Glenbard East Theatre is putting on its first production this 2023/2024 school year, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”. The electric comedy will premiere on November 16.
Andrew Bero, an ex-Broadway star and now in his 2nd year here at East as a theatre teacher and director, commented, “I think it’s one of the most charming musicals ever written.”
The show has six 10-year-olds trying to make it in a spelling bee.
“They’re nerds and they’re the ‘weird’ kids, they’re the ‘outcasts’. But it turns out they’re smart, they’re capable, they’re kind, and they’re collaborative. And they just all want to make friends,” said Bero.
According to senior and assistant director, Meridith Hoske, “From the outside, it’s a goofy show. However, at the heart of it, I feel it really comments on the things left to children by their parents or families. It’s always going to be that emotional core that speaks to audiences more than anything else, in my opinion.”
“That is not to say that the show hasn’t had a little help fitting into 2023. ‘Putnam’, to its benefit and detriment, doesn’t flinch away from anything ugly, harsh, or possibly painful,” said Hoske.
Hoske mentioned that it is her first year being assistant director for a school production. She is most excited about the new friendships that will be created, stating that she is “here for the fun”.
Freshman Maxine Piscasio shared, “I feel really welcomed in the theatre! I don’t think the lights would’ve been as fun without the people there. The crew heads are really nice and it was very easy to ask for help from them. I still have a lot to learn since it is my first time doing crew and theatre in general. But I am very excited.”
Out of the 6 main characters, 2 of them are seniors, Jaden Tybor as Leaf Conneybear, and Jake Velasco as William Barfee. Both seniors hope to participate in the future productions set for this year such as “A Monster Calls”, and “Peter Pan”.
Tybor is heavily involved at East from athletics to school spirit to fine arts. “Going back and forth between it all has been pretty easy. It’s just a lot of communication. It’s like a puzzle, it all just goes so cleanly together,” he said.
Putnam is Tybor’s first musical production since 2019 when COVID-19 shut down his middle school performance. He is extremely excited and eager to get to work.
Velasco has been involved in the theatrical world for years and has a strong passion for it. His love for theatre culminates when he physically, emotionally, and mentally embodies his characters.
“The characters I’ve played have sometimes been the same or completely different. In one show I would be playing a lost soldier and in another, I’d be a disrespectful man who stole a blanket from his ex-girlfriend’s grandmother’s wake,” said Velasco.
Velasco added that being a senior in one of the last performances is, without a doubt, bittersweet.
Putnam has a rather large crew that helps set everything up from light cues to sound to the full, physical setting itself.
“We got brand new lights that the district purchased for us! So we’re going to be putting those up. The preparation for this show has been months and months in advance. Of getting our space ready and our students ready to take on a musical that’s not like ‘Mamma Mia’,” said Bero.
No page is left unturned. The small details matter in every theatre production and the crew takes care of it all. Everyone plays a role and has something to add to the cauldron of the show.
Everyone involved agrees that “Putnam” is a one-of-a-kind musical comedy that is bound to tug at your heartstrings. The audience will build an emotional connection to the characters and will leave with a different life perspective than what they first walked in with. It will make you share some laughs with the people around you.
“This is a story of friendship, comedy, and kids who have always felt like the ‘other’, finding ‘another’ that’s just like them,” said Bero.
Tickets officially go on sale in just a few weeks on gefinearts.org. You can also buy them at the box office. They will be $8 for students and seniors and $10 for adults.
