25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE Plays Ballard Underground 7/14-8/14

Contemporary Classics and RK Productions will present the Seattle premiere of THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE July 14-August 14 at the Ballard Underground, 2220 NW Market St in Downtown Ballard.

THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE is a hilarious tale of overachievers' angst chronicling the experience of six adolescent outsiders vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime. Featuring a score by William Finn (who wrote Contemporary Classics' 2007 show A New Brain), the Tony Award winning creative team has created the unlikeliest of hit musicals about the unlikeliest of heroes: a quirky yet charming cast of outsiders for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time. SPELLING BEE will be a hilarious and touching break from the summer heat.

The cast includes some of Seattle's great comedic talent including Ashley FitzSimmons (Village Theatre's Show Boat, Beauty and the Beast) as Olive Ostrovsky, Justin Huertas (Seattle Rep's Speech & Debate, Contemporary Classics' Zanna, Don't!) as Chip Tolentino, Kate Jaeger (Village's Chasing Nicolette, RK's Reefer Madness) as Rona Piretti, Brian Demar Jones (INTIMAN's upcoming The Scarlet Letter, Village's Chasing Nicolette) as Mitch Mahoney, Kelly Mak (Seattle Rep's King Stag, INTIMAN's Our Town) as Marcy Park, Sarah Petty (Nietzsche! The Musical!) as Loggaine Schwartzandgrubenierre, Robert Scherzer (Reefer Madness, Nietzsche! The Musical!) as William Barfée, Bill Williams (Zanna, Don't!, Village's The Gypsy King) as Leaf Conneybear, and local improv artist Douglas Willott as Vice Principal Douglas Panch.

Kate Jaeger (Nietzsche! The Musical!, Reefer Madness) will play double-duty as cast member and director with Eric Ankrim (The Gypsy King) assistant directing. Kimberly Dare (The Full Monty, Nietzsche!) will music direct. Designs include scenic design by Colin Connors (Reefer Madness), lighting design by Robert J. Aguilar (ACT's upcoming The Lady With all the Answers), costume design by recent Western Washington University graduate Kati Dawson and hair design by Michael Ledezma.

The production runs Thursday-Sunday and select Mondays all at 8pm with additional 11pm shows on Saturdays. Tickets are $20 general admission.

Founded in 2003, CONTEMPORARY CLASSICS got its start fundraising through concerts and cabarets. Since producing their first Seattle premiere in 2005 (Andrew Lippa's john & jen) they have produced premieres of Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years, William Finn's A New Brain, and three summers of Tim Acito's Zanna, Don't!, as well as eight editions of the popular New Voices songwriter showcase series. New work development includes the Showtune Suckapunch series, which has produced the world premiere readings of Over Seas and Razia's Shadow, and The Songs of David A. Austin, featuring songs from the author's upcoming Broadway debut, Writing Arthur. The Contemporary Classics season continues with the new musical The Yellow Wood, the Seattle premiere of [title of show], the world premiere of Over Seas and two editions of New Voices.

RK PRODUCTIONS buzzes with excitement as they produce their second Seattle premiere: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. RK debuted in 2008 with their inaugural production of Reefer Madness: The Musical which played to sold out houses at the Ballard Underground, Seattle Rep, and Bumbershoot. RK was conceived and created by local artists Kate Jaeger & Robert Scherzer, who most recently collaborated with Unexpected Productions to produce the world premiere of Nietzsche! The Musical. RK is currently working on an original musical they'll be workshopping in 2011.

TICKETS $20 general admission
$15 students/TPS members
Tickets can be purchased at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/114536 <http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/114536>

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