MACT

Auditions for ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ presented by Little Theatre of Owatonna!
Title: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Authors: Music & Lyrics by William Finn, Book by Rachel Sheinkin, Conceived by Rebecca Feldman with Additional Material by Jay Reiss.
Artistic Director: Will McIntyre
Music Director: Taylor Wesseln
Choreographer: Madi Rappe
Tech Director: Victoria Bartkowiak
Show Dates: February 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, and 22 at 7:30 PM February 16 & 23 at 2:00 PM
Audition Dates: Tuesday, December 10 ~ 6:30 – 8:30 PM Wednesday, December 11 ~ 6:30 – 8:30 PM
Audition Location: Little Theatre of Owatonna – Sharon Stark Auditorium: 560 Dunnell Dr. Owatonna, MN 55060

Audition Requirements:
• Must be 18+ to audition for this production!
• Please prepare a song from the audition packet!
• Please be prepared to move/dance, so please dress in comfortable clothing!
• Please be prepared to read sides/scenes from the show!

Rehearsals:
Rehearsals begin Monday, December 16 – December 19, for one week of learning music before Holiday break! Then rehearsals will be Monday-Thursday beginning January 6. (Potential Friday rehearsals may be added if necessary, but we will work hard so this does not need to happen!) Actors must be present at every rehearsal after February 3rd when we begin incorporating technical aspects! Actors must be present for all tech rehearsals & performances.

Show Synopsis:
This heartfelt musical comedy follows an eclectic group of six children who compete for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the tweens spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing “ding” of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. Six spellers enter; one speller leaves a champion! At least the losers get a juice box!

Character Breakdown: (Most characters also play small roles here and there during the duration of the musical!)

The Spellers
• Chip Tolentino (Male Presenting, Vocal Range: C3 – B4) – An athletic, social, boy scout and champion of the 24th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. He reuters to defend his title, but he finds puberty hitting at an inopportune moment.
• Logainne Schwartzandgrubeniere (Female Presenting, Vocal Range: A3 – F5) – Logainne is the youngest and most politically aware speller, often making comments about current political figures. She is driven by internal and external pressure, but above all by a desire to win to make her two fathers proud. She is somewhat of a neat freak, speaks with a lisp, and will be back next year.
• Leaf Coneybear (Male Presenting, Vocal Range: A2 – A4) – The second runner-up in his district, Leave gets into the competition on a lark and finds everything about the bee incredibly amusing. He is home-schooled and comes from a large family of former hippies. He has severe Attention Deficit Disorder and spells words correctly while in a trance.
• Marcy Park (Female Presenting, Vocal Range: C4 – E5) – The ultimate overachiever, Marcy has never been given another option. She comes from a family where excellence is expected and so simply produced. A parochial school student, she assumes God, too, expects perfection. She sees herself as a mass of problems but she keeps them to herself. Having moved often because of her parents’ work, she knows she can beat the local competition.
• William Barfee (Male Presenting, Vocal Range: E3 – B4) – A Putnam County Spelling Bee finalist last year, he was eliminated because of an allergic reaction to peanuts and is back for vindication. His famous “Magic Foot” method of spelling has boosted him to spelling glory, even though he only has one working nostril and a touchy, bullying personality.
• Olive Ostrovsky (Female Presenting, Vocal Range: B3 – F5) – A young newcomer to competitive spelling. Her mother is in an ashram in India, and her father is working late, as usual, but he is trying to come sometime during the bee. Having found comfort in its words and vastness, Olive made friends with her dictionary at a very young age, helping her to make it to the competition. She starts enormously shy, and shyly blossoms.

The Adults
• Rona Lisa Peretti (Female Presenting, Vocal Range: B3 – F5) – The #1 realtor in Putnam County, a former Putnam County Spelling Bee Champion herself, and the returning moderator. She is a sweet woman who loves children, but she can be very stern when it comes to dealing with Vice Principal Panch and his feelings for her. Her interest in the competition is unflagging and drives it forward.
• Mitch Mahoney (Male Presenting, Vocal Range: E3 – A5) – The Official Comfort Counselor. An ex-convict, Mitch is performing his community service with the Bee, and hands out juice boxes to losing students. He has no idea how to offer comfort, but does find himself wishing he could find a way to make the kids feel better.
• Douglas Panch (Male Presenting, Non-Singing) – The Vice Principal. Frustrated with his life, he finds the drive of the young spellers alien to him. After five years’ absence from the Bee, Panch returns as a judge. There was an “incident” at the 20th Annual Bee, but he claims to be in “a better place” now, thanks to a high-fiber diet and jungian analysis. He is infatuated with Rona Lisa Peretti, but she does not return his affections.

All actors must audition with one of the short monologues provided on our website! You do not need to memorize these short monologues–But please try to embody the character the best you can!