Funny, Childlike, Playful, Heartbreaking, Over the Top. These are themes I focused on while directing The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

The set was minimalistic with posters designed by the cast to look as if it was in a gymnasium after a pep assembly. I kept the Putnam Piranhas as the mascot because I liked the look and sound of it. The bleachers were designed to be slightly oversized to make the cast appear smaller.

I gave each cast member the opportunity to choose their own number. My favorites were Schwartzy, who choose number 1. Their character is pressured by their dads to win and to always be number one. William Barfee, a math and spelling wiz, chose the number 314, the first three digits of pi.

My choreography ranged from soft shoe with Fosse influences (Magic Foot), to acrobatic cartwheels and hula-hoops (Six Languages), to a funny little ballet (Second).

Henryetta High School
2017

You can view the entire album of this production’s photos by clicking here.