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[0:00] Joshua Turchin: Welcome to The Early Night Show! I'm your host, Joshua Turchin, and today we have an exciting episode featuring two incredible guests.

[7:37] Joshua Turchin: It's time for our first guest, Holden Hagelberger!

[7:42] Joshua Turchin: So, Holden, you recently starred in the off-Broadway production of Trevor the Musical, right?

[7:47] Holden Hagelberger: Yeah!

[7:48] Joshua Turchin: So, how did you get started in theater?

[7:50] Holden Hagelberger: Um, well, okay. So, um, I saw the School of Rock National Tour when I came to Houston. Um, and so seeing those kids on the stage, I was like, you know what, maybe I want to audition for like, you know, something like a community theater. So, go to a community theater, they're doing Madagascar Junior, it's a Madagascar musical version. Um, and, you know, did the audition, went back home and like, the next day the cast just came out and sing my name, you know, like, you know, under a lemur. That had, at that point, one line. I thought that was the coolest thing ever. Um, I was just so happy and that's when I knew. That's when I knew that this is what I wanted to do.

[8:32] Joshua Turchin: And you are amazing at it.

[8:34] Holden Hagelberger: Thank you!

[8:35] Joshua Turchin: I saw the pro shot of Trevor on Disney Plus.

[8:39] Holden Hagelberger: Yeah!

[8:40] Joshua Turchin: You were so good in it!

[8:42] Holden Hagelberger: Thank you! Thank you so much!

[8:44] Joshua Turchin: How did you get, like, involved with Trevor?

[8:46] Holden Hagelberger: Yeah, so, I got, um, an audition from my agent. It was just Trevor the Musical and it said it was an off-Broadway show in the title. So, you know, I did a Zoom meeting with the casting team. Um, and then I had to, um, sing and then, um, do a couple sides. And originally, I was actually not going in for Trevor. I was actually going in for Walter. So, I got called back, um, into, uh, in-person New York City callbacks, in-person. And I was actually getting called back for, uh, Walter. And then, like, the second day, they switched me to Trevor. And for Trevor, I had to sing three songs. I had to do four sides from the show and I had to dance as well. And, yeah, it was a lot, but it was really fun. And then, uh, got home, um, and around a week later, got the call from my agent saying that I booked it. Yeah.

[9:34] Joshua Turchin: That's amazing. And, like, how long did it take you to learn the music and rehearsals?

[9:39] Holden Hagelberger: Um, surprisingly, it actually took me, like, two weeks. Yeah.

[9:44] Joshua Turchin: How long do you think, like, it took to put the whole show together?

[9:48] Holden Hagelberger: Um, to put the whole show together, it took, took a couple weeks. Maybe a month, but, you know, um, you know, to put together a show like that, it's, it was just, it was a lot, but it was really, really fun.

[10:01] Joshua Turchin: What was your favorite moment in the show?

[10:04] Holden Hagelberger: Oh, gosh. Okay. Um.

[10:07] Joshua Turchin: If you had to choose.

[10:09] Holden Hagelberger: If it was, yeah, I think I'm gonna choose a dance number, and that would be 1-2, which is the cane number in the show.

[10:16] Joshua Turchin: Oh! 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8!

[10:20] Holden Hagelberger: I love that song. I, I remember when, when I was doing the show back before COVID happened, which is, it still feels like forever ago, and yet.

[10:32] Joshua Turchin: It was only two years. Just the other day.

[10:35] Holden Hagelberger: Yeah, I know.

[10:38] Joshua Turchin: It was two years ago?

[10:41] Holden Hagelberger: Yeah.

[10:45] Joshua Turchin: Dramatic look into the distance. Oh!

[10:48] Holden Hagelberger: That doesn't, that doesn't feel right, that, that, like, COVID happened two years ago.

[10:52] Joshua Turchin: No, it feels like it was forever ago.

[10:54] Holden Hagelberger: It, it really does, but I remember the fun thing with that number, the canes, the hats, and the quick change.

[10:58] Joshua Turchin: Yeah, um, that was actually, it was weird. It's the hardest number in the show, and that's actually the song I would get nervous for the, in every single time I did the show. But it's the most fun to do. It's so weird.

[11:05] Joshua Turchin: And do it, do it, do it, do it! Do it all again!

[11:08] Holden Hagelberger: Yeah.

[11:09] Joshua Turchin: What was it like doing the dancing for that number? Was it just, like, the best?

[11:13] Holden Hagelberger: It was the best, because, you know, when you have those canes, and you're flipping them without even looking at them, you get to see a little bit of the audience, and they're just like, Oh my gosh! So to just see their faces just, like, you know, light up with excitement, it just, we're just so happy to know that we're doing our jobs right, and we are entertaining the audience, and we're shocking them. We're surprising them.

[11:34] Joshua Turchin: In rehearsal, because I know it took me a while to get this.

[11:38] Holden Hagelberger: Oh, it did.

[11:39] Joshua Turchin: How many times did you accidentally drop the cane when tossing it in the air?

[11:43] Holden Hagelberger: Dropping the cane happened a lot. Breaking the cane also happened a lot.

[11:47] Joshua Turchin: Oh no.

[11:48] Holden Hagelberger: I'll actually tell you a story about that. So, second preview. Second preview, right? You know, we're doing the number as usual. You know, in the show, we're hitting the canes, and we're going one, two, on the second hit. It breaks in half.

[12:05] Joshua Turchin: Oh no.

[12:06] Holden Hagelberger: And so, instead of just, you know, dropping on the ground and having, and just not moving it, I grabbed two pieces of the cane, because it broke in half, threw them behind the mylar, and I kid you not, I screamed, Keep going, man! Keep going! So, the audience obviously knew what was going on. They knew that this was not part of the show, so the audience just starts, you know, laughing, they start clapping, and then at the end of the number, we actually got a standing O.

[12:36] Joshua Turchin: That's amazing. Now, Trevor, you had to record everything for Disney+, right? Did that happen during the actual run of the show?

[12:46] Holden Hagelberger: No! So, we closed in December, and so we had to film the show a month later. No rehearsals. We had eight hours to film the show twice, once without an audience and once with an audience. So, we had eight hours to restage it, film it twice, go home. We only had eight hours in that theater. We had no rehearsals before, and so when I saw it for the first time, I was like, okay, do we have rehearsals?

[13:13] Holden Hagelberger: Hey, everyone! I'm so excited to be here.

[13:43] Taylor Paige Henderson: Thanks for having us, Joshua! It's great to be on the show.

[14:13] Joshua Turchin: So, you both have been involved in some amazing projects recently. Holden, tell us about your experience with "Trevor."

[14:23] Holden Hagelberger: "Trevor" has been such a rewarding experience. The story is so heartfelt, and I love being part of a show that resonates with so many people.

[14:33] Taylor Paige Henderson: And I just wrapped up filming "Hocus Pocus 2," which was a dream come true! Working with such talented people was incredible.

[14:53] Joshua Turchin: That's awesome! What was it like stepping into a project with such a huge fan base?

[15:03] Taylor Paige Henderson: It was definitely a bit nerve-wracking at first, but the cast and crew made it so welcoming. I felt right at home.

[15:13] Holden Hagelberger: And the energy on set was just electric! Everyone was so passionate about the project.

[15:33] Joshua Turchin: I can only imagine! Now, what do you both enjoy most about performing live?

[15:53] Taylor Paige Henderson: For me, it's the connection with the audience. You can feel their energy, and it makes every performance unique.

[16:13] Holden Hagelberger: Absolutely! There's something special about sharing that moment with people in real-time.

[16:33] Joshua Turchin: Do you have any favorite moments from your performances?

[16:53] Taylor Paige Henderson: I think my favorite moment was during a live performance when the audience started singing along. It was such a magical experience!

[17:13] Holden Hagelberger: I had a similar moment during "Trevor." The audience's reactions were just so genuine and heartfelt.

[17:33] Joshua Turchin: That's what it's all about! Now, do you have any upcoming projects or performances you want to share?

[17:53] Taylor Paige Henderson: I'm actually working on some new music, which I'm really excited about!

[18:13] Holden Hagelberger: And I'm gearing up for some more performances with "Trevor." It's going to be a busy but exciting time!

[18:33] Joshua Turchin: Sounds like you both have a lot to look forward to!

[18:53] Taylor Paige Henderson: We really do!

[19:13] Holden Hagelberger: And we can't wait to share it all with everyone!

[19:33] Joshua Turchin: Well, thank you both for being here today. It's been a pleasure chatting with you!

[19:53] Taylor Paige Henderson: Thank you for having us!

[20:13] Holden Hagelberger: Yes, thank you!

[20:33] Joshua Turchin: And now, let's enjoy a performance from both of you!

[20:53] ♪ Musical number: "Song Title" — performed by Holden Hagelberger and Taylor Paige Henderson ♪

[25:03] Joshua Turchin: That was fantastic! Thank you both for that amazing performance.

[25:23] Holden Hagelberger: Thank you! We had a blast!

[25:53] Taylor Paige Henderson: Yes, thank you so much for having us!