[Capdist-auditions] Auditions for the 2022 Bridge Street Theatre Summer Youth Musical

[Steven Patterson]

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE

Auditions are
Tuesday, June 14 from 4-6pm and Wednesday, Jun 15 from 4-6pm
at Bridge Street Theatre, 44 W. Bridge Street

Produced by Bridge Street Theatre
Directed by Michelle Storrs-Ryan
Sets and Lights by John Sowle

Regular weekday rehearsals start July 18.
Performances are Thursday through Sunday, August 4 – 14.

Given the enormous success of last summer’s student musical presentation of
“The Addams Family: Quarantine Edition”, Bridge Street Theatre has decided
to take the plunge once again this summer.

Auditions for all roles in Rachel Sheinkin and William Finn’s “The 25th
Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”. will be held on Tuesday June 14th and
Wednesday June 15th from 4-6pm in Bridge Street Theatre Speakeasy (located
at 44 West Bridge Street in Catskill, immediately adjacent to Catskill High
School).

Auctioneers should bring a head shot, a performance resume, a prepared
monologue (2 minutes max), and a prepared solo (2 minutes max – a cappella
or with own accompaniment).  Audition slots will be scheduled on a
first-come, first-serve basis.

Regular staging rehearsals begin on July 18th at the theatre on all
weekdays. The show runs Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30 and Sundays at 2:00
from August 4 – 14. Additional music and acting rehearsals will be
scheduled starting June 20 according to the availability of actors.  All
roles are available, and depending on interest there may or may not be
doubling. High School and Middle School-aged performers and/or recent
Alumni are preferred, but older performers will be considered for the
“Adult” roles.

There will be a $200 stipend for all participants.

Contact Michelle Storrs-Ryan by email at mstorrs at catskillcsd.org if you
have any questions.
Casting:

THE SPELLERS

CHIP TOLENTINO: The reigning spelling champion of Putnam County, relatively
athletic and social, he expects everything to come to him easily. Lately
however, he’s been going through some weird changes, and things are
starting to slip out of his control. (His solo requires him to sing a lot
of high notes a lot of times)

LOGAINNE (SCHWARZY) SCHWARZANDGRUBENNIERE: Younger than most bee
participants, she is driven most of all by a desire to win to make her two
fathers proud. She lisps, is a little uncomfortable in her body, but still
manages to create a strong presence with her political awareness and a keen
sense of justice.

LEAF CONEYBEAR: A second alternate, he never expected to be competing here
today. Home-schooled with his many siblings, everything about this public
bee is an adventure for him. He may have severe Attention Deficit Disorder
but delights in his own wandering focus. Leaf doesn’t expect to win – or
even spell one word correctly – but he finds absolutely everything
incredibly amusing. His mother has made him wear his protective helmet to
the bee.

WILLIAM BARFEE: Has a host of health problems and a lot to prove. Loud and
combative as a defensive posture, he is the fat kid who becomes a bully to
avoid being picked on (though he gets picked on anyway and gets into a lot
of fights). His parents are divorced, his father has re-married a much
younger woman, and William doesn’t expect kindness from anyone but his
mother. An ill-timed allergic reaction removed him from last year’s
competition, and he’s here for vindication. What he didn’t expect was
coming to care for someone else. When he sees outside his own needs for
perhaps the first time, it shakes him fundamentally.

MARCY PARK: The ultimate overachiever, Marcy has never been given another
option. She comes from a family where excellence is expected. A parochial
school student, she assumes God, too, expects perfection. She sees herself
as a mass of problems but she keeps them to herself. Her many talents
include piano, dance, martial arts, baton twirling, and/or whatever other
special gifts the actor cast possesses.

OLIVE OSTROVSKY: A word lover, Olive has had a fairly quiet life. An only
child with often-absent parents, Olive spends a lot of her time alone. She
fills some of that time by reading the dictionary – the words bring her
comfort, as does the idea of the vastness of the world the book contains.
During the first half of the bee, she often peers into the audience to see
if her father, who is delayed at work, had made it yet. She starts
enormously shy, and shyly blossoms.

THE ADULTS

RONA LISA PERRETTI: Putnam’s long-time spelling bee hostess, a local
realtor, and 3rd annual Putnam County spelling champion. This is Rona’s day
to be the queen. Her interest in the competition is unflagging – she thinks
of this as a complex cerebral sporting event, and she wants the audience to
understand every twist and turn. A little embarrassed that her own
championship moment remains the highlight of her life.

VICE PRINCIPAL DOUGLAS PANCH: Stuck in his current job and frustrated with
his life. He fell into education, less out of love than a general inability
uncoupled to a particular passion. The drive of the young spellers is
totally alien to him. He never found anything that important. Called into
the bee as a substitute, he hopes to do well in order to redeem himself for
past mistakes, and to impress Rona Lisa, who impressed him long ago.

MITCH MAHONEY: With a bouncer’s physique and demeanor, Mitch appears to be
an odd choice to be the bee’s “comfort counselor”, but it’s part of his
community service assignment. An outsider, he wonders about the wisdom of
putting the kids through this at all. He has no idea how to offer comfort,
but increasingly finds himself wishing he could find a way to make the kids
feel better about losing.

OTHER ROLES (which may be doubled or played by additional actors)

CARL GRUBENIERRE (CARL DAD): Schwarzy’s main trainer, the more intense and
competitive of Schwarzy’s fathers.

DAN SCHWARZ (DAN DAD): The more laid back and ineffectual of Schwarzy’s
fathers.

LEAF’s MOM, DAD, and SIBLINGS: All more academically gifted than Leaf, they
are even more surprised than he is at his success.

OLIVE’s MOM: A fantasy version of Olive’s mom at her Ashram in India.

OLIVE’s DAD: A fantasy version of Olive’s dad coming to the bee from work.

JESUS CHRIST: Deity invoked by a speller in need.
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