Hutchinson, Kan. – Stage 9 announces the opening of its second production of the 2017 season, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Performances will be April 27-29, 2017 and May 4-5, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. with matinees on April 30 and May 7, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. Stage 9 is located at 9 S. Main, Hutchinson, Kansas.
Winner of the Tony and the Drama Desk Awards for Best Book in 2005, audience members are sure to love the adolescent spellers competing for the win in this musical comedy written by Rachel Sheinkin and composer-lyricist William Finn. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee has musical numbers that range from toe-tapping to haunting in this hilarious, quirky one-act comedy.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is based on the improvisational play by Rebecca Feldman, C-R-E-P-U-S-C-L-E. The play follows each speller as they reveal not only their spelling prowess, but the frailties and triumphs they face as they experience puberty on their way to adulthood.
Guiding the young spellers is a previous spelling bee champion, turned realtor, who offers advice and waxes nostalgic for her glory days as a speller. Joining her is the vice principle of the local junior high who is infatuated with the past champion. Rounding out the adult cast members is the official comfort counselor, an ex-convict who is performing his community service at the Spelling Bee.
Performances for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee are April 27-29, 2017 and May 4-5, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. with matinees on April 30 and May 7, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. Of special note, there is no second Saturday performance on May 6.
Ticket prices for this musical are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $10 for ages 8-14. Children under 8 are not permitted. Stage 9 seats 85 people and seats are available on a first come, first served basis. Tickets are now available online and will be available for purchase at Apron Strings, 1 S. Main. Tickets will also be sold at the Box Office one hour prior to each performance. To check performance availability, please contact Stage 9 by email at [email protected] or by phone at 316-350-PLAY (7529).
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is presented with special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
For more information about The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, auditions or to schedule interviews with the director, contact Charles Johnston at 646-628-4353 or [email protected].
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Stage 9’s mission is to excite minds, move hearts, and change lives through theatrical performance, arts education, and live entertainment in Hutchinson, Reno County, and south central Kansas. A 501(c)3 organization, Stage 9 strives to produce quality entertainment and provide opportunities for artistic expression, specifically focused on ages 18 and up. At home at 9 S. Main in downtown Hutchinson, Stage 9’s 2017 Season features Our Town, by Thornton Wilder, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by Rebecca Feldman, a musical comedy about an eclectic group of pubescent spellers, Neil Simon’s classic comedy The Odd Couple (Female Version) pitting polar opposite roommates, a staged reading of The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman that examines the tragedy of the murder of Matthew Shepard, the groundbreaking musical Godspell by John-Michael Tebelak and Stephen Schwartz, a loose retelling of the Gospel story, Stage 9’s haunting annual fundraiser Talking Tombstones, and the romantic tales of John Cariani’s Almost, Maine.
