Quincy Community Theatre is holding auditions for the quirky new musical 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.' Auditions are January 18 & 19, by appointment only for men and women ages 18 and up.

'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' is an adult take on young life, telling the h-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s tale of six kids vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime! Angst-y, anxiety-ridden, and overseen by grownups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, these lovable misfits (played by adults) will sing their way right into your heart. And as the contest escalates, they’ll teach us all that winning isn’t everything—and losing doesn’t necessarily make you a loser…The show’s Tony Award-winning creative team has created the unlikeliest of hit musicals about the unlikeliest of heroes: a quirky, yet charming cast of outsiders for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time.

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'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' runs March 13-16, 20-23. Auditionees are asked to prepare 16 measures of a song, preferably from the show. A piano accompanist will be available, so please bring sheet music if performing a song from a different Broadway musical.

Characters include Chip Tolentino, a Boy Scout and winner of last year’s bee returning to defend his title, but hitting puberty at an inopportune moment; Douglas Panch, the Vice Principal frustrated with his life (this non-singing actor must have deadpan comedic timing); Leaf Coneybear, a home-schooled student (from a large family of former hippies) with severe ADD who only spells words correctly while in a trance; Logainne Schwartzandgrunenierre, a politically-aware speller who speaks with a lisp and is driven by the desire to win to make her two fathers proud; Marcy Park, an over-achieving Asian student who speaks six languages, is a member of the all-American hockey team, a championship rugby player, plays Chopin and Mozart on multiple instruments, sleeps only three hours a night, hides in the bathroom cabinet, and is getting very tired of always winning; Mitch Mahoney, an ex-convict performing his community service with the Bee as the Official Comfort Counselor; Olive Ostrovsky, an enormously shy young girl who made friends with her dictionary at a very young age; Rona Lisa Peretti, the number-one realtor in Putnam County, a former Putnam County Spelling Bee Champion herself, and the returning moderator; and William Barfee, a student who has only one working nostril and a bullying personality, boasting a famous “Magic Foot” method of spelling that has boosted him to spelling glory.

Those auditioning should also familiarize themselves with the script, available on the QCT website under “Members and Volunteers.” A password is required for access by calling the QCT Box Office. For a copy of the script and full character breakdown, visit 1qct.org.

'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' is directed by Brandon Thomsen with Music Direction by Garrett Ruffin.

All roles are available and all are welcome to audition, regardless of experience. To schedule an audition or for password information, contact the Box Office at (217) 222-3209.

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