LTO lightens up the mood with ‘Spelling Bee’
Cast members are rehearsing for Little Theatre of Owatonna’s production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” which opens next week. Submitted photo
“I think it’s a great combination of comedy and heart. It’s something we could all use right now.”
That’s how director William McIntyre describes Little Theatre of Owatonna’s latest production, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” It opens Feb. 13 on the Sharon Stark Auditorium stage and runs Thursdays-Sundays through Feb. 23.
McIntyre knows the show well; he was part of the cast in the Merlin Players’ 2018 production. The audience follows six kids all hyped up for the annual bee and all “drastically different.”
“During the show we get a glimpse into each of their home lives and the reasons they’re competing,” McIntyre said. “You see how quirky they are, and how each of them has challenges but they find confidence and hope in spelling.”
Tricia Murphy plays Olive Ostrovsky, who she describes as “a sweet and quirky girl.”
“She loves words and spelling! Olive's also very kindhearted; she's often the character that comforts the other spellers,” Murphy said.
After moving to Owatonna with her partner in 2023, Murphy looked for a community theater as a way to meet people.
“At that time, it had been nearly 10 years since I had been on stage,” she said. “I had been teaching which usually had me in a directing position.”
At that time, LTO was shutting down for renovations, so Murphy auditioned in Faribault for Paradise Community Theater’s “If/Then,” directed by McIntyre. He was a big part of her decision to audition for “Spelling Bee.”
“Not trying to sound like a middle schooler, but Will was directing, and my new theater friends were auditioning. But also, I listened to the show, and I knew I had to perform the ‘I Love You’ song,” she said.
Heather Burke plays Rona Lisa Peretti, "the face of the Bee.” She’s able to do the show as her husband, Mike, “is an absolute rockstar" caring for their children, ages 4, 3, and 11 months. “I literally wouldn't be able to do this without his love and support.”
Peretti, she said, has a unique relationship with the students.
"She sees herself when she looks at them because she was one of them in her past,” Burke said. “She's also really quirky. She claims the bee is not for braggarts, yet she takes several moments and makes them about her, which is super funny.”
This marks the third time Burke has played the same role. She performed with McIntyre the last time as well.
“It's been so exciting to see his vision for the whole show and not just his character,” she said. “I love performing, and this show has helped me create new friendships because of the small cast… Theatre is a place to foster friendships and relationships. You gain confidence in how you present yourself, and you create connections with others outside of the cast.”
Burke said she’s grateful to the committee and everyone who supported LTO’s Raise the Curtain Fundraiser, which led to improvements the audience may not see, but have “made a huge difference for the safety of everyone in the building.”
Burke and Murphy hope the audience can just sit back and enjoy the performance–and maybe take a little piece of it home.
"We are stuck as a society on being tough all the time, and we end up pushing ourselves too much and become distracted by the future and forget that it's okay to sit back and just enjoy the little things,” Burke said.
“At first glance, it looks like a cute show about nerdy kids at a spelling bee, but we quickly see that there's a lot more going on in each characters' lives,” Murphy said. “I hope we can all choose to be more like Olive and treat everyone with empathy and kindness.”
McIntyre said the show is “rated” PG-14 because of language and some adult-level conversations. Also, audience members will be able to drop their names in a fishbowl for a chance to get up on stage as a speller.
The show, he said, “is guaranteed to make you laugh, maybe make you cry.”
“We’ll take you out of the world you’re in, and into the world of the ‘25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.’”
To find more information and purchase tickets for the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, visit littletheatreofowatonna.org.