Actors Training Center to Present Their Annual Holiday Musical, THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE

Actors Training Center will present their annual holiday musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, winner of the Tony and Drama Desk Award for Best Book. With a vibrant score written by William Finn, accompanied with witty dialogue and effortless humor by Rachel Sheinkin, director/choreographer Christina Ramirez will be bringing this unforgettable experience to the stage. Running Thursday, Nov. 30th at 7p.m. (Virtuoso Cast), Friday Dec. 1st at 7p.m. (Genius Cast), Saturday, Dec. 2nd at 3p.m. (Genius Cast)  and 7p.m. (Virtuoso Cast), performances will take place at The Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave. Skokie, IL 60077. Tickets ($18) can be found here. All tickets are general admission.

Six eccentric, mid-pubescents compete for the spelling championship of their lifetimes. Competition, passion, and anticipation lives in the heart of these tweens, as well as the three - also eccentric - adults who run the Bee. Hilarious and heartbreaking, the spellers strive not to hear the soul-crushing ‘ding' of the bell that signals a mistake. Only one can walk out a winner, but hey, at least the losers get a juice box.

Complete with audience engagement, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is one comedic genius that you do not want to miss!

“We take the responsibility of choosing shows for ATC seriously,” says founder and executive director Carole Dibo. “Themes, messaging, conflict and point of view are all discussed before settling on a show. In Spelling Bee, the characters deal with failure and how they attach their self worth to winning or proving they are the best and the pressure to excel. The play walks a fine line between introspection and humor.”

ATC's mission is to ignite passion for the performing arts at all ages and to give students a platform to use their art to effect meaningful change in their communities. Students train not only for today's industry, but also for the industry that they will build tomorrow. This musical has given opportunity to youth actors in the Chicagoland area to enhance their understanding of self-importance, a haven to honor themselves, and use their own experiences to interpret and create characters.

The production is led by an all-female artistic team led by Christina Ramirez (director/choreographer), Carole Dibo (founder/executive director), Amy Jackson (music director), Payton Shearn (stage manager), Sabrina Schoenberg (associate director/associate choreographer), Zoe Snead (scenic design), Karen Wallace (lighting design), Emily Hayman (sound design), Lili Galluzzo (costume design). 

“There is no right or wrong way in art, there is only what is right for you. Guiding students to a place of confidence to accept and admire who they are is the best of what we do,” Dibo concludes.

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