NYC EPA
BEE OFF BROADWAY LLC | New York, NY
Thursday, July 10, 2025
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM (E)
Lunch 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Off Broadway
$1439 weekly minimum (Cat. E)
Equity actors for roles in THE 25TH ANNUAL
PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE (See breakdown).
All Equity stage managerial positions are filled.
Please prepare a short comedic, contemporary musical theatre song of your own choosing. Please bring sheet music in the appropriate key, with clearly marked cuts and your picture and resume, stapled.
Pearl Studios (500)
500 8th Ave
New York, NY 10018-6504
Holding room - Studio 405
Producer: Barbara Whitman, Aaron Glick and Timothy Bloom by special arrangement with David Stone
Director / Choreographer: Danny Mefford
Music Supervisor: Carmel Dean
Music and Lyrics: William Finn
Book: Rachel Sheinkin
General Management: 321 Theatrical Management
Casting Director: Geoff Josselson Casting
Expected to attend:
Geoff Josselson or Felicia Rudolph (Casting Directors)
First Rehearsal: October 13th, 2025
First Performance: November 7, 2025
Opening: November 17, 2025
Open-Ended Run
Venue: New World Stages
EPA Procedures are in effect for this audition.
An Equity Monitor will be provided.
Notice: Audition Call Type: EPA
Equity is committed to diversity and encourages all its employers to engage in a policy of equal employment opportunity designed to promote a positive model of inclusion. As such, Equity encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to attend every audition.
Always bring your Equity Membership card to auditions.
Any race/ethnicity, gender identities, body types and abilities to embody the truth and humanity of six prepubescent kids and the adults in their lives, as they compete in a local spelling Bee.
[CHIP TOLENTINO] Male, 18+ to play preteen. The reigning spelling bee champion, returning to defend his title. A boy scout; he’s confident, athletic, charming and outgoing. He expects things to come easily to him. Puberty is now hitting at an inopportune time and the unexpected hormonal changes could hinder his chances at winning this year. Doubles as JESUS who talks to Marcy. Tenor.
[LOGAINNE SCHWARTZANDGRUBENNIERE] Female, 18+ to play preteen. The youngest of the spellers. A high-strung social justice warrior and political spitfire. She has a lisp, but doesn’t let it slow her down. Seemingly polite and put together at most times, she’s incredibly stressed because of internal pressure and the pressure her two fathers put on her. She is very smart and practices harder than anyone. Mezzo/Alto belter.
[LEAF CONEYBEAR] Male, 18+ to play preteen. No one is more excited to be in the Bee, he was a second alternate and was surprised to get the call to compete. Home schooled along with his many siblings in a hippie family, he has an active imagination, but an inferiority complex and Attention Deficit Disorder. To compensate, he is fascinated by everything, amused by everyone and goes into a trance-like state that surprisingly helps him spell hard words correctly. He doesn’t expect to win and is just happy to be accepted and included. Doubles as CARL DAD, one of Logainne’s two fathers. Tenor.
[WILLIAM BARFEE] Male, 18+ to play preteen. A finalist last year, he was eliminated because of an allergic reaction to peanuts. His famous Magic Foot method of spelling has boosted him to spelling glory, even though he only has one working nostril that affects his speech and a touchy personality. Cocky but insecure, he is focused on winning and is not there to make friends. He has an often-mispronounced last name: it is Bar-FAY, not BARF-ee (there's an accent aigu, he explains with some hostility). He develops a crush on Olive during the second half of the show. Character baritone.
[MARCY PARK] Asian-American Female, 18+ to play preteen. A recent transfer student who attends Catholic School, she is an overachiever, is good at everything and is expected to be. She speaks six languages, is a member of an all-American hockey team, a championship rugby player, plays Chopin and Mozart on multiple instruments, sleeps only three hours a night, hides in the bathroom cabinet, and is getting very tired of always winning. She is also not allowed to cry and can come across as dry and unfeeling. Soprano/belter with mix.
[OLIVE OSTROVSKY] Female, 18+ to play preteen. A newcomer to the competition and single child to absentee parents, she loves words and spends most of her time daydreaming and alone reading her dictionary. There she finds peace and comfort. Polite and painfully shy, but sweet and positive. She’s thoughtful and very attentive to other spellers’ needs. Soprano/high mixed belt.
[RONA LISA PERRETTI] Female, late 30s-40s. Putnam County’s number one realtor and longtime spelling bee host. A former Spelling Bee champion, it was a highlight of her life and she loves to reminisce about it. Well liked and respected, she is sweet and proud of her accomplishments and her love for the competition. Warm and friendly, but can be stern and no-nonsense when needed to maintain control over the proceedings. Adept with improvisation and audience interaction, as she acts as our guide in explaining the rules and expectations throughout the night. Doubles as OLIVE’S MOM. Mezzo soprano with strong mix belt.
[VICE PRINCIPAL DOUGLAS PANCH] Male, late 30s-40s. A beleaguered and frustrated Vice Principal, who is filling in as guest judge after a five-year absence due to an ‘incident’. Indefinitely awaiting his promotion to Principal, he doesn't really care about spelling or the Bee but enjoys the slight power trip as judge. Hoping to redeem himself from his previous mishap, but still has a curmudgeonly edge to him. He is infatuated with Rona, and takes the rules seriously in order to impress her. Provides the words, definitions and sentence for each speller. Adept with improvisation and audience interaction. No solo singing.
[MITCH MAHONEY] Male, 30s-40s. The ‘comfort counselor’ at the Bee, who offers eliminated students a juice box and shoulder to cry on. A fitness-focused gym teacher by day, he is new to this sport and able to question its absurdities in a way those more deeply involved have lost sight of. He may initially appear out of place and rigid but is actually deeply caring. He surprises himself by coming to care about the kids under pressure, and discovers he does have something to offer as he teaches them to lose with dignity. Doubles as DAN DAD, one of Logainne’s two fathers, and OLIVE’S DAD. Soulful Baritenor who can riff.
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