Auditions Closed
The 25th Annual Putnam County
SPELLING BEE
Producer - Dani Harrison
Assistant Producer - Camryn Elbaum
Director - Russell Fletcher
Musical Director - Matan Franco
CHARACTERS
CHIP TOLENTINO
Tenor C4-B5. Male presenting. Playing age 18-25.
Middle school aged character. Excellent actor, strong mover, skilled singer.
An athletic, social, boy scout and champion of the Twenty-Fourth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, he returns to defend his title, but he finds puberty hitting at an inopportune moment and things are slipping out of his control.
LOGAINNE SCHWARTZANDGRUBENIERE (SCHWARTZY)
Mezzo Soprano A3-F5. Female presenting. Playing age 18-25.
Middle school age character. Excellent actor, strong mover.
Younger than most bee participants, she is driven by a desire to win to make her two fathers (from whom she takes her combined last name) proud. She lisps and is a little uncomfortable in her body, but still manages to strike a strong presence with her political awareness and keen sense of justice.
LEAF CONEYBEAR
Tenor A3-A5. Male presenting. Playing age 18-25.
Middle school aged character. Excellent actor, strong mover.
The second runner-up in the district, Leaf gets into the competition on a lark and finds everything about the bee incredibly amusing. Leaf is home-schooled and comes from a large family of former hippies. Neurodivergent with ADHD, Leaf’s special brain goes into a trance in order to spell words correctly. He doesn’t expect to win, so everything about the spelling bee is an adventure for him, from meeting the other kids to showing off his homemade clothing and the protective helmet his mother has made him wear.
WILLIAM BARFEE
Tenor E4-B5. Male presenting. Playing age 18-25.
Middle school aged character. Excellent actor, very strong mover. Tap/dance skills a plus.
Loud and combative as a defensive posture, William becomes a bully to avoid being picked on. He’s noticed on the spelling circuit for his remarkable technique: spelling words out on the floor with his foot. After being removed from the competition last year because an allergic reaction to peanuts, he’s at the bee for vindication. He develops a crush on Olive.
MARCY PARK
Mezzo Soprano C4-E5. Female presenting. Playing age 18-25.
Middle school character. Excellent actor, strong mover, dance, tumbling, piano, violin and any other special skills a plus.
The ultimate over-achiever, Marcy has never been given another option. She comes from a family where excellence is expected and so simply produced. A parochial school student, she assumes God, too, expects perfection. She sees herself as a mass of problems, but she keeps them to herself. Having moved often because of her parents’ work, she knows she can beat the local competition. Marcy’s many talents might include playing a musical instrument, dance, martial arts, baton twirling, and/or other special gifts the actor might bring to the show.
OLIVE OSTROVSKY
Mezzo Soprano C4-E5. Female presenting. Playing age 18-25.
Middle school age character. Excellent actor, strong mover, skilled singer.
A young newcomer to competitive spelling. Her mother is in an ashram in India, and her father is working late, as usual, but he is trying to come sometime during the bee. Having found comfort in its words and vastness, Olive made friends with her dictionary at a very young age, helping her to make it to the competition. She starts enormously shy, and slowly blossoms.
RONA LISA PERETTI
Mezzo Soprano B3-F5. Female presenting. Playing age 18-65.
Excellent actor, skilled singer, strong improvisation skills and comedic timing.
The #1 realtor in Putnam County, a former Putnam County Spelling Bee Champion, and the returning moderator. Rona Lisa is a sweet woman who loves children, but she can be very stern when it comes to dealing with Vice Principal Panch and his feelings for her. Her interest in the competition is unflagging and drives it forward. Rona thinks of the spelling bee as a complex cerebral sporting event, conveying to the audience every twist and turn but she is a little embarrassed that her own championship moment remains such a highlight.
VICE PRINCIPAL DOUGLAS PANCH
Non-singing role. Male presenting. Playing age 18-65.
Excellent actor, strong improvisation and comedic timing.
The Vice Principal. Frustrated with life, Panch finds the drive of the young spellers alien to him. After five years’ absence from the Bee, Panch returns as judge. There was an “incident” at the Twentieth Annual Bee, but he claims to be in “a better place” now, thanks to a high-fibre diet and Jungian analysis. He is infatuated with Rona Lisa Peretti, but she does not return his affections.
MITCH MAHONEY
Tenor E4-A5. Male or Female presenting. Playing age 18-25.
Strong singer.
The Official Comfort Counsellor. Ex-convict Mitch is performing community service with the Bee, by handing out juice boxes to losing students. At first, Mitch has no idea how to offer comfort but ends up having a real knack at making the kids feel better. Vocals require a strong belt. With a bouncer’s demeanour, Mitch appears an odd choice to be the bee’s “comfort counsellor,” but it adds to the colourful mix of characters on stage.
CAMEO ROLES: (often played by lead actors but not exclusively)
OLIVE'S MUM
Mezzo Soprano C4-E5. Female presenting. Strong singer.
Sing "The I Love You Song" with Olive.
OLIVE'S DAD
Tenor C4-B5. Male presenting. Strong singer.
Sing "The I Love You Song" with Olive.
CARL DAD
Male identifying. Comedic actor. Confident singer.
Logan’s main spelling trainer, the more intense and competitive of her two fathers.
DAN DAD
Male identifying. Comedic actor. Confident singer.
The more laid back and ineffectual of Logan’s two fathers.
JESUS
Strong actor.
A vision evoked by a speller in need.
Audition Pack
Click button 1 above, for the audition pack with all the important information you will need.
Audition Form
Click button 2 above, fill in form and email to
info@saltpillar.org.au before
Thursday 27th April 2023.
Please ensure that you include a headshot photo.
