Awards season officially kicked off on May 2, the day after the 2018 Tony nominations were announced. After announcements of the Lucille Lortel nominations honoring Off-Broadway, the Chita Rivera nominations honoring dance in theatre and film, the Drama League nominations honoring individual performers this season, and the Drama Desk nominations honoring Broadway and Off-Broadway, it all culminated in the Tony Award nods.

Playbill met the nominees at the InterContinental Hotel in Manhattan to congratulate them, hear their reactions to the news, discover the lessons they’ve learned through their work, and more.

And beginning May 16, Playbill’s 25 Days of Tonys is back! Our countdown to the June 10 Awards broadcast features videos with the Broadway stars everyone is buzzing about and the creators behind the onstage magic—from Angels in America’s Andrew Garfield to The Band’s Visit Katrina Lenk, from Mean Girls scribe Tina Fey to Frozen composers and Oscar winners Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

But, for now, take a look at how the nominees show their love for Playbill! (Stars, they’re just like us.)