Whenever I think back to high school, the first thing I think of will (unfortunately) not be the times I spent during regularly scheduled lunchtimes, immersed in friends. Nor will it be times spent playing Freshman Baseball (although that’s probably for the better), creating craft buttons for the art club, or even confusing a great number of non-English speaking parents onstage performing “99 Red Balloons” for the International Show. In fact, the very first memory I have of high school is in the auditoriuim, standing on a platform eight feet above the stage singing “Mansion” in my senior year production of ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona.’

Although that was over three years ago, it still strikes my memory because that was one of the many moments that solidified my decision to become a professional actor. Now that I’ve moved on in the profession of acting, I still think back to my days of performing in high school shows with fondness.

As a result, I try and make it a point to go and see the plays and musicals that Tappan Zee High School puts on every year. With each year that goes by, I see the students that I’ve shared the stage with graduate. Just this past year, the last remaining group of actors from my senior year’s shows (”Midsummer Night’s Dream” and the aforementioned “Two Gentlemen”) had their final show, “On Your Toes.”

I would devote this space to writing about how phenomenal the show was — how I was extremely proud of the actors involved, in awe of the spectacular dance numbers, etc. — but I’ve decided to let the 2006 Helen Hayes award nominations speak for themselves:

Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical: On Your Toes
Outstanding Achievement by a Director: Edward Clinton
Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Alexandra Gable (Vera Baronova)
Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Shannon Goldrick (Peggy)
Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Raffi Chamessian (Konstantine)
Outstanding Comic Performance: Mike Fails (Junior)
Outstanding Production Number: Slaughter on Tenth Avenue
Outstanding Performance by a Chorus
Outstanding Performance by an Orchestra
Outstanding Achievement in Choreography: Edward Clinton
Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design: Edward Clinton

The cast of "On Your Toes"

Congratulations, guys!