OCU Stripped is performing The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a comedic musical centered around a competitive spelling bee. The contestants compete against one another as well as audience members.
The free production is at 8 p.m. Nov. 8-9 in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center.
Nicole Baker, musical theater sophomore, plays Logainne Schwartzandgrubennierre the youngest speller in the bee.
“It’s a lot about improv and very interactive,” Baker said. “During the show, audience members are engaged and sometimes pulled on stage.
Spelling Bee was based on C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E, a play created by Rebecca Feldman. It features music and lyrics by William Finn and is written by Rachel Sheinkin. The show premiered on Broadway in 2005 and closed in 2008 after more than 1,000 performances.
OCU Stripped is a student run music theater organization. The performances are stripped of lights, props and orchestra, and are limited to a piano and whatever costumes the performers can provide or find for free.
Maggie Spicer and Nicolas Oliveri, music theater seniors, are the artistic producers for the show. They are in charge of picking the show, choosing the cast and conducting the rehearsals. Oliveri directs the show and Spicer choreographs.
“Its really cool to see students step up in those leadership roles and watch them grow,” said Megan Engelhard, vocal education junior, who plays Marcy Park.
Spicer said the process of deciding and producing the show can be stressful. Spicer and Oliveri must first decide on a show and then pitch the idea to Dr. David Herendeen, music professor and director of opera and music theater.
“We go in prepared for him to say “no,” so we have a list of reasons why we want to do that show,” Spicer said.
After the show is picked, Spicer and Oliveri must raise the money to purchase the rights and royalties. Once that is completed, they begin casting and rehearsing.
“It’s a humbling and exciting experience,” Spicer said. “It’s an incredible opportunity to pick a show thinking about what could benefit other students.”
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