Long before Nathan Hale High School's drama department knew what musical it would put on, one thing was clear: It was already in the red.

Before anyone took the stage, it would have to pay the janitor to turn on the lights.

Fund-raisers would be held, volunteers would jump in, tickets would be sold and somehow, the curtain would go up on "Lucky Stiff."

All that struggle was forgotten Monday night, when the show's guest director, Kim Douglass, received a 5th Avenue High School Musical Theatre Award, which probably felt like a Tony.

The screaming at the third annual awards was like the Beatles at Shea Stadium.

What came through loud and clear was that high-school musical theater still is alive and well — and woefully underfunded.

This year, 43 Washington schools put on 48 productions involving about 6,000 students. And they did it with budgets that match what most high-school athletic programs spend on Gatorade.

"We need to support high-school kids in all their endeavors," said Bill Berry, the associate artistic director at the 5th, which put on the program with the help of Wells Fargo Bank. "Not just those who can run fast or shoot through a hoop, but those with artistic leanings."

Take the winner for Outstanding Overall Musical Production: Kamiak High School's ambitious "Pirates of Penzance." It was done for under $5,000. Ninety percent of that came from ticket sales, 10 percent from advertising and boosters. None came from the school board.

Kamiak's football team has "something like 10 coaches," said drama teacher Laurie Levine. "I have about the same number of students in my program, but I'm the only coach."

"We're always jealous," Levine said of the athletics budget. "There's no sense of disparity."

How much does the athletics department get at Kamiak?

"Part of me doesn't want to know," Levine said with a small laugh. "Just jealousy."

I tried to find out, but didn't hear back from the school before deadline.

The recognition from the 5th Avenue can only help, Levine said, since this is a "negotiating year" for her budget.

Berry is well aware, which is part of why the awards were started.

"Arts funding is such a tenuous item that always seems to be on the chopping block," he said. "These awards legitimize what they do in the eyes of administrators."

It's too bad more of them weren't in the seats when students took their turns onstage accepting statues for everything from Outstanding Stage Crew (Kentridge High School for "Crazy for You") to Outstanding Lobby Display (Forest Ridge School, an all-girls school that ingeniously staged "Chicago").

They would see the need to ensure that the shows go on.

Nicole Brodeur's column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Reach her at 206-464-2334 or nbrodeur@seattletimes.com.

She was Nellie Forbush. Natch.