For some edifying fun, check out one of two performances - 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday - of the acclaimed musical "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," staged by the Actors Guild of Schuylkill County at the Sovereign Majestic Theater.
The cast and crew of "Spelling Bee" will entertain, engage and inspire the audience through the talents of a small and energetic group of local actors in the 90-minute, one-act musical whirlwind.
" 'Spelling Bee' is what is called, an 'ensemble' show, meaning no character is really a 'lead' .... we all perform as one group," said Dan Mock, Ashland. "It's a fun show, it's audience interactive and it is one of those shows where you definitely will let out quite a few laughs."
Bill Sugrue said it "isn't really about the spelling bee specifically, but about that special, awkward, exciting, terrifying and often difficult period of time that we have all lived through."
Sugrue plays a character identified only by the fact that he spells things with his "magic foot."
"As an audience member, and now as a cast member, I had the chance to relive all those moments, taking the best of them with me but secure in the knowledge that the worst of them could be left behind at the box office door," Sugrue said.
Jessica Lech, guild member and a 2010 graduate of Wilkes University, plays Olive Ostovsky, a timid girl with absent parents.
"I think people should come see the show because they can find themselves in one of the characters ⦠there will be someone to relate to," Lech said. "I mean, who didn't feel like a loser in middle school sometimes? This is a way to laugh at the awkwardness in everyone."
Chelsea Gonsalves, a Pottsville Area High School graduate and Alvernia University student, joined the cast as overachiever Marcy Park thanks to her previous work with director Maria Malek, who is also the director of dramatics at Pottsville Area High School.
"The show takes people back to the awkward ages of middle school students, that people can look back and laugh at, especially since it's not them," she said. "I got involved with the show because of Mrs. Malek. I couldn't pass up the chance to work with her again, because through 'West Side Story' I realized how much I really liked theater, and it is why I continue to do it."
Malek said the cast is a director's dream.
"The talent, the creativity, the joy - they make me laugh with every rehearsal," she said. "When the guild asked me to direct 'Spelling Bee,' I was very honored, and extremely excited. I love a show in which audience members can see themselves in the characters," she said. "Everyone goes through middle school. Everyone experiences the struggle for acceptance and everyone remembers that awkward, joyous and sometimes painful search for self."
More talent brought on board by Malek includes Lindsay Boncore, an art teacher Pottsville Area, who said she got involved after designing and painting sets for a couple of years with the Drama Club at the high school.
"The actors seem to have so much fun, I wanted to give theater another shot. The experience thus far has definitely taken me out of my comfort zone, and the cast is a great group of people to do so with," Boncore said. "In learning about our characters, we learn about humanity as a whole. Specifically, in 'Spelling Bee,' our insecurities, fears, hopes and motivations. The characters open up in us wells of compassion and, just as importantly, laughter."
Amy Mills, actors guild secretary, even gets into the act as the 11-year-old political activist Logainne Schwartandgrubenairre.
"While the show is extremely funny, it also has serious undertones about how young students can sometimes feel out of place and pushed hard by those they love," Mills said, adding with a laugh, "Besides, at my age what other show would give me a chance to play a pre-teen?"
That is exactly the mix of seriousness and fun that is promised to theatergoers who attend the performances.
"This is a very fast-paced, extremely witty musical comedy. The songs are engaging, from 'Magic Foot' to 'I Love My Dictionary,' but there is an edge to the comedy as well," Malek said. "Audiences should expect the unexpected. This is not the typical musical."
Tickets are $15 for all ages and can be obtained by calling the Sovereign Majestic Theater box office at 570-628-4647 or at the door.