Get out your dictionaries! The Tony® Award winning musical comedy, THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE – one of Broadway's most buzzed about hits – is in attendance at North Shore Music Theatre's (NSMT) intimate theater in the round from August 12 – 31, 2008; Press Night is scheduled for August 14th at 7:30 pm. THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE is sponsored by The Boston Globe.
"Each production that we have brought to the NSMT mainstage this season has been unique and SPELLING BEE is no exception," said
Barry Ivan, NSMT's Artistic Director and Executive Producer. "Set in a school gymnasium, SPELLING BEE takes a hilarious and heartwarming look at the pressures of growing up through the eyes of quirky yet lovable characters competing for the title of spelling bee champ. We're pleased to present this production whose witty and endearing music and lyrics are created by Massachusetts' own
William Finn."
THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE is a hip musical comedy which follows six young people in the throes of puberty, who are overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, as they learn that winning isn't everything and that losing doesn't necessarily make you a loser. At each performance, four audience volunteers are selected and invited on stage to participate in the Bee, making each performance unique. THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE is recommended for theatergoers 13 and over.
Created, workshopped and developed by the
Barrington Stage Company in western Massachusetts in the winter of 2004 and presented that summer, THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE opened Off-Broadway at
Second Stage Theatre where it was an instant hit, prompting it to move to Broadway's Circle-in-the-Square Theater. Nominated for six Tony® Awards including Best Musical – it took home two 2005 Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Featured Actor in a Musical. THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE at NSMT is a co-production with the
Barrington Stage Company where it appeared earlier this summer.
The cast of THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE features
Emy Baysic (Marcy Park), Emerson College graduate
Miguel Cervantes (Chip Tolentino), Hannah Del Monte (Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre),
Molly Ephraim (Olive Ostrovsky),
Demond Green (Mitch Mahoney),
Clifton Guterman (Leaf Coneybear),
Michael Mastro (Vice-Principal Douglas Panch),
Eric Peterson (William Barfee), and
Sally Wilfert (Rona Lisa Perretti).
THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE has music and lyrics by
William Finn, a book by
Rachel Sheinkin, conception by
Rebecca Feldman, and original direction by
James Lapine. It is directed by
Jeremy Dobrish, choreographed by
Dan Knechtges, and includes music direction from Brian Usifer. The creative team includes Beowolf Borritt (Production Designer),
Jennifer Caprio (Costume Designer),
Jeff Davis (Lighting Designer), Alicia Reece (Production Stage Manager) and
Kate McDoniel (Assistant Stage Manager).
Tickets for THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE are priced from $77 to $40. Senior & Youth Discounts and Rush Tickets are available. Also check out www.nsmt.org for special ticket packages including "Date Night" and "Girl's Night Out" (a perfect outing idea for teachers or moms!). Performances are August 12 -31, Tue – Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri & Sat at 8 pm, matinees Wed, Sat and Sun at 2 pm. For tickets: www.nsmt.org, (978) 232-7200, or in person at 62 Dunham Rd., Beverly.
Also during THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, NSMT is offering a new Kids Club program for parents and kids ages 4-11. With the purchase of an adult ticket to the August 24 production of THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, parents are invited to enroll their children in a special free theater workshop on site at NSMT while they attend the show. NSMT's teaching staff will lead classes in acting, dancing, and singing at the theater. This program is free of charge but advanced reservations are required by Friday, August 22. The Kids Club will have a designated date for other mainstage musical productions in the 2008 season.
Additional Free Audience Enrichment events: Meet the Theatre: post-show audience discussion with the artists on August 19 after the 7:30 pm performance and August 30 after the 2 pm performance; Spotlight on History, a free pre-show discussion focusing on historical issues related to the performance (co-presented by the Wenham Museum) on August 24; Out at the North Shore, an evening for the Gay and Lesbian Community with a post-show reception on August 28.
Operating since 1955, NSMT has evolved into the largest non-profit producing theater in New England, with approximately 300,000 patrons annually. NSMT has gained a national and regional reputation for artistic achievement, specifically in the areas of developing new works and providing outstanding theater arts and education programs. NSMT has received numerous industry awards including The
Elliot Norton Award, The
Rosetta Le Noire Award from
Actors' Equity, and The
Moss Hart Award. NSMT annually produces a six musical subscription series and an acclaimed concert series. With its celebrated Theatre for Young Audiences program, a school touring program, and year-round classes for children, NSMT has become one of the region's leading providers of theater arts and education.
