Loudoun Valley High School Presents THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE

You'll want to "bee" at Loudoun Valley High School for their upcoming musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, running February 15-18. This year, Viking Theatre is focusing on giving back to the community. Following a successful fundraiser for the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship in conjunction with their fall one acts, The Last Tree and The Water Engine, Viking Theatre is now fighting illiteracy in Loudoun County by partnering with the Loudoun Literacy Council.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, with music and lyrics by William Finn and book by Rachel Sheinkin, opened on Broadway in April 2005, playing 1,136 performances in total. Originally conceived by Rebecca Feldman, Spelling Bee is based off of her largely improvisational play C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E. Feldman's improvisational roots hold steady in her expanded musical, each new bee with its own humorous word definitions and sentences, off-the-cuff monologues, and audience volunteers who get the chance to spell and be on stage with the cast throughout the show!

A lighthearted but ultimately touching show, Spelling Bee follows the stories of six young spellers, all of whom come with their own quirks, tics, and struggles of being a tween. Whether it be the comical pitfalls of adolescence, the unconventional experience of a girl with two tough-love dads, or the more grim matter of anxiety and child neglect, the bee brings out the strengths, weaknesses, and personal dilemmas of each speller; in the end, however, they leave learning something new about themselves, experiencing colossal growth and becoming better equipped to deal with the trials and tribulations of young adult life.

In conjunction with the production, Viking Theatre is partnering with the Loudoun Literacy Council with a book drive to fight local illiteracy. Bring your new and gently used children's and young adult chapter books to the show in order to help Loudoun citizens of all ages learn to read and write through this incredible and crucial organization! To learn more about how you can help provide individuals and families with this basic but momentous step towards success, visit loudounliteracy.com. Help support literacy in your community- come see the bee!

The show runs February 15-17 at 7:00 PM and February 17-18 at 2:00 PM. Seating is limited in this immersive production, with onstage seating in close proximity to the actors in true "high school gymnasium" fashion, so buy tickets now for $10 at lvtheatre.ticketleap.com. This show contains mild language and some very ambiguous references to sex and puberty, but is not explicit and is suitable for all ages. For more information about the Viking Theatre program, including upcoming productions (such as the spring outdoor Shakespeare production of Much Ado About Nothing), and other local theatre opportunities for students everywhere, visit lvtheatre.org.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will make you laugh out loud, cry and reflect, and let you be your own character in the show in an exciting, wholly immersive and inclusive night of musical pandemonium!

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