UD Theater Department puts on ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’
Photo by Katherine Tucker
Lauren McCarty ’26 | Arts & Entertainment Editor
For its spring production, the University of Dayton Theater, Dance, and Technology program will present the Tony Award-winning musical April 24-26.
This rendition of the quirky, comical and energetic musical is expected to bring about 2010s nostalgia.
“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is a Broadway hit that tells the personal stories of a group of middle schoolers while they compete in a spelling bee. The original Broadway production debuted in 2005 and was developed from an improv show, based on a Rachel Sheinkin book with music by William Finn.
The setting is not fixed and allows for unique interpretations by directors, set designers and costumers. UDs rendering takes place in a familiar place to students: an early 2010s school gym. The cast is outfitted in neon clothing and silly bands. The show features a single set, and the players are constantly on stage.
“We decided to set our show in 2010. I got to dive into the styles from when we were in elementary school. There’s low rise jeans, layered tank tops and Twinkle Toes. All the things that are nostalgic to us,” said costume designer Katherine Tucker.
Tucker, a senior psychology and theater major from Denver, Colorado, builds many of the outfits from scratch, while others are selected from the department’s wardrobe. Tucker also acts as the costume crew during the performances, helping the actors into costume.
“As the costume designer, my biggest objective is that when the actor steps out on stage before they open their mouth, the audience has some inclination of who that character is: their personality, their role in the show, something that alludes to who they are in a bigger story before there’s any dialogue,” Tucker said.
“I work to create the world that the actors get to play in,” said set designer Caleb Molseed. Set design is front-loaded before rehearsals and requires a lot of meticulous planning to create a functional, safe and immersive set.
“The nice thing about being able to work in the experimental theater is that it is a black box. It is a blank canvas that you have the ability to fill, but you also have the challenge to fill. It is a lot of space to be able to work and cover and augment and change as a way to bring the audience into the space itself,” said Molseed, a senior history and English major from Cleveland, Ohio
The show will be performed at the Roger Class Center for the Arts in the Experimental Theater.
The venue describes the show as an interactive theatrical experience in which the audience may have a chance to join in the fun, stating “every performance will be a little bit different.”
The flexibility and creativity that is a convention of this show makes every rendition and individual performance unique.
UD’s version is directed by Dr. Andrea Chenoweth Wells, assistant professor of music, who teaches voice. Wells is a trained theatrical intimacy director with expertise in opera as a classically trained soprano.
“Dr. Wells is the kindest woman on planet Earth. And she’s a 10 out of 10 with a great intimacy background. She keeps all of us safe and happy, including cast, crew, and everyone involved. She’s awesome.” Said Megan Carlson, a senior music therapy major from Cincinnati who plays Rona.
Students have a voice in choosing the semester’s shows, but the decision ultimately is up to Wells.
The show’s studio recording was junior Henry Risebeck’s most-played album on Spotify last year. Risebeck, a psychology and musical theater major from Columbus, with an obvious love for the show, campaigned for the department to bring it to the stage.
“’It’s my dream show to do. It’s one of my all-time favorite shows I’ve ever listened to, watched, and performed,” said Riesbeck, who plays the socially awkward William Barfee, who spells the words with his “magic foot.”
“He’s very nervous at the beginning, and it was really fun to be able to develop this character who has this big a change from Act 1 to Act Two. And so being able to explore how much I can develop him in two hours has helped me to become a better actor,” Riesbeck said.
The cast and crew urge students, faculty, and staff, as well as anyone else with a love for theater, to come see this heartfelt and comical musical.
“There are a lot of crazy things happening in the world right now, and no matter where you are and where you place yourself and your beliefs. The world is a scary place. And we wanted to create this to offer a little bit of a place where everyone can just forget about the world and enjoy us joking as funny kids,” Carlson said.
Details about the show and how to buy tickets can be found on the Porches page for the Roger Glass Center for the Arts.