Loyola University’s Department of Theatre Arts and Dance presents “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”
NEW ORLEANS – The Department of Theatre Arts and Dance will present “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” April 18-27 in Marquette Theater at .
The heartfelt, Tony-Award-winning musical comedy follows an eclectic group of sixth-grade students vying for a spelling bee championship. Rachel Sheinkin wrote the book of the musical, with music and lyrics by William Finn. “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” debuted on Broadway in 2005.
Helen Jaksch, professor of practice in theatre arts, is directing the musical, with music direction by Melissa Marshall, musical theatre voice instructor at Loyola. Loyola senior Anna Dupré is serving as assistant director, and Loyola alum Maggie Jaunet is in charge of the choreography.
The musical runs 1 hour and 40 minutes, with no intermission. The cast is small – just 12 characters – so Jaksch double-cast the production, with the two casts alternating shows during the eight-day run, she said.
Jaksch said the musical requires the actors to be strong characters and bring big emotions, such as love and longing – not the easiest to navigate during childhood – to their roles.
In a bit of fun, the cast will be asking a few members of the audience to participate in the production during the pre-show, and they will take part in the spelling bee itself, Jaksch said.
“We will be welcoming people to the show to see who’s down to clown,” she said, noting that the production features lots of local references as well. “Spoiler alert: They can’t actually win. That’s kind of baked into the script.”
In years past, Loyola has hired professional artists to lead the design for its productions, but this year it chose graduating seniors Hilary Nguyen and Kaelyn Bailey to handle the lighting and sound, respectively.
The production runs April 18-20 at 7:30 p.m., April 21 at 2 p.m., and April 24-27 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults; $15 for senior citizens and Loyola faculty and staff; and, $8 for students. To purchase tickets, please visit .
About the College of Music and Media
The College of Music and Media is comprised of two schools — the School of Music and Theatre Professions and the School of Communication and Design. Students who choose to study in the college prepare for careers in music, theatre, music industry, design, fine art, filmmaking, strategy, mass media and more.