Theatre Out to Open 10th Anniversary Season with THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, 1/16

Theatre Out is set to open their 10th anniversary season with a revival of the hit Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee with music and lyrics by William Finn conceived by Rebecca Feldman, book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss on January 16, 2015.

Spelling Bee began its life as a non-musical play performed by the improv group The Farm. Following its development into a full-scale musical, Spelling Bee moved Off-Broadway to the Second Stage Theatre opening on February 7, 2005. Spelling Bee received glowing reviews, sold out its limited engagement, broke box office records at Second Stage, and extended its run. After only a month of performances Off-Broadway, Spelling Bee transferred to Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theatre where it went on to close after 1,136 performances.

The New York Times raved that Spelling Bee is ?Effortlessly endearing...gold stars all around.? While TheatreMania proclaimed it as ?a treat and a half.?

It is the day of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and it is again being hosted by previous Bee winner, Rona Lisa Peretti with Vice Principal Douglas Panch assisting with word pronunciation, definitions and sentences. Ten contestants are vying for the trophy and the chance to go on to the National Spelling Bee. From the timid Olive Ostrovsky to the ?all business? Marcy Park and free-spirited Leaf Coneybear each contestant brings their own unique set of quirks and fears to the Bee. Unique to The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is that some contestants are chosen from the audience and will be spelling side-by-side with our spellers. All are reminded that there can only be one winner and the rest will hear the much-dreaded bell and walk away with a hug and a juice box.

The creative team responsible for last season?s break out hit The Drowsy Chaperone has reunited to bring Spelling Bee to the Theatre Out stage. David C. Carnevale directs with Lindsay Martin as choreographer and Gabrielle Maldonado as musical director with Carnevale and Joey Baital serving as production designers.

?Spelling Bee is the perfect combination of musical, comedy, improvisation and audience participation wrapped up in a bow with a surprisingly caring touch,? commented Baital. ?The audience is in the middle of the action cheering for the spellers as the stakes get incredibly high.?

?In crafting the world of Spelling Bee for Theatre Out, it was extremely important to me to make these over-the-top personalities feel real,? commented Carnevale. ?These characters have real emotions, real fears and are facing the real consequences of winning and losing at the Bee.?

Spelling Bee features Miguel Cardenas as William Barfee, the young speller with multiple health issues and magic foot that helps him spell his words. Cardenas delighted audiences last season with his portrayals of Mrs. Claus in Last Christmas I Gave You My Heart But The Very Next Day You Said You Were Gay and as Adolpho, the King of Romance and accents in The Drowsy Chaperone. Cardenas has been seen throughout Orange County in productions of Rent, The Reindeer Monologues, Tommy and Dreamgirls. Drew Boudreau returns to the Theatre Out stage as Vice Principal Douglas Panch after last being seen in 2008?s Hopeful Romantic by Michael Van Duzer. An in-demand performer, Boudreau is also a member of ImprovShimprov having performed with the team across the country and on the high seas.

Spelling Bee also features Paloma Armijo, Kayla Caveness, Sara Falaro, Nicolette Latini, Felipe Leon, Julian Ronquillo and Jabriel Shelton. EB Bohks serves as Stage Manager with Marianne Almero as Assistant Stage Manager and Ryan Cutler as the sound technician.

Tickets for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee can be purchased online at www.TheatreOut.com or by visiting the Theatre Box Office 1 hour prior to curtain time, as available. Theatre Out is located at 402 W. 4th Street in Santa Ana, California. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee performs January 16, 2015 ? February 21, 2015 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm. With additional Saturday 3:00 pm performances on February 7 and February 21 and a Thursday performance at 8:00 pm on February 5 and February 12, 2015. All tickets are $25 with some discount tickets available to select performances. The cast will perform a late-night ?adults-only? performance on Saturday, January 31 at 11:00 pm.