The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

NORWALK — Join the NAC Teen Theatre at the Norwalk Arts Center for its production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at 7:30 p.m. June 10 and 11 and 2:30 p.m. and June 12. Winner of the 2005 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee invites everybody into the lives of six young, eclectic spelling bee contestants and the three adults attempting to run the contest. Themes of friendship, pride and selflessness take form in this musical featuring music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and conceived by Rebecca Feldman. The production team includes; Vanessa Cook, director, Ethan Smith-Cohen, music director, Rylie Mullen, choreography, Izzy Ballard, stage manager. Costume, props and sets have been designed and created by Cook Theatre Designs. The cast includes students from around the region representing EHOVE, Edison, Western Reserve, Margaretta, St. Paul and Avon Lake High. The talented group includes: Amelia Hammond as Rona Lisa Peretti, David Barcus as William Barfée, Katelyn Libertowski as Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre, Katherine Soltis as Olive Ostrovsky, Audry Payton as Michelle (Mitch) Mahoney/Dan Dad, Guinness Ruffing as Vice Principal Douglas Panch, Bryce Cook as Charlito " Chip" Tolentino/Olive's Dad, Christian Pudelski as Leaf Coneybear/Carl Dad, Taryn Hahn as Marcy Park, and Jessica Sprague as Olive's Mom/Guest Speller and Izzy Ballard as Carl Dad/Jesus/Guest Speller. "We are very excited for our teen theatre's debut production. This is a really fun show that celebrates uniqueness and reminds us that winning isn't everything," said Vanessa Cook, co-founder of the Norwalk Arts Center and director of the show. "I think our audience will love it and might even get in on the competition." Norwalk Arts Center Teen Theatre is made possible in part by state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. This show is PG-13 due to some mature content. Tickets are available at NorwalkArtsCenter.org