3D Theatricals' 25TH ANNUAL...SPELLING BEE Closes 6/13

One of Orange County's newest theater companies, 3D Theatricals, presents THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE thru June 13 at the O.C. Pavilion Theatre in the Arts district of downtown Santa Ana. The hit one-act musical comedy marks 3D Theatrical's third production for 2010, following recent hits ALL SHOOK UP and ALTAR BOYZ. The original 2005 Broadway production, directed by James Lapine, was nominated for six Tony® Awards and won two—Best Book of a Musical (Rachel Sheinkin) and for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Dan Folger). The original cast included Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Tony® nominee Celia Keenan-Bolger.

SPELLING BEE is an hilarious tale of overachievers' angst as seen through the experiences of six adolescent outsiders vying for fictional Putnam County's annual spelling championship. Audience participation comes into play as well as "spellers" are randomly plucked directly from theatergoers.

SPELLING BEE started as a non-musical play entitled C-R-E-P-E-S-C-U-L-E, done by the improvisational group The Farm. One of the performers in the play, Sarah Saltzberg, happened to be the nanny of playwright Wendy Wasserstein (THE HEIDI CHRONICLES). Wasserstein was impressed by what she saw and suggested to friend William Finn (FALSETTOS) that he may be able to take the show to the next level with music and lyrics. Finn, his former student Rachel Sheinkin, and C-R-E-P-E-S-C-U-L-E creator Rebecca Feldman worked together to turn the piece into a full-length musical.

In the winter of 2004, SPELLING BEE had a workshop at Barrington Stage Company in Sheffield, Massachusetts.  The following summer, the show had its first full production, in a cafeteria turned theatre. From there, SPELLING BEE moved to Off-Broadway’s Second Stage Theatre, where it quickly sold out its original stay and was extended due to glowing reviews and powerful word of mouth. The show broke box office records at Second Stage and moved to Broadway’s Circle in the Square on April 15, 2005 with an official opening on May 2nd. Alongside their six Tony nominations, they were also recognized by the Theatre World, Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Awards. After 1,136 performances, the Broadway company closed in 2008.

3D Theatricals' production, directed and choreographed by DJ Gray with musical direction by Nolan Livesay. The cast features Nick Santa Maria*, Sheila Karls, Melvin Abston*, Annie Woo, Juan Guillen, Louis Pardo, Lisa Livesay*, Kavin Panmeechao, and Lexy Baeza. This production of THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE is presented through special arrangement with Music Theater International (MTI).

* Denotes a member of Actors Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States of America.

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Tickets to THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE at the OC Pavilion are available online at www.ocpavilion.com or by calling 714-550-0880. Performances run from May 21 through June 20. Tickets start at $20. Student and Youth (16 and under) tickets are available for $15.

The OC Pavilion is located at 801 N. Main Street in Santa Ana. Visit www.ocpavilion.com or www.spellingbeethemusical.com for more information.

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