Audition Announcement
& Seeking Production Crew
Theatre III Auditions
Auditions for The 25th Annual Putnam
County Spelling Bee - Music & Lyrics, William Finn,
Book by Rachel Sheinkin - will be held June 14, and 15 with
call backs on June 17th - If necessary. Auditioners
should be at least
twenty years of age.
Director: Gary Kendall -- Music Director: Div Slomin --
Choreographer: Shahn Knights and Produced by Sandy
Armstrong
Performance Dates September 24, 25, October 1, 2, 8, 9 at
8:00 PM and October 3, 2010 at 3:00 PM
Place: Theatre III, 250 Central Street, West Acton, MA
Time: 7:00 PM No appointment necessary
Please bring a resume and picture (if possible) to attach
to the audition form when completed.
Auditions will consist of a short selection or selections
NOT from the show but in the style of the character (s) for
which you intend to audition. There will also be cold
readings from the script and possible light dance
movement. Please dress accordingly.
Character Descriptions may be found on the Theatre III Web
Site
Questions: Contact Sandy 978 256 5660
CHARACTER LIST The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
THE SPELLERS
(in order of appearance)
CHIP TOLENTINO [also plays JESUS]
The reigning spelling champion of Putnam County, relatively
athletic and social, he expects things to come easily to
him. Lately though, he’s been going through some
weird changes, and things are slipping out of his control.
(Be aware when casting his solo requires him to sing a lot
of high notes a lot of times.)
LOGAINNE SCHWARTZANDGRUBENNIERE
Younger than most bee participants, she is driven by
internal and external pressure but above all by a desire to
win to make her two fathers (from whom she takes her
combined last name) proud. She lisps, is a little
uncomfortable in her body, has some tics, but still manages
to strike a strong presence with her political awareness
and keen sense of justice. Having drilled words for hours a
day, she is aware of everything that passes in the room.
LEAF CONEYBEAR [also plays CARL DAD]
A second alternate, he never expected to compete here
today. Home-schooled with his many siblings, everything
about this public bee is an adventure for him, from meeting
the other kids to showing off his homemade clothing, to
each moment of unexpected attention. He may have severe
Attention Deficit Disorder but delights in his own
wandering focus. Leaf doesn’t expect to win ó or even
to spell one word correctly but he finds absolutely
everything incredibly amusing. His mother has made him wear
his protective helmet to the bee.
WILLIAM BARFEE
Has a host of health problems and a lot to prove. Loud and
combative as a de posture, he is the fat kid who becomes a
bully to avoid being picked on (though he often gets picked
on anyway so gets into a lot of fights). His parents are
divorced, his father remarried to a much younger woman; and
William does not expect kindness from anyone but his
mother. So friendship takes him by surprise. Still,
he’s noticed on the spelling circuit for his
remarkable technique spelling words out on the floor with
his foot. Taken out of competition last year because of an
ill-timed allergic reaction, he’s here for
vindication. The journey he doesn’t expect is one of
coming to care about someone else when he sees outside his
own needs for perhaps the first time, it shakes him
fundamentally.
MARCY PARK
The ultimate over-achiever, Marcy has never been given
another option. She comes from a family where excellence is
expected and so simply produced. A parochial school
student, she assumes God, too, expects perfection. She sees
herself as a mass of problems but she keeps them to
herself. Having moved often because of her parents’
work, she knows she can beat the local competition. Her
many talents include piano, dance, martial arts, baton
twirling, and/or whatever special gifts you can find in
your casting pool.
OLIVE OSTROVSKY
A word lover, Olive has a fairly quiet life. An only child
with often-absent parents, Olive spends a lot of her time
alone. She fills some of that time reading the dictionary
the words bring her comfort, as does the idea of the
vastness of the world the book contains. During the first
half of the bee, she often peers into the audience to see
if her father, who is delayed at work, has made it yet. She
starts enormously shy, and shyly blossoms.
THE ADULTS
(in order of appearance)
RONA LISA PERRETTI [also plays OLIVE’s MOM in
fantasy]
Putnam’s long-time spelling bee hostess, a local
realtor, and 3rd annual Putnam County spelling champion.
This is the Rona’s day to be queen. From her
perspective she keeps the bee running smoothly, upholds
protocol, and conveys crucial information to the audience.
Her interest in the competition is unflagging and drives it
forward. She thinks of this as a complex cerebral sporting
event, and she wants the audience to understand every twist
and turn. If anything, in her life in general, she has to
minimize the importance of this event to her, embarrassed
that her own championship moment remains such a highlight.
A little concerned when the substitute word pronouncer
arrives, she knows she has to step up her game to make the
day a success.
VICE PRINCIPAL DOUGLAS PANCH of Lake Hemingway Dos Passos
Junior High is frustrated with his life. He fell into
education, less out of love than a general ability
uncoupled to a particular passion. The drive of the young
spellers is alien to him. He never found anything that
important. Stuck in his current job, endlessly awaiting a
promotion that isn’t coming, he was not happy to get
the call this morning that he was needed to substitute; but
he starts the bee eager to do well, to redeem himself for
past mistakes, and to impress the local hostess, Rona Lisa,
who impressed him long ago.
MITCH MAHONEY [also plays DAN DAD, and OLIVE’s DAD in
fantasy]
With a bouncer’s physique and demeanor, Mitch appears
an odd choice to be the bee’s comfort counselor, but
it’s part of his community service assignment. The
outsider, who in a way gets to inhabit the audience
perspective, he wonders about the wisdom of putting the
kids through this at all. He has no idea how to offer
comfort, but does increasingly find himself wishing he
could find a way to make the kids feel better about losing,
and perhaps place misspelling in wider perspective.
A NOTE ON DOUBLING
The doubling of roles as listed above was built into the
original premise. However should you wish to accommodate a
larger cast it is hypothetically possible to separate the
following roles
SCHWARZY’s FATHERS:
CARL GRUBENIERRE (CARL DAD, normally played by actor
playing Leaf) Schwarzy’s main trainer, the more
intense and competitive of Schwarzy’s fathers.
DAN SCHWARZ (DAN DAD, normally played by actor playing
Mitch) the more laid back and ineffectual of
Schwarzy’s fathers.
LEAFíS MOM, DAD, and SIBLINGS (normally played by the
spellers and audience volunteers as indicated in script)
all more academically gifted than Leaf, they are even more
surprised than he is at his success.
OLIVE’s MOM (normally played by actor playing Rona) A
fantasy version of Olive’s mom at her Ashram in India
OLIVE’s DAD (normally played by actor playing Mitch)
A fantasy version of Olive’s dad coming to the bee
from work.
JESUS CHRIST (normally played by actor playing Chip) Deity
invoked by a speller in need.