"As a substitute for Bette Midler, please welcome Phillipa Soo to present the award for Favorite Leading Actress in a Musical."

Kasey blinked. She hadn't know that Pippa was going to be at the awards- she hadn't mentioned it, she hadn't texted.

Pippa cast a smile in Kasey's direction before she started. "Leading actresses are another force onstage. With their talented performances, these leading actresses carry the show with their own responsible touches of grace and strength. These powerful women join the ranks of the leading ladies that came before them. The nominees for this category are Jessica Clarke, Frozen; Lilli Cooper, Spongebob; Lindsay Mendez, Carousel; and Kasey Winslow, Frozen."

"The Broadway.com Audience Choice Award goes to... Jessica Clarke, Frozen," Pippa announced, smiling.

Kasey couldn't help but breath a little sigh of relief. She always hated giving acceptance speeches- they were so hard to get right. You need to thank everyone and appreciate the award, all without sounding like a jerk.

Jess had immediately hugged Kasey.

"I wish we could have won together," Jess whispered.

"That's for the next award," Kasey said, hugging Jess back tightly, beaming as her friend made her way through the crowded tables to the stage.

"Thank you so much. I never expect these kinds of things, because I'm such a huge fan of the people in my category. Kasey, Lindsay, Lilli- I wish that we could all win, but since we can't, just know that you are all so powerful in everything you do. I aspire to be like you always. Thank you for the honor," Jess said.

"Andrew Rannells will be presenting the award for Favorite Featured Actor in a Musical."

"Featured actors, what can I say? Even though we may not grace the stage often with our presence, when we do, our presence is known. Whether causing tears, or laughter, these featured actors bring a special performance to the stage that captivates the audience with what little time they have onstage," Andrew said. Everyone laughed.

After reading off the nominees, Andrew opened the envelope with the winner's name. "The award goes to Gavin Lee, who portrays Squidward in Spongebob Squarepants: the Musical."

Laura Dreyfuss presented for Featured Actress, and then the category changed to Favorite Funny Performance.

"I will be passing on the torch of Favorite Funny Performance to Ethan Slater, Spongebob, in Spongebob," Will said, smirking. 

Kasey felt bad for Reed- he'd just lost to Spongebob cast members twice- and she probably wouldn't have felt very good about it, if it was her, but Reed laughed at Ethan's humorous acceptance speech, so she supposed that he wasn't too concerned.

"The way that the characters, and actors, interact during the show can make or break a Broadway show and its success. You need actors who have great chemistry and convey their characters and their relationships in a believable, empathetic manner. These nominees do that and more," Ben said.

"Here they are: Sebastian Carter and Kasey Winslow, Frozen; Jessica Clarke and Kasey Winslow, Frozen; Ethan Slater and Jace Reynolds, Spongebob; and Ethan Slater and Lilli Cooper, Spongebob," Laura continued.

Ben opened the envelope. Laura paused for a second before she broke into a smile. "The award goes to Jessica Clarke and Kasey Winslow, Frozen."

Kasey immediately was swept into a hug by Jess. They quickly went to the stage together.

"Wow, thank you so much," Kasey said. "This is such an honor. I think it's so important that we recognize the bonds between strong women in theatre, and I think our show does that so well with the characters of Elsa and Anna. I love sharing the stage with Jess every night, so thank you for this award. I'm glad that it was with her."

"Similarly to Kasey, so often you find romantic couples that win this award. That's not a bad thing, but I feel like this just shows how powerful it is to showcase important, supportive friendships. Even if they have their problems, friendships are as important as relationships. I'm proud to act out this amazing sisterhood with one of the greatest people I have ever met," Jess added.

Frozen and Spongebob traded off winning awards, practically. A show would win one, and then the other would win one. 

Kasey walked back down to the stage to get ready to present.

"The ensemble of the show, so often underrated, is one of the genius forces that goes into making a fantastic show. Without a dynamic, energetic, engaging ensemble, the choreography dies on the spot. These ensembles are the backbone of their productions. Here are your nominees."

As Kasey slid open the envelope, she prayed that Frozen's name would be on it. As soon as she saw what was written, she broke out into a smile.

"The Broadway.com Audience Choice Award belongs to Frozen's ensemble," she said. She consulted the list that had been left on the stand. "Kate Drescher, Lucas Marten, and Kaira Malsden will be accepting the award."

After that, Kasey was handed another envelope. 

"These ensemble performers charm the fans with their incredible dedication, talent, and heart. Their gracious, compassionate, and generous interactions with the audience is what makes them stand out from the rest. Audiences are constantly moved by their performances and their real-life personalities."

"The nominees are: Alysha Deslorieux, Once on this Island; Elizabeth Gray, Frozen; John Rua, Spongebob, and Jackson Schelde, Frozen."

Kasey slipped the paper from the envelope and unfolded it, unconsciously holding her breath. 

"The award goes to Elizabeth Gray, Frozen."

Kasey gave Elizabeth a hug before returning to her seat, sitting down just as Elizabeth finished her acceptance speech. There were two more awards- best musical and best new song. Best new song was first. 

"Here is Alex Lacamoire, to present the award of Best New Song."

Lac stepped up to the podium. "With every musical, there are the songs that come with it. These new tunes can be beautiful, haunting, or catchy, or all of those. People immediately gravitate toward these new songs. They're part of the appeal of the show that they represent."

After reading off the nominees, Lac opened the envelope.

"The award for Best New Song goes to Frozen, for their quartet titled 'An Act of True Love.'"

Malissa Tucker, the lyricist for Frozen, went up to accept the award.

"I cannot stress how much it means for the entire orchestration team when we won this award. I am so proud of what we've done, and I'm proud of the other songs that were nominated, too. I think we all agree that having good songs is important to making a great show. Of course, I have to acknowledge the wonderful talent that performs this song- Sebastian, Jessica, Kasey, and Jacob- every night I put my trust in your hands, and every night you do not fail to impress and move me with your fantastic presentation of this quartet. Thank you."

"And now, the moment the musicals have been waiting for. Presenting the award for Best Musical are Dear Evan Hansen representatives Ben Platt and Laura Dreyfuss."

"There's so much we could say about the category of best musical," Ben said. "It is difficult to pick one stand-out musical from all the others that have opened this season. While these musicals may not even be the most critically acclaimed, they have won the hearts and appreciation of their audiences. Here are your nominees for the audience's choice of Best Musical."

Pictures of each musical appeared on the slide, along with a short clip medley. Frozen's audio was Jess singing 'Let it Go', while videos of 'In Summer', 'For the First Time in Forever' and 'Do You Wanna Build a Snowman' flashed by. 

"And here is your Best Musical, selected by the audience," Laura continued. She opened the envelope. 

"The Best Musical award goes to Spongebob Squarepants: the Musical," she said. 

The Frozen cast was stunned. For a second, none of them clapped. Kasey had thought for sure that Frozen would win. 

Apparently not.

She clapped anyway, knowing Jace would be happy, knowing that everyone in that cast had also worked hard to get to where they were now. She couldn't deny the talent and dedication of that cast, either. 

"How did that happen?!" Jacob demanded. "I thought we would win. Spongebob is a crap show."

"It isn't a crap show," Kasey snapped. "Every show deserves every award it gets. We're not the only ones who care about what we're doing. They believe in their show just as much as we believe in ours."

Jacob just crossed his arms sullenly. "I still think we should have won."

No one else said anything, but Kasey knew what most of them were thinking.

We should have won.