Following the success of this year’s Freshmen Play, James and the Giant Peach, GHS’s talented thespians banded together to produce the first ever fall musical: The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. GHS normally opts to perform a play during the autumn season, but this year Geneva’s actors will break out their dance shoes and belt out tunes from the formerly Broadway musical. The two-hour production is brimming with fun, and it is guaranteed to leave a smile on each audience member’s face as they leave the theater, more than likely humming a song or two. The story chronicles a local spelling bee and the complicated lives of its participants. Each kid who enters the spelling bee has a unique personality and backstory, much of which is told through song, and they all compete against one another to win the coveted competition. The Tony-winning script packs a comedic punch that elevates the heart-warming show to whole new level for the cast and audience alike.

I sat down with assistant director, Ella Kobylecky, to learn a bit more about the show. Ella is a junior at GHS, and she is the president of drama club and an active member of Geneva’s theater scene. For Spelling Bee, Ella is helping out behind the scenes, doing everything she can to help bring the cast and show to their fullest potential. Ella was thrilled at the news of this year’s fall production being a musical as, not only does she prefer them to plays and find them to be more fun to produce, but she feels the stakes are higher in a musical. This will be GHS’s first musical this year, and the theater program wants to ride off the success of last year’s sold out production of Beauty and the Beast. The show would, of course, not be possible without the hard work of the cast. Ella attributes much of the show’s excellence this year to the closeness of the cast, saying that, “Everyone is a team, and it’s really showing through the performance.”

Ella, along with the entire cast and crew, encourages all GHS to come out and see this hilarious show. Ella believes that it has, “humor for all ages,” and promises that audience will go through, “all the different emotions,” while watching the performance. The cast and crew have put their heart and soul into this creative piece and would love to see a full crowd laughing at all the show’s comedic twists and turns. Come see the show on Thursday November 7, Friday November 8, or Saturday November 9 at 7:00PM in GHS’s auditorium and see which speller will take the prize in this hilarious production!