At the Putnam County Spelling Bee, only one thing is certain: “the best speller won’t necessarily win.”
Six young spellers. One trip to the coveted United States National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. In Rollins’ heartwarming rendition of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” the room is tense. Every speller has his or her tricks (from the “magic foot” to writing on their arm), and every speller has his or her own insecurities. Each one is determined to win.
But, the most important question is, who will YOU be rooting for in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee? There is only one way to find out…
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Meet Your Spellers
Charlito “Chip” Tolentino (Zack Uliasz ‘15): Tolentino, last year’s winner, seems to be a nice boy who is (unfortunately?) reaching a new stage in life: puberty. Can Tolentino focus through the distractions in the audience—including Coneybear’s attractive older sister?
Leaf Coneybear (Taylor Sorrel ‘14): The “dumb kid” in a large family of homeschooled kids, Coneybear placed 3rd in his school’s spelling bee but still managed to come to this competition because his school’s winner had to go to his Bar Mitzvah (and the runner up had to attend that Bar Mitzvah). An underdog, Coneybear loves to come out of nowhere with the correct spellings.
Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre (Mikayla Phillips ‘15): Leader of her elementary school’s LGBT and friends alliance, SchwartzandGrubenierre is in it to win it. Determined to make America love her, she is insecure about what other children think of her and is scared of being a loser.
Marcy Park (Isabella Miyares ‘14): The stereotypical overwhelmed schoolgirl who speaks five six languages, Park shows that she is here to win by spelling her first word without any pause. Park balks at being called “serious” by the judges.
Olive Ostrovsky (Meg Beck ‘17): From the second Ostrovsky walks on stage with her green sweater and orange tights, she will steal your heart. The quiet girl likes to read the dictionary and insists that a woman cannot sit in the chair she is saving for her dad—because he promised he would come.
William Barfée (James Blaisdell ‘17): Barfée (pronounced “Barfae”) comes on stage in his plaid shorts, suspenders, and mismatched socks. While his disgruntled appearance may cause the audience to initially overlook him, he steals the show with his nasal accent and “magic foot.”
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Who’s Running the Show?
Rona Lisa Peretti (Ricci Prioletti ‘14): Hostess Peretti is a previous spelling champion (from the 3rd Annual Putnam County Bee). Her obsession with everything “bee” 22 years after her win either shows an intense passion or quite a bit of insanity.
Vice Principal Douglass Panch (Matt Hendry ‘15): Aggressive, frustrated, and annoyed at even being there, Panch always provides humor to moments that touch on sensitive topics. Kudos to Hendry for keeping a straight face throughout.
Mitch Mahoney (Emma Johnson ‘14): Sitting in the corner on her stool for most of the show, you often forget that grief counselor Mahoney is even there. But when she stands up, she immediately takes control of the stage with Johnson executing some of the best performances of the night.
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Breadcrumbs
- Keep on the lookout for Jesus.
- “Cow.” “Can I have the word in a sentence?” “Spell cow.”
- If you think elementary school romances are cute, you are coming to the right show.
- “Our sponsor, Putnam Optometrist: If you can’t find us, you really do need glasses.”
- “All my life, I have only been able to breathe through on nostril. Today is no exception.”
- “But I want to defend myself by saying that I am deeply saddened that Miley Cyrus will never again be Hannah Montana.”
- Show up early and you might even get to spell on stage with the champions.
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Schedule
Fri. Nov. 15 8 PM
Sat. Nov. 16 8 PM
Sun. Nov. 17 4 PM
Wed. Nov. 20 8 PM
Thurs. Nov. 21 8 PM
Fri. Nov. 22 8 PM
Sat. Nov. 23 2 PM
Sat. Nov. 23 8 PM
Tickets
- Students: Free ticket with R-Card one hour before the show; additional tickets may be purchased for $10.
- Faculty/Staff: Two free tickets with valid R-Card; additional tickets may be purchased for $10.
- Public: $20
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“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” will be performing in the Annie Russell Theater for the next two weeks. Make sure to stop by to cheer on your favorite speller!
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