Goofy moments, touching performances, catchy songs, and crazy hijinks! Our school’s performances of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” just wrapped up its final showing on the 25th, but that doesn’t mean that the fun is over. Learn all about the musical itself, as well as some never before seen behind-the-scenes from the Director and some sneak peaks of the upcoming Winter Musical on the big stage.
The musical follows a group of six unique middle schoolers all competing to win the spelling bee, each with their own backstories and reasons for their drive to win this competition. Throughout the story, they must all learn their respective lessons and maybe make some friends along the way. It artfully weaves comedic and heartfelt moments together into a witty tale of individuality, and the idea that it is okay to lose.
The musical is originally based on an original improvisation play called “C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E,” created by Rebecca Feldman. A composer and writer named William Finn became interested in the idea and began to work with Feldman to write a scripted full-length musical based on the play. The Musical opened off-Broadway on Feb 7, 2005, at the Second Stage Theatre. It won several awards, eventually returning on Broadway on April 15, 2005 due to a surprising popularity. It ran for three years, earning countless awards, such as a Tony Award in 2005 for best actor. Many subsequent productions followed, and it eventually made its way to the Helix stage.
However, this is not the first time that this musical has been performed at Helix. In an interview with Mr. Osborn, the director of the musical, I learned that it was actually the Winter Musical in the 2013-2014 school year. The 2013 director, Mr. Reams, did the musical on the Main Stage in the then brand new performing arts center. Since then, Mr. Osborn has wanted to do the musical because he liked the idea of the show: the small cast of characters, the reflective yet humorous nature of the show, the audience participation, and the fact that he won the spelling bee at his own school in sixth grade. This year, he was granted his wish: In a vote between “Putnam” and a show called “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” returning Highland players members voted for the musical “Putnam”.
All in all, it was an incredibly fun show to watch and even more entertaining to make. Mr. Osborn thoroughly enjoyed the whole process, but he really loved the audition process and getting to see all the possible cast members, whether they were returners or entirely new Highland players. He admitted that there are always going to be issues with the process, whether from sickness or scheduling conflicts from other shows, but he had so much fun that he was able to forget the minor inconveniences.
Vivian Chapman, the Stage Manager of “Putnam,” loved the rehearsals as well, but she mainly loved watching the Dance Choreographer, Ms. Redic, teach the choreography to the cast members. Sometimes, the idea of auditioning and rehearsing for a show can seem overwhelming or stressful, but their enjoyment throughout the preparation process really emphasized the idea that it is also a fun and community filled experience.
And their hard work has paid off! Every single performance sold out before the day of their showing. Both Mr. Osborn and Vivian said that they are extremely proud of the cast and crew and all the performances they’ve done. Mr. Osborn stated that the shows have exceeded his expectations. He wanted a fun and entertaining show and he got it. He sincerely hopes that everyone else who participated enjoyed themselves as well.
Finally, Mr. Osborn wants to shout out Ms. Tolvo-Chan, the Music Direction, who put in a lot of the effort to make this show so good. Despite working this show alongside choir and other afterschool activities, she worked hard on the musical direction and the sound. He also wanted to shout out the Stage Manager, Vivian Chapman, who is also a former member of the Speech and Debate team, for all her hard work and effort in the musical.
While “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” just ended, there are still upcoming opportunities to see or participate in other performances. In early 2026, the Highland Players will be performing “Mean Girls: The Musical.” While auditions are already underway, there will still be many opportunities for helping out, so pay attention to calls for crew and attend Drama Club for any information about Mean Girls and any other upcoming shows and opportunities!
