Here’s the story I wrote for today’s paper, with some complete quotes I couldn’t get in on deadline. (I love this blog!)

Rye Neck High School’s production of “Cats” was the cat’s meow at the High School Theater Awards last night, taking home three awards, including outstanding overall production of a musical.

The 10th annual awards, at the elegant Paramount Center for the Arts, had all the trappings of a star-studded event, with presenters, production numbers and acceptance speeches.

The most anticipated acceptance speech of the night came at 10 p.m., when Rye Neck’s Pat Rinello following a crowd of pouncing cats onto the stage to accept the trophy for outstanding overall production of a musical.

“Every one of you in this room is living a life that is so blessed because you’re involved in theater,” Rinello said. “You touch humanity. You hold a mirror up to everyone. You show us our strengths, our weaknesses, our joys, our sorrows. Every one of you in this room tonight should be so proud that you are involved in this art form.”

Thunderous applause.

She continued: “I would like to ask all the directors — could you give me house lights? — I would like all the directors to stand up, please.”

More thunderous applause.

She went on to thank her Rye Neck production team, including musical director Steve Loftus, an HSTA winner last night, and choreographer Deb Spahr, Karen Fontecchio (costumes and makeup) and “a cast and crew that took this journey — as bizarre as it was — as far as I asked them to go. And they did it.”

“But again,” she continued, “every one of you in this room did it for your directors or you wouldn’t be here tonight. You took the journey, you took the risk and it’s enriched your life and your audience’s lives.”

“Thank you so much. I hope that you continue in this endeavor and share in each other’s joy and each other’s pride. It’s a wonderful night for all of you. God bless you.”

Thunderous applause — and many happy cats frolicking on the stage — yelling “Womp! Womp! Womp!”

Rinello later explained that “Womp!” is something the cast came up with to represent “reaching beyond your grasp.”

“You gave all, there was nothing left to give and then you feel good. Win or lose, it’s a womp! From the first day of auditions right on to the end, it was a womp. What a great bunch of kids,” she said.

The proud director called the evening “probably one of the best feelings of my life. It’s overwhelming.”

In addition to overall production, Rye Neck picked up awards for musical direction, Steven Loftus, and lighting design, Kyle Kegan.

The awards honor the best in high school musicals from those schools who enter the competition. This year, 39 schools from Rockland, Westchester, Putnam and Bergen counties entered.

In the hour before the show began, bus after bus rolled up to the Paramount, a beautifully refurbished movie palace that seemed fitting for the occasion. When the kids from Rye Neck piled out of the bus — most in their Spandex costumes and some in full makeup — they got some pretty puzzled looks from passersby.

Inside, there were cell-phone photos, digital cameras popping and lots of hugs and kisses.

Then the Lower Hudson Valley Youth Choir took to the stage to an ovation, the first of dozens the eager crowd would offer throughout the course of the evening. Under the direction of Jared Rosenblum, they sang “Seasons of Love” from “RENT” and a medley from “The Phantom of the Opera.”

As they sang, peasants in scarves from Anatevka filed into the hall – the kids from Pleasantville’s production of “Fiddler” – and began to clap along.

It was that kind of night.

Then it was on with the show and a series of videos set to the song “Show People” from “Curtains.”

Each category, each nominee, was met with an ovation from the sold-out 1,025-seat auditorium. Then the buzz as the presenter asked for a drum roll and the kids obliged, patting their thighs with their hands to create the effect before each winner’s name was announced.

Two categories ended in ties, heightening the tension in what was a room already full of anticipation.The leading-actor category was won by two Tevyes – Blind Brook’s Andrew Benowich and Pleasantville’s Anthony daCosta. Both played the lead character in “Fiddler on the Roof” at their respective schools.

They received their star-shaped trophies from Terrence Mann, a huge Broadway star.

Benowich was up first. He hushed the loud Blind Brook cheerers, and then thanked them.

“You guys were great, some of the best people I’ve ever worked with,” he said. And he thanked director Christina Colangelo. “I share this with her,” he added.

Next up was Pleasantville’s da Costa, who received the award from Mann, turned to the podium and said “thank you” in Tevye’s voice.

“Thank you, Mr. Mann. That was awesome. I’m glad they didn’t judge this on facial hair authenticity,” said daCosta, who wore a fake beard as Tevye. He thanked his family, his director, his costumer and choreographer (while admitting he wasn’t a great mover) and he even thanked local barbers for contributing to his fake beard.

In the outstanding vocal performance categories, awards went to Blind Brook’s Scott Winston and Kim Giordano of Pascack Hills in New Jersey.

Blind Brook took home awards in a third category, as Kelsey Crandall won outstanding performance by an ensemble member, playing Fruma Sarah in “Fiddler.”

Two Bergen County schools took home three awards each: Ramsey’s production of “Once Upon a Mattress” won for outstanding direction, leading actress (Leea Borst), and outstanding lobby display, and St. Joseph’s Regional’s “West Side Story” won for outstanding ensemble, scenic design (by Joseph Egan, a longtime director at Nyack High School) and dramatic performance by Ryan Mati.

Supporting-role honors went to Hailey Fyfe of Rockland Country Day School and Niko Gelfars from Hastings’ production of “City of Angels.” (That’s Hailey at the moment her name was announced, with her dad, Jim, to her right.)

Later, Fyfe described the feeling.

“It feels like I just dove into a pit of, like, marshmallows or something really good, something I can’t quite describe. It’s shocking,” she said.

Archbishop Stepinac High School, which entered the night with a dozen nominations, ended the night with one win: for the stage crew of “Singin’ in the Rain.”

There were performances from each of the shows nominated for top honors and by each of the nominees for leading actress and leading actor.Presenters included Tony-winner Beth Leavel (“The Drowsy Chaperone”) and Mann, who played the Rum Tum Tugger in “Cats” on Broadway, and was also in the Broadway casts of “Beauty & the Beast” and “Les Miserables.”

After the high-decibel event, Leavel said it was a bit surreal being up on the stage at the Paramount, experiencing the volume of crowd appreciation.

“It’s tangible. You vibrate when you’re up there,” the Tony-winner said. “And I’m like ‘I’m too old to vibrate.’”

It’s like nothing she’s experienced on Broadway, she said.

“Not unbridled enthusiasm like that,” she said. “It’s a blast. I was telling someone back stage, how it’s really good for us old farts to be here. It feeds our soul and it’s real, real cool.”

She said she was still having trouble hearing, but would likely never forget the screams from Pleasantville’s “Fiddler on the Roof” and Rye Neck’s “Cats.”

Danielle Rudess, who runs Nyack’s Helen Hayes Youth Theater, is the producer of the awards and her husband, Jordan Rudess, is musical director. The hosts for the awards were Barry Carl, who was the bass in the a capella group Rockapella, and actor-singer John Patrick Schutz.

For the first nine years of their existence, the awards – which began under the auspices of Nyack’s long-gone Helen Hayes Theater Company – were lovingly called “The Helens,” after the first lady of the American stage.

But Washington’s theatrical community gives out Helen Hayes acting awards to professional productions, and it prevailed upon the Hayes family to rescind permission to use the actress’ name for the high school awards, which began a few blocks from where Hayes lived for years.

Still, old habits die hard.

The marquee at the Paramount announced the Helen Hayes Theater Awards and even the video montage — something Rudess and her team had toiled on for months after the name change was made — was titled “The 2008 Helen Hayes High School Theater Awards.”

(Photos by Angela Gaul/The Journal News)