BGHS Bison Grove Theatre Company to Stage ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’

The Bison Grove Theatre Company will presents “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, April 16-18, in the Miller Theatre at Buffalo Grove High School, 1100 W. Dundee Road, Buffalo Grove. Tickets are available in advance online at GoFan.Co and at the door, while supplies last.

Experience the comedic genius of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” a fast-paced crowd pleaser that has charmed theatergoers nationwide. This award-winning musical combines William Finn’s fresh score with Rachel Sheinkin’s celebrated book to create a theater experience that is truly unforgettable.

Join six eccentric tweens as they compete for the championship of a lifetime. It’s a wild ride filled with hilarious backstories, unpredictable audience interactions, and the dreaded “ding” of the bell that signals a spelling slip-up. Six enter, only one wins, and the rest find comfort in a juice box and a lot of laughs. It’s heartwarming, it’s hilarious, and it’s a little bit chaotic.

Each show is brought to life by the huge cast of Buffalo Grove High School actors, including: Gia Alexakis, Claire Conseur, Greg Cruz, Charley Finn, Evan Johnson, Payton Johnson, Arianna Kanter, Eden Kim, Peter Kim, Ethan Lebron, Garrett Marnstein, Jose Martinez, Natalie Michael, Lily O’Malley, Ender Puent, Julianne Smith, Keira Weirich-Rodriguez and Elly Williams. Ensemble actors are Marlo Ansfield, Riya Bhatt, Zoe Calderaro, Paige Dasgupta, Rachel Ferber, Angelli Manalansan, Kayla McCloskey, Izzy Mora, Jasmine Petrospour, Barbara Sue Scott and Hailey Simon.

The production is co-directed by BGHS Theater Arts Program Directors Beth Wells and Lauren Stenzel, with vocal direction by Debora Utley. They are assisted by student directors Riya Bhatt and Jose Martinez, assistant music director Snigdha (Paige) Dasgupta, and choreographers Nina Carter and Ender Puent. The BGHS costume crew is led by costume director Debbie Andres with student costume chief Cassie Bustos, along with the costume crew of Paige Dasgupta, Rachel Ferber, Jairy Guzman and Lily O’Malley, with makeup by Lily O’Malley and Kayla McCloskey. Debbie Jacks provides BGHS house management.

The Pit Orchestra, under the direction of Joshua Stewart, includes students Harris Brinson, Caroline Hong, Jamie Kim, Blake Lasek, Havannah Ly, Augi Santiago, Katie Tarrillo, Brooke Yang, Alex Yuen and professional keyboardist Tam Conseur.

Technical director is Ed Conkle, the sound director is Tom French. Student technical directors Payton Johnson and Asche Sullivan lead the BGHS student crew including, assistant stage managers Anastasia Stavrinou and crew: Hailey Barbakoff, Sebastian Bolaños, Zoe Calderaro, Mia Charnews, Alex Clarke, Thomas Conroy, Geetika Esarapu, Maureen Hatch, Payton Hyde, Arjun Sharma, Zech Smith, Erin Sylos, Juneillyz Ruiz Vargas and Jethro Woodard.

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International. All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. mtishows.com.

Seating is general admission. Tickets are $15. Online tickets for any of the shows include a service charge and may be purchased at GoFan.Co. The box office opens 60 minutes before curtain time. Cash, checks and credit/debit cards are accepted at the door. For information, call BGHS House Manager Debbie Jacks, at (847) 718-4011.