A few weeks ago, Hartford High School senior Macy Bettwieser traveled to New York City with her family and music teachers to compete in the final round of Broadway World’s Next On Stage competition.

The live finale, hosted at cabaret hot spot 54 Below on Jan. 19, came at the end of a long competition process in which Bettwieser emerged as one of three finalists out of 250 contestants.

Although Emersyn Hunt of California was dubbed the ultimate winner, Bettwieser only had positive things to say about the competition.

“The contestants were absolute angels, I loved them,” she said in a phone interview.

Bettwieser submitted her first audition tape back in October.

In December, she learned she was one of 15 contestants to proceed to the next round.

Since then, Bettwieser, her mom and her teachers worked to film tapes for each new round and drum up public votes.

The night before the big performance last month, contestants were treated to dinner at Italian restaurant Tony’s Di Napoli, followed by a viewing of “The Great Gatsby” on Broadway.

Early in the competition, Bettwieser sang the show’s sardonic number “Beautiful Little Fool.”

She described seeing the Broadway version as “a dream come true. It was absolutely amazing.”

The next morning, contestants were given the opportunity to practice their song before the competition started.

Bettwieser chose the triumphant ballad “At Long Last” from “Bright Star,” the story of a successful magazine editor’s troubled youth.

The panel of judges included Lesli Margherita, currently in “Gypsy” on Broadway, and Courtney Reed, who played Jasmine in the original Broadway production of “Aladdin.”

“It was a very chill environment. Very relaxing, no high stress,” Bettwieser said.

Life hasn’t slowed down for Bettwieser since the competition ended, in fact, her schedule has only become more hectic.

Most weekends, she’s traveled to New York City and Chicago with her mom to audition for musical theater programs.

When all is said and done, Bettwieser will have auditioned for 21 schools. She expects to hear back from most in the next month.

Amid auditions, she’s also helping with tech for North Country Community Theatre’s upcoming production of “Hello Dolly,” which opens on Feb. 28 at the Lebanon Opera House.

In August, Dothan Brook School teacher Lanni Luce West will direct Bettwieser in her final Upper Valley production before college: Trumbull Hall Troupe’s teen version of “Six,” a comedic romp in which Henry VIII’s wives compete in a singing competition to determine who suffered the most at the hands of the king.

Luce West directed Bettwieser in “The Wizard of Oz” while she was in fifth grade at Dothan Brook and was in the audience for her performance at 54 Below.

“Kids come and go, and I have to let them go,” she said in phone interview.

“But there’s definitely some that hold a special place in my heart, and Macy’s definitely going to be one of those kids.”

Marion Umpleby can be reached at mumpleby@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.