Mere hours before the 2025 Tony Awards, Joy Woods was performing in a matinee of Gypsy. The actor, who stars as Louise, rushed from the Majestic Theatre to Radio City, where she was nominated for her first Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. “The amount of excellent work put out this season is unreal. To be a part of it in this way is just plain nuts,” she tells Vogue. “I genuinely am still processing all of it.”

While she admits she’s a “nervous Nellie at heart,” Woods tried to stay present throughout the night. “This will only happen once—these shows, these people, this year. I have to celebrate every part of it and every person in it. I have to celebrate everything that led up to this moment,” Woods says. “We don’t get enough opportunities to stop and be where our feet are. I hope to be right on top of mine, and hopefully, they’re two-stepping all night.”

For her Tony-nominated night, the 25-year-old chose a gold Elie Saab dress that nodded to her Gypsy costume. “What drew me to it was its familiarity to my finale dress, and its homage to Josephine Baker. It’s nice to feel like I have a piece of the show with me. I feel comfortable and sexy and coming of age in it,” she says.

While the Tonys—and all the pomp and circumstance that comes with it—is new territory for Woods, she’s taking it all in stride. “I’ve never done this before, so I’m truly learning as I go,” she says. “It’s nice to think of this preparation as a celebration. Prepare to celebrate. For the Tonys, I’m just wanting to stay as grounded and calm as I possibly can.”

Below, Joy Woods takes Vogue along as she gets ready for the 2025 Tony Awards.