young, scrappy and hungry | a hamilton story | √

Chapter 56

After the audience finished applauding and Matthews handed Kasey her certificate, Lin held up his hand for silence.

"It's not everyday that a cast member becomes an American citizen, since all of us (except Kasey) have been citizens," Lin said. "We don't have much cause to celebrate. So, in honor of this..."

Lin motioned for Renee to bring out something.

Kasey immediately covered her face with her hands when she realized what it was.

"We want to present you with your own blue coat, Kasey. Even though we're obviously not going to switch around all of your blocking and choreography to make you a Patriot, we want you to know that you're one of us. Truly. Not that you weren't before, but I felt that it was an appropriate time to show you how much we care."

Renee handed it to Kasey, and Kasey immediately put it on.

"Thank you," Kasey said, hugging Renee and then Lin. "It means so, so much. Thank you."

"Alright," Lin said. "Thank you all for coming. Have a wonderful evening."

~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the cast gathered onstage after the audience left for cake and food. Alaina and Vanessa joined them.

The cake was red, white and blue. Half of it was decorated with an American flag and half of it was a British flag. There was tea, as a joke, and plenty of snack foods.

Everyone congratulated Kasey. She'd never felt so blessed- she truly felt like a part of the family now. Becoming a citizen shouldn't have made her feel any different about her cast members, but somehow, being of the same nationality made her feel closer to them.

There were countless pictures and an overwhelming amount of hugs. Kasey must have talked to everyone in the cast- most of them wanted to know why she hadn't told them about applying for citizenship.

She said that it was because she wanted to surprise them, but in the end, it was Carleigh who had surprised Kasey with the ceremony.

It was a long day- Kasey and Carleigh ended up going home extremely late at night- or early in the morning, depending. It was hard to tell what time it was. Time passed oddly in theatres, Kasey noticed. Maybe it was because of a theatre's ability to wrap you in and never let go. The things that happened there were amazing, wonderful things.

~~~~~

The next morning, Kasey woke up to way too many Instagram and Twitter notifications. All of the captions were adorable and sweet and Kasey felt honored and loved when she read them.

@bettcm: my best friend @KaseyWinslow became a US citizen today. I cannot be more proud of the person she is and the citizen that this country just gained. Now I can say that she's a fellow countrywoman and I can tell her to stop drinking tea. Love you always, Kasey.

@thaynejasperson: a long time ago i met a wonderful person named kasey winslow and she told me she was british... now she can properly say she's an american! one more for the revolution!

@phillipasoo: the first citizenship ceremony to take place in a Broadway theatre happened today, and I'm glad it was for @KaseyWinslow. Congratulations to one of the most brilliant, generous, and kind hearts I have ever met.

@jazzy_joness: this is a pic of a lovely human cinnamon roll, kasey winslow. onstage last night she became a dual citizen of britain and america. i cannot be happier that i have a friend from two of my favorite places. i am so glad that she decided to become a citizen. congratulations, @KaseyWinslow!

@JCReynolds: I had the immense honor to watch one of the greatest people I have ever met become a dual citizen yesterday in the Richard Rodgers. Kasey, congratulations! I was in the audience and I am so proud.

"Thank you, Carleigh," Kasey said, turning to her friend. Carleigh looked up from her phone. "For the ceremony. It meant a lot, truly. I owe you so much."

"You don't owe me anything. That's what friends are for, Kasey. Thank you for being such an amazing, inspirational, confident person," Carleigh said.