Lyric Stage Company Announces The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
For Immediate Release
July 28, 2010
CONTACT: Sara Glidden, Managing Director
sara_glidden @lyricstage.com, 617.585.5682
THE LYRIC STAGE COMPANY OF BOSTON ANNOUNCES
THE TONY AWARD® WINNING MUSICAL
THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
SEPTEMBER 3 THROUGH OCTOBER 2, 2010
[BOSTON] The Lyric Stage Company of Boston announces the first production of the 2010-2011 Season: the Tony Award ® winning quirky musical, THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE. Called “riotously funny and remarkably ingenious,” by The New York Times, …SPELLING BEE’s music and lyrics are by William Finn, book is by Rachel Sheinkin, and was conceived by Rebecca Feldman. Directed and choreographed by Stephen Terrell, …SPELLING BEE runs September 3 through October 2, 2010 at The Lyric Stage Company with both afternoon and evening performances. Tickets range from $29 to $56 and are available by calling the box office at 617.585.5678 and online at www.lyricstage.com. The Press Performance is Sunday, September 5, 2010 at 3:00 p.m.
SYNOPSIS:
Can you spell "centavo?” A quirky cast of characters hope to win the 25th Annual Spelling Bee in this "effortlessly endearing new musical" (The New York Times). School-age angst combines with current event improvisation as volunteer audience members join in for some fun competition. "From beginning to end it's a delight. D-E-L-I-G-H-T. Delight." (Variety)
The Lyric’s production of …SPELLING BEE includes Will McGarrahan* (as Vice Principal Douglas Panch), Lisa Yuen* (reprising her Broadway role as Marcy Park), Lexie Fennell Frare (as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere), Krista Buccellato (as Olive Ostrovsky), Daniel Vito Siefring (as William Barfee), Sam Simahk (as Chip Tolentino/Jesus), Michael Borges (as Leaf Coneybear/Carl’s Dad Kerry Jill Garbis* (as Rona Lisa Perretti/Olive's Mom), and De'Lon Grant* (as Mitch Mahoney/Dan’s Dad/Olive's Dad).
The …SPELLING BEE creative team, led by director/choreographer Stephen Terrell, includes Matthew Whiton (scenic designer), Mallory Frers (costume designer), and Shawn E. Boyle** (lighting designer). The production manager is Robin Grady* and the assistant stage manager is Anna Trachtman.
* Denotes members of Actor’s Equity Association
** Denotes members of USA, United Scenic Artists
THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
September 3 through October 2, 2010
-Wednesday/Thursday evenings 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday matinees on September 8 and 29, 2 p.m.
-Friday/Saturday evenings at 8 p.m.
-Saturday/Sunday matinees at 3:00 p.m.
-Post-show “Talk-Backs” first /third Sundays, September 5 and 19.
The 2010-2011 Season Continues
The Lyric Stage Company’s 37th season features their trademark variety with a selection of musicals, dramas, and comedies, and continues with the event of a lifetime, the New England premiere of David Edgar’s two-part adaptation of Dickens’ The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Parts I and II, performed in rotating repertory. According to Producing Artistic Director Spiro Veloudos, “this new, shorter adaptation streamlines the narrative, and captures Dickens’ genius for combining exuberant characters, theatrical spectacle and genuine emotion.” In 2011 the season continues with Theresa Rebeck’s poke at theatre in The Understudy; and My Name Is Asher Lev, a young man’s poignant struggle between art and faith by Aaron Posner adapted from the novel by Chiam Potok; the inner city African-American family drama Broke-ology by Nathan Louis Jackson; and the Marx Brothers’ madcap musical Animal Crackers.
Tickets, Group Sales, Discounts
Season Ticket Packages for 2010-2011, The Lyric Stage Company’s 37th Anniversary Season, are now available in a variety of pricings and multi-show savings. Season Ticket Holders enjoy exclusive benefits including the best seats, the most savings, and a variety of special discounts. Lyric Stage Company Gift Tix are available anytime, and may be redeemed throughout the season. Group sales, senior, and student discounts are available. To purchase tickets call 617.585.5678, log on to www.lyricstage.com, or visit The Lyric Stage Company box office.
The Lyric Stage Company is located at 140 Clarendon Street, in Boston’s Copley Square, between Stuart Street and Columbus Avenue, and is easily accessible via the MBTA’s Orange Line (Back Bay Station) or Green Line (Copley Station). There are a variety of paid parking lots adjacent, offering discounted parking to Lyric Stage Company theatre-goers. Metered parking is also available. The Lyric Stage Company is wheelchair-accessible and assistive listening devices/enlarged program booklets are available free of charge.
About The Lyric Stage Company of Boston
Boston’s oldest professional theatre company, The Lyric Stage Company of Boston is dedicated to presenting a wide range of plays and musicals of the highest quality, including world premieres, regional premieres, and classics--that are entertaining, challenging, and provocative. Founded in 1974, The Lyric Stage Company is deeply committed to nurturing the talents of Boston-area theatre artists through employment, training, and development opportunities.
Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Spiro Veloudos (recent recipient of the 2006 Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence) and Managing Director Sara S. Glidden, The Lyric Stage Company presents seven shows each season to an annual audience of over 40,000, including 2,000+ season ticket holders, in an intimate 240-seat theatre located in the YWCA Building at 140 Clarendon Street. Highly acclaimed for the breadth and variety of its top quality productions, The Lyric Stage Company is the recipient of 23 Elliot Norton Awards and 52 Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Awards.
In addition to presenting seven productions a year, The Lyric Stage Company offers the special programs Growing Voices, a new play development program to develop and nurture local writers and their work and to contribute to the body of American plays and musicals; Lyric First Stage, a five-week educational summer program for teens; and Lyric First Curtain, to provide theatre access and enrichment experiences to youth.
The Lyric Stage Company is supported in part by a grant from The Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, and the Boston Cultural Council, a program of the Mayor’s Office on Arts, Tourism, and Special Events, a municipal agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
About Spiro Veloudos, Producing Artistic Director
Spiro Veloudos directed Blithe Spirit, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, and Kiss Me, Kate this past season. This fall, his 13th season, he will direct The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby Parts I & II and Animal Crackers. He recently received the Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award from Salem State College. Prior, he was the recipient of the 2006 Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence. During his tenure, The Lyric has earned numerous awards and honors including Elliot Norton Awards for Outstanding Production (Speech & Debate, Miss Witherspoon, The Old Settler), and Outstanding Musical Production (Sunday in the Park with George); Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Award for Outstanding Production (The Old Settler, Glengarry Glen Ross), and Outstanding Musical Production (Urinetown: The Musical, A Little Night Music, Sunday…George). His numerous directing credits at The Lyric include …Night Music (IRNE for Direction), The Curse of the Bambino (world premiere), Glengarry Glen Ross (IRNE), Sunday… George (Best of the Year in Boston’s Globe, Herald, and Phoenix; Elliot Norton and IRNE for direction), Assassins (Best Production of 1998: The Boston Globe), Lost in Yonkers, and Never the Sinner: The Leopold and Loeb Story (Elliot Norton, along with Assassins), and Speed-the-Plow (Elliot Norton for Outstanding Production). As Artistic Director of The Publick Theatre, he directed many award-winning productions including Anything Goes and Sweeney Todd (1996 Boston Theatre Award for Outstanding Direction). Mr. Veloudos received StageSource’s Theatre Hero Award (2003) and was named Best Artistic Director by Boston Magazine in 1999. He was honored by the Boston City Council in 1991 for his continued work on behalf of Boston residents. He serves as the president for the Producers Association of New England Area Theatres, is on the Board of Directors of StageSource and is adjunct faculty in Performing Arts at Emerson College.
More information, high resolution images, and select interviews available. Please contact Managing Director, Sara Glidden at sara_glidden@lyricstage.com or 617.585.5682.
###
For Immediate Release
CONTACT: Sara Glidden, Managing Director
sara_glidden @lyricstage.com, 617.585.5682
THE LYRIC STAGE COMPANY OF BOSTON ANNOUNCES
THE TONY AWARD® WINNING MUSICAL
THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
SEPTEMBER 3 THROUGH OCTOBER 2, 2010
[BOSTON] The Lyric Stage Company of Boston announces the first production of the 2010-2011 Season: the Tony Award ® winning quirky musical, THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE. Called “riotously funny and remarkably ingenious,” by The New York Times, …SPELLING BEE’s music and lyrics are by William Finn, book is by Rachel Sheinkin, and was conceived by Rebecca Feldman. Directed and choreographed by Stephen Terrell, …SPELLING BEE runs September 3 through October 2, 2010 at The Lyric Stage Company with both afternoon and evening performances. Tickets range from $29 to $56 and are available by calling the box office at 617.585.5678 and online at www.lyricstage.com. The Press Performance is Sunday, September 5, 2010 at 3:00 p.m.
SYNOPSIS:
Can you spell "centavo?” A quirky cast of characters hope to win the 25th Annual Spelling Bee in this "effortlessly endearing new musical" (The New York Times). School-age angst combines with current event improvisation as volunteer audience members join in for some fun competition. "From beginning to end it's a delight. D-E-L-I-G-H-T. Delight." (Variety)
The Lyric’s production of …SPELLING BEE includes Will McGarrahan* (as Vice Principal Douglas Panch), Lisa Yuen* (reprising her Broadway role as Marcy Park), Lexie Fennell Frare (as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere), Krista Buccellato (as Olive Ostrovsky), Daniel Vito Siefring (as William Barfee), Sam Simahk (as Chip Tolentino/Jesus), Michael Borges (as Leaf Coneybear/Carl’s Dad Kerry Jill Garbis* (as Rona Lisa Perretti/Olive's Mom), and De'Lon Grant* (as Mitch Mahoney/Dan’s Dad/Olive's Dad).
The …SPELLING BEE creative team, led by director/choreographer Stephen Terrell, includes Matthew Whiton (scenic designer), Mallory Frers (costume designer), and Shawn E. Boyle** (lighting designer). The production manager is Robin Grady* and the assistant stage manager is Anna Trachtman.
* Denotes members of Actor’s Equity Association
** Denotes members of USA, United Scenic Artists
THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
September 3 through October 2, 2010
-Wednesday/Thursday evenings 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday matinees on September 8 and 29, 2 p.m.
-Friday/Saturday evenings at 8 p.m.
-Saturday/Sunday matinees at 3:00 p.m.
-Post-show “Talk-Backs” first /third Sundays, September 5 and 19.
The 2010-2011 Season Continues
The Lyric Stage Company’s 37th season features their trademark variety with a selection of musicals, dramas, and comedies, and continues with the event of a lifetime, the New England premiere of David Edgar’s two-part adaptation of Dickens’ The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Parts I and II, performed in rotating repertory. According to Producing Artistic Director Spiro Veloudos, “this new, shorter adaptation streamlines the narrative, and captures Dickens’ genius for combining exuberant characters, theatrical spectacle and genuine emotion.” In 2011 the season continues with Theresa Rebeck’s poke at theatre in The Understudy; and My Name Is Asher Lev, a young man’s poignant struggle between art and faith by Aaron Posner adapted from the novel by Chiam Potok; the inner city African-American family drama Broke-ology by Nathan Louis Jackson; and the Marx Brothers’ madcap musical Animal Crackers.
Tickets, Group Sales, Discounts
Season Ticket Packages for 2010-2011, The Lyric Stage Company’s 37th Anniversary Season, are now available in a variety of pricings and multi-show savings. Season Ticket Holders enjoy exclusive benefits including the best seats, the most savings, and a variety of special discounts. Lyric Stage Company Gift Tix are available anytime, and may be redeemed throughout the season. Group sales, senior, and student discounts are available. To purchase tickets call 617.585.5678, log on to www.lyricstage.com, or visit The Lyric Stage Company box office.
The Lyric Stage Company is located at 140 Clarendon Street, in Boston’s Copley Square, between Stuart Street and Columbus Avenue, and is easily accessible via the MBTA’s Orange Line (Back Bay Station) or Green Line (Copley Station). There are a variety of paid parking lots adjacent, offering discounted parking to Lyric Stage Company theatre-goers. Metered parking is also available. The Lyric Stage Company is wheelchair-accessible and assistive listening devices/enlarged program booklets are available free of charge.
About The Lyric Stage Company of Boston
Boston’s oldest professional theatre company, The Lyric Stage Company of Boston is dedicated to presenting a wide range of plays and musicals of the highest quality, including world premieres, regional premieres, and classics--that are entertaining, challenging, and provocative. Founded in 1974, The Lyric Stage Company is deeply committed to nurturing the talents of Boston-area theatre artists through employment, training, and development opportunities.
Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Spiro Veloudos (recent recipient of the 2006 Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence) and Managing Director Sara S. Glidden, The Lyric Stage Company presents seven shows each season to an annual audience of over 40,000, including 2,000+ season ticket holders, in an intimate 240-seat theatre located in the YWCA Building at 140 Clarendon Street. Highly acclaimed for the breadth and variety of its top quality productions, The Lyric Stage Company is the recipient of 23 Elliot Norton Awards and 52 Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Awards.
In addition to presenting seven productions a year, The Lyric Stage Company offers the special programs Growing Voices, a new play development program to develop and nurture local writers and their work and to contribute to the body of American plays and musicals; Lyric First Stage, a five-week educational summer program for teens; and Lyric First Curtain, to provide theatre access and enrichment experiences to youth.
The Lyric Stage Company is supported in part by a grant from The Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, and the Boston Cultural Council, a program of the Mayor’s Office on Arts, Tourism, and Special Events, a municipal agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
About Spiro Veloudos, Producing Artistic Director
Spiro Veloudos directed Blithe Spirit, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, and Kiss Me, Kate this past season. This fall, his 13th season, he will direct The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby Parts I & II and Animal Crackers. He recently received the Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award from Salem State College. Prior, he was the recipient of the 2006 Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence. During his tenure, The Lyric has earned numerous awards and honors including Elliot Norton Awards for Outstanding Production (Speech & Debate, Miss Witherspoon, The Old Settler), and Outstanding Musical Production (Sunday in the Park with George); Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Award for Outstanding Production (The Old Settler, Glengarry Glen Ross), and Outstanding Musical Production (Urinetown: The Musical, A Little Night Music, Sunday…George). His numerous directing credits at The Lyric include …Night Music (IRNE for Direction), The Curse of the Bambino (world premiere), Glengarry Glen Ross (IRNE), Sunday… George (Best of the Year in Boston’s Globe, Herald, and Phoenix; Elliot Norton and IRNE for direction), Assassins (Best Production of 1998: The Boston Globe), Lost in Yonkers, and Never the Sinner: The Leopold and Loeb Story (Elliot Norton, along with Assassins), and Speed-the-Plow (Elliot Norton for Outstanding Production). As Artistic Director of The Publick Theatre, he directed many award-winning productions including Anything Goes and Sweeney Todd (1996 Boston Theatre Award for Outstanding Direction). Mr. Veloudos received StageSource’s Theatre Hero Award (2003) and was named Best Artistic Director by Boston Magazine in 1999. He was honored by the Boston City Council in 1991 for his continued work on behalf of Boston residents. He serves as the president for the Producers Association of New England Area Theatres, is on the Board of Directors of StageSource and is adjunct faculty in Performing Arts at Emerson College.
More information, high resolution images, and select interviews available. Please contact Managing Director, Sara Glidden at sara_glidden@lyricstage.com or 617.585.5682.
