Best Place on Earth

It's Friday night in the middle of February. Snow is falling, a cold wind is blowing and I am in week two as a high school musical awards adjudicator. I’m arriving at another high school, in another brightly lit parking lot, scanning for a building I've never been in, looking for the auditorium entrance.

It turns out it’s not hard to find. I follow a group of parents and grandparents carrying huge bouquets of flowers and balloons, no doubt, for special cast members. Once inside, everyone clamors for the ticket table. Parents are selling flowers nearby (for those who may have forgot them at home) candy grams, raffle tickets for the drama club (please send us to NYC so we can see a Broadway show) and a host of delicious snacks and baked goods. There is so much excitement in the air, and although most people would choose to hunker down at home on a cold winter's night, with their favorite TV show, for me, a high school musical is the BEST place to be.

During the past three months, I spent my Fridays in numerous high school auditoriums and gym/auditoriums across New York State. I've sat on elegant velvet seats, cushy chairs and tin folding chairs, and yes even gym bleachers when the gym doubles as the aud. I watched more high school musicals then I care to count. And you know what? I would do it all again in a heartbeat. For me, late winter and early spring means spending time with the greatest kids ever. The high school musical kids.  You might call them theater geeks. I do, but like the wonderful Lin Manuel Miranda I'm proud to be a former theater geek kid.

I've seen some musicals that I would have to admit needed some work. I watched kids who could barely sing to kids with voices ready for the Met. I saw some rather basic scenery and costumes I saw some you could call Broadway worthy, but what I saw in each and every performance, in each and every school was a true love of theater. Every musical large or small good or bad had one genuine element across the board. These kids love what they are doing and they wanted to be on that stage!

I saw the smiles and squeals when they met parents and friends after the show.  I saw the proud directors hugging them. Not everyone will win a theater award or scholarship but on my score sheet they all won for their genuine enthusiasm.

Some of these kids will go on and pursue musical careers. Many won't. But what they learned in their theater years will speak volumes in the real world. They know how to present themselves, know how to feel comfortable in a group and know disappointments and rejection. Remember those auditions? If I were to interview a former theater kids for a job, you bet your bottom buns I'd hire them. Theater kids are the whole package.

So everyone, enjoy your fireplace, popcorn and Netflix on a Friday night. Let it snow. I'll just bundle up a little warmer and hunker down in a seat next to two grandparents who proudly tell me Nathan Detroit is their Grandson, or a crying dad who tells me his Elle Woods is going off to one of the biggest musical theater colleges in the fall, and he's going to miss her like heck.

Yep, just give me a good old fashioned high school auditorium in mid winter, and I am one happy camper. Or should I say proud card carrying theater geek kid!