Synopsis

Grab a D-I-C-T-I-O-N-A-R-Y and welcome to Spelling Bee! This heartfelt Tony-Award winning musical follows a group of wonderfully unique and impassioned adolescents as they compete for the bee championship. Featuring a thrilling score by William Finn, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a joyful night of comedy and quirk that celebrates the pursuit of victory and the gift of being true to oneself.

Additional Info

Production Team -

Director: Eric Sciotto
Choreographer: Izzy Arrieta
Music Director: Emily Hawkes
Production Stage Manager: Abby Whitaker

Callbacks - 

Callbacks will be held in-person and are scheduled for Saturday, November 7, 2026, and will be by invitation only.

This page will be updated when callback invitations and casting have been sent. For any additional questions, please contact us at auditions@theruth.org.

Rehearsals & Performances - 

Rehearsals will begin on either March 1 or March 8, 2027.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee runs May 17, 2027 – July 24, 2027.

A Note About Casting - 

At The Ruth & Nathan Hale Theater, we seek to honor the intentions of the works we produce. If nothing specific is given by the original playwright regarding the characteristics of any given role, and/or if those characteristics do not affect the intended story in any significant way, we will not consider any certain person or type over others when casting.   

We will be exploring double and single casting options based on availability and interest. At this time, we are unable to offer AEA contracts on this project. Rates per role are pre-budgeted and non-negotiable. The Ruth does not offer transportation to or housing in Utah.

We invite anyone and everyone to audition for any and all of our productions, regardless of any physical attribute, gender, race, age, ability, ethnicity, or experience. All are welcome at The Ruth.  

Character Descriptions

All roles are available. We welcome adult actors (18+) of all shapes, sizes, abilities, ethnicities, and heritages to portray the following characters:

THE BEE CONTESTANTS:

Chip Tolentino

Gender: Male presenting
Vocal Range: C3-B4
Character Notes: Last year’s county champion (though he did poorly at nationals). Relatively athletic (he’s a little league pitcher) and social, he expects things will always come easily to him. Lately though, he’s been going through some… changes… and things are slipping out of his control. Competitive. Full of himself. Probably 14 or 15 and about to age out of the bee.

Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere

Gender: Female presenting
Vocal Range: G3-G5
Character Notes: Younger than most bee participants, in fact the youngest at 9 years old! She is driven by internal and external pressure, but above all by a desire to win to make her two dads proud. She lisps, is a little uncomfortable in her body, has her quirks, but strikes a strong presence with her political awareness and keen sense of justice. Eager. Excited. Wound Up. Competitive. Aware of everything that transpires in the room.

Leaf Coneybear (also plays Carl's Dad)

Gender: Male presenting
Vocal Range: A2-A4
Character Notes: So surprised and delighted to be here after a shocking turn of events (he’d been second runner up). Home-schooled with his many siblings, everything about this public bee is an adventure for him, from meeting other kids to showing off his handmade clothing, to each moment of unexpected attention. Very curious and distracted. Delighted by his own wandering focus. Probably age 12 (6th grade).

William Barfee

Gender: Male presenting
Vocal Range: C3-Bb4
Character Notes: Has a host of health problems and a lot to prove. Loud and combative as a defense posture… he becomes a bully to avoid being picked on (though he still often does…) William doesn’t expect kindness from anyone but his mother, so friendship takes him by surprise. Notorious in bee circles for his remarkable technique of spelling words out on the floor with his “magic foot.” The journey he doesn’t expect is one of coming to care about someone else - seeing outside his own needs for perhaps the first time - it shakes him fundamentally. Initially gruff, hostile. “Sad and Droopy.” Between 10-14 years old.

Marcy Park

Gender: Female presenting
Vocal Range: A3-Eb5
Character Notes: The ultimate over-achiever. Marcy has never been given another option. She comes from a family where excellence is expected, and so simply produced. She sees herself as a mass of problems, but keeps them to herself. Skipped 4th and 5th grade. Moved many times, and knows she can beat the local competition. A girl of many talents… all of which are on display in “...Six Languages” and completely negotiable and will be tailored to the actor. All Business. Calm. Cold. Strong. Unphased. Between 10-14 years old.

Olive Ostrovsky

Gender: Female presenting
Vocal Range: A3-F#5
Character Notes: A word lover, Olive has a fairly quiet life. An only child with often-absent parents. Olive is self-sufficient and spends a lot of time alone. Reading the dictionary is her comfort. She presents as shy, unsure. She is a first-timer to the bee. Between 10-14 years old.

THE ADULTS:

Rona Lisa Perretti (also plays Olive's Mom)

Gender: Female presenting
Age: 35-40
Vocal Range: C4-E5
Character Notes: Putnam’s long-time spelling bee hostess, a local realtor, and 3rd annual Putnam County spelling champion. This is Rona’s day to be queen. She keeps things running smoothly, upholds protocol, and conveys crucial information to the audience. Her interest in the competition is unflagging and drives it forward. She thinks of this as a complex cerebral sporting event, and she wants the audience to understand every twist and turn.

Vice Principal Douglas Panch

Gender: Male presenting
Age: Mid-life
Vocal Range: Any
Character Notes: Frustrated with his life. Fell into education. The drive of young spellers is alien to him. He never found anything important. Stuck in his job, endlessly awaiting a promotion that’s never coming, he was not happy to get the call this morning that he was needed to substitute; but he starts the bee eager to do well, to redeem himself for past mistakes, and to impress Rona Lisa who… impressed … him long ago. *Minimal singing, but needs a solid sense of rhythm and pitch for group singing.

Mitch Mahoney (also plays Dan's Dad and Olive's Dad)

Gender: Male presenting
Age: 20s-30s
Vocal Range: E3-B4
Character Notes: Mitch has nearly completed the process and education to become a therapist – specifically working with children. He is “doing community service” today as the Comfort Counselor. Others misconstrue his background and make assumptions when they hear “he’s doing community service.” He’s an educated and dedicated and kind man who - unlike Panch - is very much intentionally participating in today’s events.