When you hear “Spelling Bee,” you might think back to elementary or middle school competitions. CMU isn’t hosting a traditional bee. The theatre department is staging the spring musical “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” at the Asteria Theatre.
The Tony Award winning musical follows six quirky middle schoolers competing for spelling glory, but beneath the humor lies a story about failure, identity and vulnerability.
Professor of Theatre Arts and director Jill Van Brussel explained that the production was chosen with CMU’s current performers in mind.
“First we look at who we have here as part of our musical theater pool,” Van Brussel said. “It has a small cast, where it’s very ensemble driven. Everybody is a principal character. Everyone is a fully developed character. And it’s also a group of very quirky characters, and that’s kind of the people that we have here right now.”
This year’s cast includes musical theatre majors Annalyn Milford, Garrison T. Herbert, Levi Hughes and Abigail Smith. August Igoe, also a musical theatre major, serves as assistant music director.
Chemistry plays a major role in the show’s success. Milford described the rehearsal environment as supportive and understanding, while Herbert emphasized the importance of trust and communication.
“Being able to be friends with everybody in the cast has definitely allowed us to communicate our boundaries a lot clearer,” Herbert said. “I think it’s been very useful to have everybody get along and be kind to each other for the show.”
Smith added that the diversity within the cast has strengthened their connection.
“It’s a very diverse group of people,” Smith said. “We all bring our own lives into it, and we all love each other so much. I think this is probably the most understood I’ve ever felt with a cast.”
Hughes reflected on the supportive environment, praising both the cast and the behind the scenes team for building a positive rehearsal space. He specifically mentioned working closely with Igoe throughout the rehearsal process, noting the collaborative atmosphere between performers and leadership.
Director Jill Van Brussel gave her flowers to Igoe, and said the growth behind the scenes has been strong for them.
“[It] has been just such a teaching and growing and learning process for August to be able to conduct alongside and learn and ask questions everywhere, from casting, to conducting the song, setting tempos, being able to take over for the primary music director at times to do small music rehearsals and coachings. It’s been amazing watching August grow into that role and contribute so much to our process.” Van Brussel said.
Beyond the comedy, two of the musical’s most conspicuous themes are failure and vulnerability.
Igoe reflected on the show’s exploration of failure and how it resonates far beyond middle school competition.
“One of the big themes in the show is failure and how we relate to it,” Igoe said. “There isn’t anyone who has never failed at something. All the characters in the show deal with failure and success differently, and we see a broad spectrum of how people cope with that. I think it’s a really meaningful exploration, and something that’s pertinent to everyone.”
Smith described that vulnerability is critical to the story, highlighting the contrast between public performance and private emotion.
“The mask that you put on for everybody else in a competitive or high stress environment is so different than all of the wounds and inner feelings that you have,” Smith said. “Watching these kids go through all of the heartbreak and struggles that they do, and then choosing to be vulnerable or fighting with their own vulnerability is really special”.
Hughes sees the musical as a reflection of humanity.
“On the surface level, it’s just kids at a spelling bee,” Hughes said. “But when you go to see it, you see what’s behind all of the characters, what’s happening to them at home. On a human level, everybody will be able to relate to some character and walk away with some impact.”
What makes this production especially unique is its element of audience participation, bringing viewers directly into the competition and into the world of the characters.
Despite the emotional depth of the story, the cast says the show never loses its comedic edge.
Milford jokingly admitted she still has trouble keeping a straight face on stage.
“I still find myself cracking up and I have to try to hold myself together on stage,” Milford said. “So it’s just the funniest show ever.”
“It’s so funny,” Igoe said.
Smith kept her request simple. “Come see the show. It’s so amazing, and we’ve worked so hard!”
Behind the comedic chaos, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is less about perfect spelling and more about imperfect people navigating failure, embracing vulnerability and learning that sometimes losing is part of growing up.
Tickets and dates can be found on,
tickets.coloradomesa.edu/section/cmu-performing-arts-hftf
