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Exclusive Interview: Sutton Foster Awards Winner Lillian Tang · The BSB Podcast

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  Welcome back, theater lovers. Today we have a special guest joining us,
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  winner of the twenty twenty six Sutton Foster Awards,
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  Lillian Tang. Thank you so much for being here.
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  Thank you so much for having me.
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  I'm very excited to be here.
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  I just wanted to start off by congratulating you on your win at
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  the Sutton Foster Awards. You gave such an incredible performance.
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  How does it feel to kind of walk away with such a high honor?
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  I mean, it's just incredible. I was just so honored to represent
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  the Sutton Foster Awards, my high school,
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  my community, my family at the Jimmy Awards and just really putting myself
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  out there and having that wonderful experience.
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  something I will never forget.
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  It has been quite a journey, you know,
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  from getting into the Sutton Fosters,
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  winning and then going to to the Jimmy Awards.
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  ~ where do you feel like though your love for the arts really began?
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  So when I was around seven years old,
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  I had my first big girl role as a little cosette in Les Mis with DreamArts Company
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  directed by Tiffany Sims. And I remember just going on that stage
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  for the first time, singing my very first solo with me,
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  the spotlight and the audience.
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  And I just knew the second I got there that this is what I love.
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  That's such an incredible role at such a young age.
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  Yeah, it was it was so much fun.
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  Everyone in that cast was just so supportive.
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  They were they were just such role models for me.
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  I was the youngest member of the cast,
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  so for them to show me around and to teach me how to read a script where
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  to put where am I supposed to go for this specific song.
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  It was just so wonderful to be in a community that's so supportive.
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  And in that moment you were like,
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  I know this is what I c I wanna do.
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  I wanna be a part of the arts.
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  Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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  Yes.
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  So what have you felt like has been the biggest challenge that you've overcame
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  on your journey to being a performer?
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  Hmm. I'd say the biggest challenge is to keep going.
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  Cause musical theater, there's definitely times when you will get a
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  no from an audition. And even though you get that no,
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  that doesn't mean that you should stop.
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  You gotta keep going. You gotta keep working hard and you gotta keep putting
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  yourself out there. Cause in the end you will succeed and you will be
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  so happy with the end result.
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  Perseverance is one of those hardest things.
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  I absolutely because like
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  Yes.
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  being able to just keep even in the face of you know,
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  of like of the no's. You know,
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  I I've heard before, you know,
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  like a hyperbole, but like kind of like a thousand no's happens before
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  you get that yes. And you just have to
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  Yes.
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  remind yourself that it doesn't always it does doesn't end with that no.
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  Yeah, it you just gotta keep going.
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  That's what I have to say.
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  And for you, what has kind of been some of your biggest inspirations
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  for being a performer?
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  Honestly, my biggest inspiration is probably my mom.
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  My mom has been a mentor.
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  She's been my biggest supporter.
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  And the first day that I was like,
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  Mom, I want to do musical theater,
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  she was right off the bat helping me finding a voice teacher,
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  signing me up for dance lessons.
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  And it was just so nice to have such a wonderful
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  mom who's so supportive. And
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  I remember after I won the Sutton Foster Awards,
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  the first thing I did was I grabbed my phone and it's like,
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  Mom, we did it. I need to meet you in this room so we can start getting ready
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  for the Jimmy's ~ But I remember just telling her we did it.
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  'Cause not only was it an accomplishment for me,
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  but it was an accomplishment for us.
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  She's been there every step of the way with me.
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  She sounds she's such a supporter and also an active part of being like your team.
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  You know, your your family is there to kind of help you in this journey.
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  And that's so incredible.
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  Yes, I love her so much.
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  And it's important to have parents who are supportive.
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  And that's one of the, you know,
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  the things that, you know, I I feel like as a young kid,
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  a lot of people are like, I want to be an actor,
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  but to have a parent that's like,
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  we can do this, you know, we can we we just have to we have to do it together.
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  And that's incredible. So shout out to your
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  Yeah.
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  mom. She sounds amazing.
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  Yes. Shout out to my mom.
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  So in the school year, I know that there's you get nominated for
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  for the Sutton Foster Awards based on your performance.
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  ~ but when did you start to feel like maybe the Sutton Foster Awards were were
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  a reality for you?
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  ~ honestly probably the first workshop weekend.
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  I was ~ I was at the East Dancing weekend,
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  which was the second workshop weekend,
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  I believe.
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  Okay.
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  And I remember going into our first what was it?
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  The dance call, yes. It was the first thing that we did,
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  and I remember just seeing everyone already warmed up,
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  being just so professional and learning the dance so quick,
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  and I'm like, whoa, okay. And I remember in that moment,
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  I'm like
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  I made it with all these talented kids and just after that going to
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  our first music rehearsal, hearing everyone's voices come together,
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  hearing the harmonies, hearing the altos,
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  hearing the tenors, sopranos and baritones,
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  it was just so wonderful hearing everyone come together.
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  I do have to say having you know,
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  this was the first time I've ever been to the Sudden Foster Awards
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  and watching you guys
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  really?
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  Yeah, no, so this was a gr great kind of honor to see this.
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  and I do have to say that the moment you performed ~ your solo,
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  my ~ business partner said, She's gonna win and I I was like,
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  How did you know how did you know that?
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  Ha ha ha.
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  When we were driving
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  home and he said, There's just some people that have natural talent and when
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  you see it on stage you can just recognize it.
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  So the moment you you performed,
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  he was like, She's gonna win. ~
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  thank you.
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  But what I love too is that you guys were so,
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  you know, for a for a process like that that is so intense and that there's
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  not a lot of time, you had like a very like family feel to you and
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  all the different students that were on stage.
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  Yeah. ~ we my character medley group and I I remember the first
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  day when we s first sat down and we got to know each other after that moment
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  we just all became best friends.
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  We made a group chat. There is a whole Sutton Foster or awards group chat
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  and we all keep in touch and we're like,
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  Come see our show. Congratulations on this callback and like we're just also still
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  supportive and we all still do feel like a one big family.
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  So incredible. And then you know you you performed your medley and then they they
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  get to the moment where they announce your name.
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  What was that moment like for you?
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  My gosh. I mean, last year I was in audience watching because
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  I wanted to see what it was like to not wa yes,
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  to watch the Sutton Foster Awards and just being a sophomore and then finally being
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  nominated to go this year. I never would have thought I was going to
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  be a finalist and then to win,
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  which is crazy. But I remember in that moment,
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  I was just so shocked. I was
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  I was definitely confused because I'm like,
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  my name was called.
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  Sure.
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  But I mean, everyone up there was so,
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  so, so talented. I remember being backstage because I went last.
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  I'm like, ~ my gosh, everyone is so,
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  so talented. But for that moment,
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  I was just so grateful to be a finalist.
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  And it was just truly an incredible experience.
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  That had to be a little bit nerve wracking,
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  mean the last one. Like I I I feel like I would be one one of those people like,
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  let's get it out of the way, let's go first.
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  I don't wanna I don't wanna sit there with the nerves.
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  Yeah.
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  But you did such an incredible job.
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  thank you so much.
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  And then you were able to go and represent Michigan at the Jimmy Awards,
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  which is such a high honor. That was so cool.
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  It was so cool getting to also follow you and AJ around on your journeys while
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  you did this. But what was that like to to get there and to be a part
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  of the Jimmy Awards?
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  my gosh, it was just incredible.
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  I remember getting there on the first day and just meeting all these other full
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  very, very talented nominees and just knowing their story,
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  what role they were nominated for,
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  how do they get there, what are their plans for college or future school.
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  And I remember the first thing that we did was again a music rehearsal
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  and again just hearing all these voices come together.
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  And I mean, all of us are just so happy that we made it.
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  this far and just meeting these wonderful people,
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  getting to work with them was just amazing.
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  It was such an honor.
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  I mean it has to be so cool and and also an awesome honor,
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  but it's so cool to be a part of a group that is representing the best
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  of the best for high schools across the nation.
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  Like and to be able to be a to be a representative of that is again such
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  a high honor.
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  I mean, it was just truly unreal.
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  I remember the day we found out if we were in the future group
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  or in character medley. I was just so scared to open that document because everyone
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  was just so talented. You really couldn't tell who was gonna be in which group.
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  And I remember opening up that message and seeing that my name
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  was selected for Character Medley.
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  I remember just started I started crying.
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  I called my mom, it's like mom,
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  we did it again.
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  It was just such a wonderful experience again.
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  And then so like you go and you kind of like audition again to them to kind
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  of be chosen for that. Is that kind of the process for it?
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  Yes. So we had a couple days to like work on the opening number,
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  but then l earlier in the week we had an audition where we had to sing
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  a thirty-two bar ~ yes, a thirty-two bar cut of our character song and then
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  a one minute cut of our selected solo song.
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  And that audition was to determine if you were in the feature group
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  or in the character medley group.
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  And it's so cool that both you and AJ got to be a part of a character medley
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  He does.
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  and to see
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  those characters once again. And I I it's funny because the amount of people
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  I saw also giving love to the show that you were kind of representing as well,
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  Hello Girls, is just incredible as well.
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  Cause you don't really see a lot of that show or that love because
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  of what happened with COVID and stuff.
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  So to be able to have that representation as well is just awesome.
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  Yeah. I was just so honored to continue telling the Hello Girl story
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  and then Suzanne's story as well.
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  ~ not again, like you said, like not a lot of people know about this musical,
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  but the story behind this musical is just so interesting and it's just
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  I love telling the story to everyone.
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  At the Jimmy Awards, people were like,
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  When is this musical? and I'm like,
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  Okay. So and at let me tell you,
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  Let me tell you.
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  and
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  everyone at the very end was like,
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  Wow, this is such a really cool musical.
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  And I mean like the fact that this actually happened and that these women were just
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  unrecognized and the fact that it's being told now is just so wonderful.
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  It's one of those shows that I'm always hoping makes a comeback because again,
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  it was cut because of COVID and stuff,
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  it was just it didn't find the life that it was supposed to.
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  And it should because it's one of those stories that is inspiring and wonderful.
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  And that's why we were all we were everyone was kind of in awe,
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  like me and my partner, we were just like,
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  Wow, we getting to see, you know,
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  Lillian perform that on stage was incredible.
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  especially again, you were a sophomore doing this and you were just crushing it.
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  so again.
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  Incredible, incredible performance.
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  ~ but you were able to train and learn from so many incredible artists while
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  you were preparing for the at the Jimmy Awards.
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  What was it like to learn from some of them?
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  my gosh, it was truly incredible.
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  I remember we had a Fosse workshop with Charlotte D'Amboise and
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  I remember seeing her performance as Cassie in the chorus line
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  and then her performance in Chicago and the fact that she was teaching me Fosse,
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  which I've never had training of that specific dance style,
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  but learning it from her was just such
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  a an incredible experience. She
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  was a wonderful teacher. She was very supportive of us.
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  And I remember at the very end of the workshop I wanted to thank her
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  for teaching us this wonderful ~ dance style.
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  And I remember her telling me that I gotta keep going on dance and that
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  I gotta keep trying hard and keep putting myself out there because that's what
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  really helps you get far in musical theater.
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  So it was just incredible to not only learn a dance,
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  but to get advice from her as well.
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  Like one of those pinch me moments,
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  you know? Like you just
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  Yes, yes.
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  like where would like how many people would think that this would happen,
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  you know? Like would young
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  Yes.
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  Lillian believe this? Probably not.
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  No, not at all.
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  Young Lillian wouldn't even believe that I would go to the Jimmy Awards
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  or the Sutton Foster Awards.
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  It's crazy. I mean, and then also don't want to downplay it as well.
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  You performed on a Broadway stage.
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  Like that is also such a cool,
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  like what a like what a highlight to kind of like put put a pin in to be like,
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  Yes.
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  Yeah, I performed
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  on a Broadway stage at such a young age again.
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  Yes. And there were just so many highlights of the Jimmy Awards,
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  not only making my Broadway debut alongside a hundred and fifteen other nominees.
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  We had our headshots put up in Times Square,
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  which was so cool to see.
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  Yes.
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  I remember the second I saw my face up there,
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  I'm like, my gosh. It was just it didn't feel real.
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  And then we also got to see MJ the musical.
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  And I've been a Michael Jackson fan for forever.
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  And just to see a musical about him,
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  I will never hear some of the songs the same again because MJ the Musical does such
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  a wonderful job telling the audience of of Michael Jackson's story
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  and this the meaning behind his songs.
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  And I never really dug that deep into those moments.
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  But
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  Seeing it out in front of me, I just got to see a totally different side of Michael.
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  And it was just crazy. And the Michael that night actually made
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  his Broadway debut as well. So I thought it was cool that
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  That's awesome.
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  not only we are making our Broadway debut,
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  but he is as well. And then we later got to have a QA with the cast with
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  the Michael who debuted that night.
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  And it was so cool seeing him debut and
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  answering all of our questions 'cause we were asking him how d how did
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  it feel to make your Broadway debut?
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  Were you nervous? And the fact that he just gave us that advice t when
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  we later made our Broadway debut a couple of days later was just incredible.
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  Yeah, you could take that information and apply it to your own experience
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  Yeah.
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  of p having a Broadway debut. That's so awesome.
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  And truthfully, I I agree with you.
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  Michael Lil Jackson, MJ the musical,
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  is just it's such a spectacle.
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  It's like what it's it's kind of like iconic Broadway in a way that
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  you don't always see
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  Yes.
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  from a lot of shows. Like I I saw the touring production,
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  but it was just still as like awestruck and kind of ~ it gives you that
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  I don't know, it gives you that energy that I feel like it's perfect when you're
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  kind of in the middle of training for the Jimmy Awards and getting ready for it.
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  You need that kind of high energy feel and to see
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  Yeah.
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  like this is what Broadway is.
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  And I mean, we had a we had an MJ number in our ~ opening number this
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  Yes.
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  year at the Jimmy Awards. And every day we would just listen to MJ
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  the musical when our w when it was during our warmup.
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  So when we got to MJ the musical,
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  everyone, all a hundred and sixteen of us,
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  we were just we were so excited.
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  We were dancing, we were clapping,
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  we were hyping up the the Michael.
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  And
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  Later that night after Bows, they give us a shout out and to h hear a shout
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  out from MJ the musical on Broadway was just crazy.
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  And it was just
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  That's so awesome.
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  it was amazing. The cast was just so supportive.
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  They were so kind. And earlier,
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  I believe, we actually got to have dinner with the some of the cast members.
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  And so just having that one on one conversation about how did you get this far?
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  What's some advice?
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  What do you think I should do for this?
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  It was just so incredible to hear real professionals
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  give us advice before we go into the professional workforce.
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  It's crazy.
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  And it really does show you too the the community that is Broadway
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  in theater of just like we're all we're not here to it's not always a competition.
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  It is it's here we're to support each other.
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  You know, we're all trying to build each other up and have beautiful art that,
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  you know, that you want to really make sure that it everybody is having like
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  a very fulfilling time and a happy time.
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  Yes.
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  So it's cool
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  that you got to have that kind of feel with them.
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  Yeah, it was incredible.
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  ex but you mentioned about, you know,
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  as you're going into kind of the workforce.
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  So what are you are your goals or dreams ~ when it comes to performing?
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  ~ I mean again like I'm a sophomore.
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  I still have plenty of time to think
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  You do, yeah.
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  what I want to do in the future,
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  but I've actually had an interest in science and medicine
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  for a little bit, but
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  It's incredible.
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  performing is where I love being the most.
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  Again, like I've been performing since I was a toddler basically,
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  and I always have a special place in my heart.
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  for the performing arts and musical theater.
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  I definitely think no matter what I do in the future as an adult or maybe
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  in a couple of years, I definitely wanna continue performing,
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  whether it's professionally or just for fun.
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  I love performing
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  For sure.
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  so much.
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  What what is that dream role that you have that you just you you wanna play
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  it one day?
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  my gosh, my dream roll. There's so many.
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  I can list many?
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  You can l you can list many of them if you want.
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  Yeah.
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  Okay.
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  ~ I honestly I would love to be Velma in Chicago.
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  I love dancing. And of course,
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  I just learned Fosse. So I
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  Yeah.
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  think that'd be great. Cassie in a chorus line.
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  I love a chorus line. ~
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  I would like to say Fiona in Shrek the musical.
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  I love her story. I love her character.
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  And I think she would just be so fun to play.
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  And I don't really I think that's really it.
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  There's so many roles I would love to play,
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  but I'd say those are my top three.
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  I mean, those are all incredible ones.
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  I mean, and you would you would absolutely kill it at any one of them.
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  thank you.
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  So one final question I just have for is just with all the incredible work
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  you put in to for the Sutton Foster Awards,
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  representing Michigan on national stage at the Jimmy Awards,
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  what advice would you give to young performers who've watched you
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  now on this journey?
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  Wow. I would say take every opportunity
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  you have to perform because not only do I participate in musical theater,
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  I'm also the color guard captain in my marching band.
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  I play piano, I play clarinet,
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  I was in a opera course with ~ Detroit Opera Youth Course when
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  I was little. I was also in the Nutcracker with Ballet Met at
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  the Detroit Opera House as well.
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  And I did competitive dance for a couple of years with Next Up Broadway
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  and just taking every single opportunity to perform,
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  even creating your own opportunities.
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  Like I created a little group of musicians this year or musically inclined students,
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  including me, and we would go to nursing homes and perform for the people there.
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  And so
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  Taking those opportunities, creating your own opportunities to continue your craft
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  and helping out your community will really help you build up your performance
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  and encourage you to do better and encourage you to keep performing.
• 20:09
  That's great answer. Thank you so much,
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  Lilian, for being here. It's been such a pleasure talking to you.
• 20:13
  And again, congratulations on this gigantic accomplishment.
• 20:15
  And we're so excited to see where you go from here.
• 20:17
  Well, thank you so much for having me.
• 20:20
  And
• 20:21
  thank you listeners for joining us here in our box seats until next curtain call.