greasy and gritty It looks like it's molting And tastes like... Well, pity A woman alone With limited wind And the worst pies in London Ah, sir Times is hard Times is hard

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in one of three regions

Ever after

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Ever after There were dangers and confusions And the paths would often swerve We did not There were constant disillusions But they never lost their nerve And we reached the right conclusions And we got what we deserve Not a sigh and not a sorrow Tenderness and laughter Joy today and bliss tomorrow And forever after Though it's fearful Though it's deep, though it's dark And you may lose the path Though you may encounter wolves You can't just act You have to listen You can't just act, you have to think There are always wolves, there are always spells There are always beans or a giant dwells So into the woods you go again You have to every now and then Into the woods no telling when Be ready for the journey Into the woods but not too fast Or what you wish you lose at last Into the woods but mind the past Into the woods but mind the future Into the woods but not to stray Or tempt the wolf or steal from the giant The way is dark the light is dim But now there's you, me, her, and him The chances look small The choices look grim But everything you learn there Will help you to return there The light is getting dimmer I think I see a glimmer Into the woods you have to grope But that's the way you learn to cope Into the woods to find there's hope Of getting through the journey Into the woods each time you go There's more to learn of what you know Into the woods but not too slow Into the woods, it's nearing midnight Into the woods to mind the wolf To heed the witch, to honor the giant To mind, to heed, to find, to think To teach, to join, to go to the festival Into the woods Into the woods Into the woods Then out of the woods And happy ever after

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I play-- I play Gomez Addams in "The Addams Family." I've never had a duet that's like, like this, and it's actually a really, really cool experience. Not today There's so many talented people that share the same, like, passion and love for this that I do that I've never even seen before. It's just really helped me feel like I want to keep doing this. It makes me feel just so alive. I love it. This is what I do, and when I'm on stage, I don't stutter, and when I'm singing, I don't slur. My lines are down, so I love just that. It's kind of like being free, almost. Can you confirm this is the worst hotel in Paris Because I need to get your ghoulish guarantee What would I pay if you could say You'd serve my petit djeuner From an abandoned and condemned ptisserie It must be clear Don't want to circulate misnomers There must be roaches in the bath at any cost It says right here in my new guide I bought from Frommer's That even in July the pipes are thick with frost Is this the moment where I turn a little gray? Is this the moment where my marriage vows decay?

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Is this the moment where Morticia runs away? No Not today Not today Not today

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Once upon a time, there was a little ogre named Shrek, who lived with his parents in a bog by a tree. Keep your big, bright, beautiful world I'm happy where I am all alone I got all I need So read the stinkin' sign Ha-ha! Keep your big, bright Beautiful world I party on my own Anyway Doin' what I can With a one-man conga line

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Story of my life Always double-crossed Always in the woods Always getting lost Always on the ropes Always up a creek Always kicked around and treated like a freak That's the story of my life, yes, sir That's the story of my life, oy vey That's the story of my life

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A perfect happy ending That's how It should be And that is how the little ogre came to live in a swamp with a beautiful princess. And his best friend. And his best friend. This is our story This is our story This is our story God bless us, every one. The end

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rhythmic piano music

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Tradition Tradition Tradition Tradition, tradition Tradition It's about this family who lives in Russia, and they go through a whole problem with all their daughters no t wanting to follow tradition. And basically, they get kicked out of their town and they just have to start a new life. May the Lord fulfill our Sabbath prayer for you It's a very emotionally draining show to be a part of, but it also was a lot of fun. To Lazar Wolf - To Tevye To Tzeitel your daughter My wife May all your futures be pleasant ones Not like our present ones Drink l'chaim to life To life, l'chaim L'chaim, l'chaim to life It takes a wedding to make us say Let's live another day Drink l'chaim to life We'll raise our glass and sip a drop of schnapps In honor of the great good luck that favored you We know that when good fortune favors Two such men It stands to reason we deserve it too To us and our good fortune Be happy, be healthy Long life! And if our good fortune never comes Here's to whatever comes Drink l'chaim to life

cheering

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overlapping verses

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Tradition The papas, the papas Tradition

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melancholy piano music

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No matter what you say Children won't listen No matter what you know Children refuse To learn Guide them along the way Still they won't listen Children can only grow From something you love To something you lose

dramatic music

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And if they fall as Lucifer fell They fall in flame For so it must be For so it is written On the doorway to paradise That those who falter and those who fall Must pay the price Lord, let me find him That I may see him Safe behind bars I will never rest Till then This I swear This I swear by the stars

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And furthermore Just from stalling and stalling And stalling the wedding trip A person can develop la grippe When they get on the train To Niagara And she can hear Church bells chime The compartment is air-conditioned And the mood sublime Then they get off at Saratoga For the 14th time A person can develop la grippe La grippe La post-nasal drip With the wheezes And the sneezes And the sinus that's really a pip From a lack of community property And the feeling she's getting too old A person can develop a bad, bad cold Achoo!

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ragtime piano music

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Wave your little hand and whisper So long, dearie You ain't gonna see me anymore And when you discover that your life is dreary Don't you come a-knockin' At my door 'Cause I'll be all dolled up And singing that song that says You dog, I told you so So, wave your little hand And whisper so long, dearie, dearie Should have said so long so long ago Because you treated me so rotten and rough I've had enough Of feeling low So wave your little hand And whisper so long, dearie, dearie Should have said so long so long ago

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What about me? I'm from Holmen High School and this will be my third time performing at the Tommys. My sophomore year, I won the spirit award, and then last year, I won outstanding lead fo r Paulette in "Legally Blonde" and now I'm here. This spring, we did "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" and I played Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre. Which is a very nice, very nice Very, very, very nice Very nice, very nice Very, very, very nice Very nice Beginning It's a really small cast. There are six spellers and two adults and, of course, we have some, like, other supporting roles, but it was just super fun getting close to the cast. Like, my favorite moment probably wasn't even on stage. Life is random and unfair Life is pandemonium "Staphylococcus." That's the reason we despair Life is pandemonium - Life is pandemonium Life is pandemonium - Life is pandemonium "Broccoli." I knew that word I knew that word I knew that word Gosh dang it It is such a calamity Where should we begin? The best spellers Don't necessarily win Life is pandemonium Life is pandemonium Set your sights I am on a mission Miss Park, "antediluvian." We have rights, we have rights That's why we complain Mr. Barfee, "halitosis." Gosh, life bites But I like competition Miss Ovstrovsky, "schematic." In these lights Can you feel our pain Somebody spell "crayon." "Crayon"? Life is random and unfair Life is pandemonium Life is pandemonium They don't win, they don't win They don't win, no, they don't Life is random and unfair Life Life is pandemonium Is pandemonium Yes, it is Oh, yes, it is Life is pande- pande-pande-pandemonium Yes, it is Yeah

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melancholy piano music

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No more giants Waging war Can't we just pursue our lives With our children and our wives Till that happier day arrives How do you ignore All the witches All the curses All the wolves, all the lies The false hopes, the good-byes The reverses All the wondering what even worse is Still in store All the children All the giants No more

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Three, two, one! It's all the same "Rock of Ages" is a crazy, fourth wall-breaking, super fun kind of... party, almost, musical. Um, it's really all about bringing the audience in and making them feel like they're up there on that stage with you and rocking out. Sometimes I sleep Sometimes it's not for days The people I meet Always go their separate ways Sometimes you tell the day By the bottle that you drink Sometimes when you're alone Well, all you do is think Oh, I'm a cowboy On a steel horse I ride Oh, I'm wanted Dead or alive Dead or alive Dead or alive

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rock guitar music

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straining and groaning

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Uh! Ah! Uh-oof! Ah! Ah!

yells

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Ah! Ah! Come on, you bastards!

frantic orchestral music

screams

rock music

grunts

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Come on!

screams

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Solidarity, solidarity Solidarity forever No! Solidarity forever Ah! Solidarity forever Solidarity forever No!

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Run freedom run Freedom, run away My friends, you have to run run, a-run, a-run Freedom run away That freedom sun Will shine someday Till then you better run, run-a, run-a run Freedom run away There's a trickle of sweat Dripping in your ear But still you gotta run, run-a, run-a, run Freedom run away Now don't you fret And never fear Till freedom's won, won-a won-a, won Freedom run away Run freedom run There's a great big Cladwell on your tail Run freedom run And he's put his henchmen on your trail Run freedom run Oh, I'm simply laying out the facts for you Great big Cladwell's making tracks for you Ain't no time to relax for you Run freedom run Run freedom run Run freedom run Run freedom run Freedom run away Freedom run away Freedom run away My friends You'll have to run, run-a, run-a, run Freedom run away

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Freedom run away Freedom run away That freedom sun

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That freedom sun Will shine someday Three, four! Till then You better run, run freedom run Freedom run away Run freedom run Hallelujah Freedom run away My friends, you have to run, run-a, run-a, run Freedom run away That freedom sun Will shine someday Run, run-a, run-a, run Run-a, run-a, run Hallelujah With the wind in your hair You'll run to freedom glory That freedom sun will shine All over your freedom glory I said freedom Whoo! I said freedom I said freedom Freedom run Away

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And you'll be there to see it Stand and breathe it all our day Stoop and feel it Stop and hear it Spring, I'll say And now the sun Is climbing high Rising fast on fire Glaring down through the gloom Gone the gray, I say The sun spells the doom Of the winter's reign Ice and chill must retire Come the day, I say And you'll be there to see it Oh, stand and breathe it All our day Stoop and feel it Stop And hear it Spring, I'll say

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Outside, life is grim Filled with smut and scandal to the brim I suppose There may be room for him Frankly... I don't plan to hold my breath But... Here within these walls Days are filled with grace God is in his place His wisdom still respected Here within these walls Life has a different pace Than life beyond our doors And for what it's worth This life's now yours

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Sweeney was a really big challenge because Sondheim music is just a monster to begin with, but it's such an honor to work on. Oh, it's a really hard show, um, vocally. Stephen Sondheim did not hold back on that show. The school edition is not too different from the regular, professional edition. Working with the cast was really nice because we're all a really, really tight group, and there isn't really much disparity between all of us. We all love what we're doing. It's really good to see people who are really good at their dancing, good at their singing, good at their acting, all coming together. His needs are few, his room is bare He hardly uses his fancy chair The more he bleeds, the more he lives He never forgets and he never forgives Perhaps today you gave a nod To Sweeney Todd The demon barber of Fleet Street Sweeney wishes the world away Sweeney's weeping for yesterday Hugging the blade, waiting the years Hearing the music that nobody hears Sweeney waits in the parlor hall Sweeney leans on the office wall No one can help, nothing can hide you Isn't that Sweeney there beside you Sweeney wishes the world away Sweeney's weeping for yesterday

frantic singing in round

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Sweeney, Sweeney Sweeney There! - There! There! There! There! Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd He served a dark and a hungry god He served a dark and a hungry god To seek revenge may lead to hell But everyone does it if seldom as well

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As Sweeney As Sweeney Todd The demon barber of Fleet Street

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You can take You can give Let him be Let him live If I die Let me die Let him live Bring him home Bring him home Bring him Home

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dark piano music

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I admit that in the past, I've been a nasty They weren't kidding when they called me Well, a witch But you'll find that nowadays I've mended all my ways Repented, seen the light And made a switch True? Yes. And I fortunately know A little magic It's a talent that I always have possessed And here lately, please don't laugh I use it on behalf Of the miserable, lonely, and depressed Pathetic Poor unfortunate souls In pain, in need This one longing to be thinner That one wants to get the girl And do I help them Yes, indeed Those poor unfortunate souls It's sad but true They come flocking to my cauldron Crying "Spells, Ursula, please" And I help them, yes, I do Poor unfortunate Souls

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Once upon a time...

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In a far-off kingdom... - I wish More than anything - Lived a young maiden... More than life - A sad young lad... More than jewels - And a childless baker. More than life - I wish His wife... - More than anything More than the moon The king is giving a festival I wish to go to the festival More than riches - I wish My cow would give us some milk More than anything I wish we had a child Please, pal, squeeze, pal I wish to go to the festival

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I wish And you think of all of the things you've seen And you wish that you could live in between And you're back again, only different than Before After the sky There are giants in the sky There are big, tall, terrible Awesome, scary, wonderful giants In the sky

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Careful the spell you cast Not just on children Sometimes a spell may last Past what you can see And turn against you Careful the tale you tell That is the spell Children will listen Though it's fearful, though it's deep Though it's dark and though you may lose the path Though you may encounter wolves

overlapping verses

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You can't just act, you have to think There are always wolves, there are always spells There are always beans or a giant dwells Into the woods each time you go There's more to learn of what you know Into the woods but not too slow Into the woods, it's nearing midnight Into the woods to mind the wolf To heed the witch, to honor the giant To mind, to heed, to find, to think To teach, to join To go to the festival Into the woods Into the woods Into the woods then out of the woods And happy ever after I wish

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jaunty piano music

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Yo, I know just where to go There's a little beach named Playa Rincn With no roads You need a rowboat Or motorbike To reach this beach It's just a stone's throw From home My folks' home Before I was born Before they passed on And left me on my own in New York With the grocery store They would talk about home, I listened closely for The way they whispered to each other 'Bout the warmer winter weather Inseparable, they even got sick together They never got better Passed away that December And left me with these memories Like dying embers from a dream I can't remember Ever since then It's like another day Deeper in debt with different dilemmas The bodega's a mess I'll be seeing less of Vanessa Abuela, I don't know If I can keep it together

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piano music

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Puppy dogs with droopy faces Unicorns with dancing mice Sunrise in wide open spaces Disney World, I'll go there twice Butterflies and picnic lunches Bunches of chrysanthemums Lollipops and pillow fights And Christmas Eve, sugarplums String quartets and Chia Pets And afternoon banana splits Angels watching as I sleep And Liberace's greatest hits Have got me pulled in a new direction If they keep insisting, I'll stop resisting Just watch me pulled in a new direction I should stay in the dark, not obey every spark But the boy has a bite better far than his bark And you bet I'll bite too Do what's truly taboo As I'm pulled in a new Direction

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Our school is really small. We have a school of, I think, 94 students, grades 6 through 12, and our cast consists of 16 high schoolers and 12 middle schoolers. For us being such a small school, to win the award of Outstanding Musical is just such a dream that we worked so hard for, and I'm so proud of our little school. I always call it "The Little School That Could." It takes a woman all powdered and pink To joyously clean out the drain in the sink And it takes an angel with long golden lashes And soft Dresden fingers For dumping the ashes Yes, it takes a woman A dainty woman A sweetheart, a mistress, a wife Oh yes, it takes a woman A fragile woman To bring you the sweet things in life Ermengarde, stop sniveling Don't cry on the valises We haven't missed the train yet, thank the Lord Lovely, you're improving now Get all 11 pieces We're seven minutes late All aboard All aboard All aboard, all aboard Put on your Sunday clothes There's lots of world out there Put on your silk cravat and patent shoes Where I can feel adventure In the evening air To town we'll trot to a smoky spot Where the girls are hot as a fuse Whoo Put on your high silk hat And at the turned-up cuff We'll wear a handmade gray suede buttoned glove We'll join the Astors at Tony Pastor's This I'm positive of That we won't come home That we won't come home No, we won't come home Until we fall in love

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And sure, some folks'll say That all of this is hay It's just a smoky-eyed romantic notion So I'll feel okay But they cannot deny No matter how they try That it's a fact We're all connected From the grass up to the sky I have my memories To do with as I please I know I always can recall That starry perfect night in fall When you stood underneath this tree And promised you would always be With Me I trust you're here With me

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Ever after better get here I want love in seconds flat No one needs these middle bits Oops, did I do that? Cut the villains Cut the vamping Cut this fairy tale Cut the peril and the pitfalls Cut the puppet and the whale Cut the monsters, cut the curses Keep the intro, leave the verses And the waiting, the waiting The waiting, the waiting The waiting Now I know he'll appear 'Cause there are rules and there are strictures It won't be long now I guarantee I know it's today

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Whatever happened to my show I was a hit now I don't know I'm with a bunch of British knights Prancing around in woolly tights I might as well go to the pub They've been out searching For a shrub Out shopping for a bush Well, they can kiss my tush It seems to me they've really lost the plot Whatever happened to my I'll call my agent, damn it Whatever happened to my... Not yours!

pants

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Not yours! Definitely not yours!

laughter

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Ugh! But--

laughter

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But my Part

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At the end of the day There's another day dawning And the sun in the morning is waiting to rise Like the waves crash on the sand Like a storm that'll break any second There's a hunger in the land There's a reckoning still to be reckoned And there's gonna be hell to pay At the end of the day Lovely ladies waiting for a bite Waiting for the customers who only come at night Lovely ladies ready for the call Standing up or lying down or any way at all Bargain prices up against the wall Master of the house, quick to catch your eye Never was a passerby to pass him by Servant to the poor, butler to the great Comforter, philosopher, and lifelong mate Everybody's boon companion Everybody's chaperone But lock up your valises Jesus, won't I skin you to the bone If I die Let me die Let him live Bring him home For the wretched of the Earth There is a flame that never dies Even the darkest night Will end and the sun will rise Will you join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me? Somewhere beyond the barricade Is there a world you long to see? Do you hear the people sing? Say, do you hear the distant drums It is the future that They bring when tomorrow comes Oh Tomorrow Comes

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Whitefish Bay, ladies and gentlemen, "Les Misrables."

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We have a couple more numbers for you. This is our sixth year of participating in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, AKA "The Jimmy Awards." There are 37 programs this year from across the country that are each sending one male, one female representative. Is anybody waving At me It's a really, really, incredible opportunity that a lot of people know about. It's a way to get nationally recognized. Safe behind these windows and these parapets of stone I'm singing "Out There" from "Hunchback." It felt nice, 'cause the song is really applicable-- at least, that Quasi is trying to leave his bell tower. He's trying to go meet all these people on the ground, and for me, it's sort of like I'm-- I'm doing this theater, I'm growing up, and I want to be out there with all these great artists. Out there among the millers And the weavers and their wives Through the roofs and gables I can see them Every day they shout and scold And go about their lives Heedless of the gift it is to be them If I were in their skin I'd treasure every instant Out there Strolling by the Seine Oh, taste the morning out there Like ordinary men Who freely walk about there Just one day and then I swear I'll be content With my share Won't resent, won't despair Old and bent I won't care I'll have spent one day Out there

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I perform because it's the only thing that makes me feel whole. It's my way to inspire others to understand other people's stories, because, in this society, it's not always easy to see things from other people's perspectives. Silence isn't golden Speak up right away Bring those surprises to light You know a life built on lies Is just not right The longer you wait The harder it gets To tell them The more you pretend The more they were right To condemn Be true to yourself You'll have no regrets If you believe You can announce it By decree Let loose, tell all, be free If I don't I'll really be A little bit Less than

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upbeat music

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The opportunities that this has given me are crazy amazing, like getting to perform on the stage that you see the Broadway tours perform on. People get to come for a night and sit for three hours in a seat and just share joy with people who love-- love performing. Just a great experience to make the audience feel something. The Tommy Awards, for me, has completely changed my life. 525,600 minutes 525,000 moments so dear 525,600 minutes How do you measure Measure a year In daylights In sunsets In midnights, in cups of coffee In inches, in miles In laughter and strife In 525,600 minutes How do you measure A year in the life How about love How about love How about love Measure in love Seasons of love Seasons of love 525,600 minutes 525,600 journeys to plan 525,600 minutes How do you measure The life of a woman or a man In truth that she learned Or in times that he cried In bridges he burned Or the way that she died It's time now to sing out For the story never ends Let's celebrate, remember A year in the life of friends Remember the love You got to, you got to remember the love Remember the love You know that love is a gift from up above Remember the love Measure in love Measure, measure your life in love Seasons of love Seasons of love Measure your life Measure your life in love

cheers and applause

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Thank you for coming, everybody.

announcer

Broadcast of Overture's High School Musical Theater Awards

was funded in part by

Julie and Larry Midtbo Mary Ellyn and Joe Sensenbrenner A. Paul Jones Charitable Trust and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.