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My name is AJ Shively. I'm nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Paradise Square
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I'm so happy to be sitting in this chair with you today. I'm so happy to be sitting in this chair with you today
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Okay, how do you feel today? I feel I'm over the moon. It's so overwhelming, but it's just in the best way
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These rooms are filled with some of the best people. Everyone's so supportive
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The Broadway community is always, we are all always so supportive of each other, and it just feels wonderful
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This is such an incredible musical, Paradise Square. You work so hard in this
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You tell such an incredible story. I mean, what does this nomination mean to you
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It means so much. It really does. I've worked really, really hard. If you see the show, you might not believe this, but dance has always been
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of the, like, actor, singer, dancer, dance has always been the thing I struggled with the most
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And I dance a lot in this show, and to be recognized for something that I don't feel comfortable doing
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or didn't feel, I do now, actually. You know, I've, like, I've grown
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I've grown as a person. I'm really proud of that growth, personally, and to be honored for it is unbelievable. It's so special
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Your show brings so much joy to theatergoers, and it must make you feel so great
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Yeah, it does. It does. I mean, we feel it. Every performance, we feel it. We're a really, really tight-knit community of actors on that stage
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and, you know, our goal, every performance, is to bring that audience into that community
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and I feel like we're successful. It feels wonderful. You know, our curtain call ends, and we all get to make music and rhythm together
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just like in the Five Points, right there in that theater. It's so special
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You look down for it, and you get to wear a Tony pin! I know! Look at that! How cool is that
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It's so cool. It's very cool. Thank you