25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Directed by: Donna Ragan
Produced by: Patty Lanser
Auditions – Saturday, November 20, 2010 – 9 a.m.
Performances: January 14-23
Curtain Times: 8 p.m. Friday & Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday

Six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, learn that winning isn’t everything and that losing doesn’t necessarily make you a loser.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a hilarious tale of overachievers’ angst chronicling the experience of six adolescent outsiders vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime. The show’s Tony Award winning creative team has created the unlikeliest of hit musicals about the unlikeliest of heroes: a quirky yet charming cast of outsiders for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time.

STAFF

  • Director: Donna Ragan
  • Producer: Patti Lanser
  • Assistant Director: Craig Williams II
  • Vocal Director: Steve Rotello
  • Choreographer: Julie Ratz & Morgan Fishburn
  • Stage Manager:  Nick Throop
  • Costumes: Marge Ray
  • Hair & Makeup:   TBA
  • Lighting Design: Justin Ball
  • Sound Design: Ben Shafer

MEET THE CAST

Chip Tolentino – (TJ Grasch) – Returning champion, relatively athletic and social, and trying to figure out how to deal with the weird changes his body is going through.

Vice Principal Douglas Panch – (Johnny Molson) – Frustrated at his position in life, and in particularly with the last minute call that landed him in the middle of the spelling bee as a substitute official. Trying to redeem himself from past mistakes and impress Rona Lisa Peretti.

Leaf Coneybear (doubles as Carl Brubenierre) – (Jesse Trieger) – Home schooled and suffers from severe Attention Deficite Disorder. He is a second alternate to the bee, and is surprised when he spells even one word correctly.

Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre (doubles as Leaf’s Mom) – (Anna Bussing) – Youngest participant in the bee, very concerned with making her two dads proud. Has a noticeable lisp.

Marcy Park – (Taylor Fishburn) – Multi-talented over-achiever who has never been given an option other than to succeed.

Mitch Mahoney (also plays Dan Schwarts and Olive’s Dad) – (Sean Michael Butler) – Serves as the comfort counselor at the bee as part of his community service assignment. Tough on the outside, but really wants to help the kids.

Olive Ostrovsky – (Madison Kauffman) – Very quiet, only child of often absent parent who spends much of her time reading the dictionary. She starts out very shy and blossoms as the show progresses.

Rona Lisa Peretti (Olive’s Mom) – (Mary Kate Smith) – Long time spelling bee hostess. Local realtor and champion of the 3rg Annual Bee, and works very hard to make this event special.

William Barfee – (Kellen Fant) – Has a host of health problems that caused him to have to leave the bee last year. He is loud and defensive, mostly to cover his insecurity. More importantly than anything, he learns to care about someone else during the bee.

AUDITIONS

AUDITIONS COMPLETED.  THANKS TO ALL THOSE THAT AUDITIONED.