Next up: AUDITIONS!!! Jan. 24-25
Auditions for our spring musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, will be held in the Binda Theatre from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Jan. 24 and 25. Choose one night to attend. Those auditioning will not need to bring anything prepared; we will teach you a selection or two from the show and read from the script. The show calls for a cast of nine (five men and four women). Character breakdowns are listed below. All roles will require a bit of movement, but no complicated choreography. All roles except Vice Principal Panch will require singing. For more information (or if you are interested in helping out backstage) contact Director Brad Poer at poerb@kellogg.edu.
Spelling Bee Roles
The Spellers
(spellers are between the ages of 10 and 13, portrayed by adults)
Chip Tolentino: Last years' champ. A little overconfident; entering puberty. Requires an actor with a higher vocal range.
Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere: Younger than the other competitors, she is positive, political and ambitious; encouraged a little too lovingly by her two dads (her last name is a combination of their last names). Speaks with a lisp.
Leaf Coneybear: In as a second alternate, Leaf is from a large, granola-eating family. He knows he isn't a great speller, but is in awe of everything around him. He possesses a huge imagination and a touch of ADHD.
William Barfee: A loner and outcast, Barfee uses aggressiveness and sarcasm as a defense mechanism. He spells words out on the floor with his foot to visualize them; a technique called the "Magic Foot."
Marcy Park: Marcy is new in town and the ultimate forced overachiever. Everything comes easy to her and she has very little passion for anything she is good at because she never chose to do anything herself; perfection was always expected of her by her parents.
Olive Ostrovsky: Innocent, shy and kind, Olive spends a lot of time at home alone with her dictionary as her parents are rarely around. Words are her friends and comfort.
The Adults
Rona Lisa Perretti: The host of the bee, Rona was a champ as a child. The bee is her favorite day of the year, and she revels in the contestants and relives her childhood by taking part in it.
Vice Principal Douglas Panch: Vice Principal Panch is here a replacement moderator. While not initially happy to be at the bee, he soon gets caught up in the drama and attention of being a judge. The actor portraying Vice Principal Panch will not be required to sing (much), but must have excellent comic timing and dry wit.
Mitch Mahoney: A visually intimidating figure, Mitch is here to fulfill his community service requirement as part of his parole. His job is to be "comfort counselor," offering a hug and a juice box to spellers as they get eliminated. He has never been to a bee before, and has no idea what to make of the experience.
Spring Musical: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Every spring, KCC Theatre produces an example of that great all-American invention, musical theatre. Some of our past spring musical productions have included Forbidden Broadway: Volume 1, Thoroughly Modern Millie, My Fair Lady, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Brigadoon, Oliver, Hair, Camelot, Working, Grease and last spring's production of Lucky Stiff.
In spring 2013, KCC Theatre will challenge both hemispheres of your brain (and your laugh muscles) with one of the most hysterical, heartwarming musicals of the past 10 years: the Tony-Award winning Broadway show, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee!!!
Six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, learn that winning isn't everything and that losing doesn't necessarily make you a loser. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a hilarious tale of overachievers' angst chronicling the experience of six adolescent outsiders vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime. The show's Tony-Award winning creative team has created the unlikeliest of hit musicals about the unlikeliest of heroes: a quirky yet charming cast of outsiders for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will be performed March 15-17 and March 22-24 (two weekends!). Showtime for Sunday performances is 3 p.m. All other shows will be at 7:30 p.m. This show contains some adult language and situations; parental guidance is suggested for audiences under 16.
Tickets
Tickets for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee are $5 for students and senior citizens and $10 for members of the general public. Tickets will be available at the door, or you can call the Binda box office at 269-965-4154 for reservations.
This semester's second show: New to KCC Theatre ... the Mich-Mash!
Following up last semester's first-ever run (a great success), the Mich-Mash is a one-night only, end of the semester showcase of classwork and projects from theatre classes with special performances by KCC's Encore Theatre Company. The show will feature brand-new material and an unpredictable array of performances and topics. Nothing is off-limits in a Mich-Mash: improvisation, monologues, songs, scenes, super short plays and short films! Each Mich-Mash is free to KCC students and the public. Come support your friends, family and neighbors as they show what artistic expression looks like at KCC!
Spring 2013 Mich-Mash will take place in the Binda Theatre at 7:30 p.m. May 10.