Award-Winning Musical Comedy Opens This Friday at the Brock!

Davie County Arts Council presents “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”  ~ Show opens this Friday, March 15th with a 7:30 PM performance at the Brock Performing Arts Center in Mocksville.  Seats are available for all 6 performances.  Tickets can be ordered throught the Box Office (336) 751-3000.

2013 Season Opener This Weekend
The Davie County Arts Council’s Brock Players are kicking off their 2013 season with six performances of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Winner of two Tony awards, this unique musical comedy has been produced not only all across America, but also in far-flung locales like Melbourne, Australia and the Philippines since its 2005 Broadway debut.

While it’s hard to imagine a setting more staid than a middle-school word competition, Putnam County Spelling Bee is anything but J-E-J-U-NE (simple; naive; unsophisticated). Acclaimed Broadway lyricist and composer William Finn and writer Rachel Sheinkin use the traditional spelling bee as a lens to focus on the hopes, worries, dreams, and A-N-G-S-T (a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity) of the six adolescent competitors through a series of revealing flashbacks. But even though some of the stories tug a bit at the heartstrings, a steady stream of jokes and the fast-paced plot keep things from becoming C-I-M-M-E-R-I-A-N (very dark or gloomy).

Put on Your Spelling Bee Outfit
What makes Putnam County Spelling Bee a particularly special event for theatergoers is its use of audience participation: this play doesn’t just break the “fourth wall,” it deconstructs it and tosses it out the window. Audience members are addressed as if they were in attendance at the bee itself, with characters referring to people in the crowd as family members and one actor roaming the aisles selling snacks. The real treat, though, is the inclusion of several members of onstage as contestants. Don’t bother brushing up too much on your E-T-Y-M-O-L-O-G-Y (the study of the origins and development of words), though — the show must goes on, after all, which means the words audience members are given increase pretty rapidly in difficulty.

Tickets Available Now!
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee opens Friday, March 15th with a 7:30 PM performance at the Brock Performing Arts Center in Mocksville, with three other evening performances on March 16th, 22nd, and 23rd. Matinee performances will be held on March 17th and March 24th at 3:00 PM. Admission is $15 for adults and $13 for students and seniors. Call the Brock Performing Arts Center Box Office at 336-751-3000 or visit the Davie County Arts Center Web site for more details and to purchase tickets.

Resources:
Davie County Arts Council