25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Directed by Bernie Schuneman
Music Direction by Nika Plattos
With touching book by Rachel Sheinkin and uplifting score by William Finn, The 25th Annual Putman County Spelling Bee is the humor and heart story of six bee contestants vying for a first prize of $200 and the chance to go to the national finals in Washington. The contestants, all winners from local elementary and middle schools, include the broad spectrum of personalities and motivations inherent in children on their way toward growing up – hormones, politics, prepubescent confusion, competitive angst, annoying precociousness, and just plain loneliness. The adults of course have their own motivations – there is a mother hen, a moderator who doesn’t quite know how to use the words to be spelled in a sentence, and the bee’s official “comfort counselor,” who provides a hug and a juice box to each loser as they leave the stage. 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is directed by Bernie Schuneman.
