25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by The Whole Backstage Community Theatre
in Guntersville, Alabama, United States

What To Know About This Production

Director: Kory Duquette

Assistant Director: AJ Pollard

Music Director: April Duquette

Choreographer: Kyven Conley

Performances

The Whole Backstage Theatre

  • Oct 10 Friday 7:00 PM
  • Oct 11 Saturday 7:00 PM
  • Oct 12 Sunday 2:00 PM
  • Oct 16 Thursday 7:00 PM
  • Oct 17 Friday 7:00 PM
  • Oct 18 Saturday 7:00 PM
  • Oct 19 Sunday 2:00 PM

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Auditions For 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Auditions are Past

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What To Expect At Auditions

Auditions for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will be held at The Whole Backstage in the Black Box Theatre located at 1120 Rayburn Avenue, Guntersville, AL 35976 at the following times:

July 15th, 2025 at 6:30 PM CST

July 17th, 2025 at 6:00 PM CST

July 18th, 2025 at 6:00 PM CST

Age ranges will be 17-35 (ish) for the 6 main Spellers/ensemble Spellers and 18-45 (ish) for the 2 judges, Comfort Counselor, and 2 dads.

Show dates are October 10th - 19th, 2025. You need to make sure you can be off and available for these 2 weeks. Also, you will NEED to be available 2 weeks prior to opening night...unless there is an emergency.

Audition Materials are in the links listed below.

Please be prepared to sing one song from the show (sheet music provided in links) for your preferred character choice along with 1 speaking audition scene (reading materials in link below). You may be asked to read for another character on top of your first choice.

If you are auditioning for an ensemble Speller (which will be in every performance..and have to spell, sing, dance, and have a character personality), please see my Facebook page for more information about the 4 ensemble roles..its important. https://www.facebook.com/Porkchawp55

Please list any rehearsal conflicts on the audition form. Rehearsals begin August 4th, 2025. Show Closes October 19th, 2025.

The YouTube link below will be what you need to use for your singing audition. These are the Karaoke tracks (music only no vocals) we will be using for auditions. Time-stamps for these songs are on the sheet music for your associated audition song.

Link for Audition Scenes:

https://www.wholebackstage.com/_files/ugd/0e86ed_f418bafabed442dfaec427daae145938.pdf

Link to Audition Sheet Music:

https://www.wholebackstage.com/_files/ugd/0e86ed_a467222a299344fa904039c67fba00f9.pdf

Link to Audition Music Backing Tracks:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt1sc8r4CInW2wMC3xLyGDN8kxWHCOYRi&si=z5qYH95c83NF7FDK

I can't wait to see you all at auditions!!

You may contact me via Facebook Messenger https://www.facebook.com/Porkchawp55 OR
Koryduquette@gmail.com for more information about roles, ensemble, auditions, etc.

Kory K Duquette,
Director

Audition Times

  • Jul 15 Tuesday 6:30 PM
  • Jul 17 Thursday 6:00 PM
  • Jul 18 Friday 6:00 PM

Audition Form

Audition Process

Create your free user account on Cast98 then return here to sign up for an audition when the director has opened registration.

There are four steps to the audition form:

  1. Privacy disclaimers
  2. Profile information
  3. Conflict calendar
  4. Show-specific questions

You'll be able to review, make changes, or cancel your submitted form anytime between now and your audition.

Cast List For 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

The cast list is posted! Please login to access cast-only resources.

Available Roles

  • Rona Lisa Peretti - The number-one realtor in Putnam County and returning moderator. She is a sweet woman who loves children, but she can be very stern when it comes to dealing with Vice Principal Panch, who has feelings for her that she most likely does not return. It is implied that she sees much of herself in Olive Ostrovsky. Her favorite moments of the Bee are: the minutes before it starts, when all the children are filled with the joy of competition before they begin to resent each other, how everyone has an equal chance of winning, citing as an example that last year's winner can be this year's loser and vice versa, and when the last spellers go head to head for the top spot because it is so suspenseful and filled with hope. Ms. Peretti herself won the Third Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by spelling
  • Vice Principal Douglas Panch - After five years' absence from the Bee, Panch returns as judge. There was an
  • Mitch Mahoney - The Official Comfort Counselor. An ex-convict, Mitch is performing his community service with the Bee, and hands out juice boxes to losing students.
  • Olive Ostrovsky - 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. She made friends with her dictionary at a very young age, helping her to make it to the competition.
  • William Morris Barfée - A Putnam County Spelling Bee finalist last year, he was eliminated because of an allergic reaction to peanuts. His famous
  • Logainne Schwartzy SchwartzandGrubenierre - Logainne is the youngest and most politically aware speller, often making comments about current political figures, with two overbearing fathers pushing her to win at any cost as they might disown her if she doesn't win. She is somewhat of a neat freak, speaks with a lisp, is diabetic, and knows she will return to the bee next year.
  • Marcy Park - A recent transfer from Virginia, Marcy placed ninth in last year's nationals. She is fluent in six languages (though with less-than-stellar pronunciation): French, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, Hebrew, and German. She is a member of an 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. She is a total over-achiever, and attends a Catholic school called
  • Leaf Coneybear - A homeschooler and the second runner-up in his district, Leaf gets into the competition on a lark: the winner and first runner-up had to go to the winner's Bat Mitzvah. Leaf comes from a large family of former hippies and makes his own clothes. He spells words correctly while in a trance. In his song,
  • Charlito Chip Tolentino - A Boy Scout and champion of the Twenty-Fourth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, he returns to defend his title. Relatively social and athletic, as he plays little league, Chip expects things to come easily but finds puberty hitting at an inopportune moment.
  • Carl Grubenierre - One of SchwartzandGrubenierre's fathers; he has set his heart on his little girl winning the Bee, no matter what he has to do, including sabotaging William's foot. Potentially played by one of the spellers.
  • Dan Schwartz - SchwartzandGrubenierre's other father; he is more laid back and doting than Carl but is still intent on his daughter winning the Bee. Potentially played by one of the spellers.
  • Jesus Christ - Appears to Marcy in a moment of crisis. Potentially played by one of the spellers.
  • Featured Speller 1 - There will be four Ensemble Spellers cast who will sing and dance in the ensemble and may be guest contestants in the spelling bee.
  • Featured Speller 2 - There will be four Ensemble Spellers cast who will sing and dance in the ensemble and may be guest contestants in the spelling bee.
  • Featured Speller 3 - There will be four Ensemble Spellers cast who will sing and dance in the ensemble and may be guest contestants in the spelling bee.

Cast

Name Role(s)
Amanda Hollingsworth Rona Lisa Peretti
TBD Vice Principal Douglas Panch
Bryan White Mitch Mahoney
Josie Duquette Olive Ostrovsky
John Everett Brewer William Morris Barfée
Ajia Jones Logainne Schwartzy SchwartzandGrubenierre
Abbey Ware Marcy Park
Kris Hamlin Leaf Coneybear
Kyven Conley Charlito Chip Tolentino
Aidan Rhoden Carl Grubenierre
Noah Lueker Dan Schwartz
Abbie Taylor Featured Speller 1
Cayla Allen Featured Speller 2
AJ Pollard

Crew

Name Role(s)
TBD Director
AJ Pollard Assistant Director
April Duquette Music Director
Kyven Conley Choreographer
Hannah Yost Asst. Choreographer
Leslie Scott Stage Crew
Valerie Clemons Crew

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