The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
9/26, 9/27, 10/3, 10/4 at 2pm, on the new outdoor stage at our Aquatic Park rehearsal space

They say the show must go on. But the last six months have taught us that’s not entirely true. What must go on for YMTC, however, is providing exceptional training through exceptional productions. Nothing is normal right now; nothing is as it has been. But that doesn’t mean we can’t keep training students – and they want to keep being trained! We put our heads together to figure out how to do just that. 

The result is our COVID-era production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. We had already planned to do Spelling Bee as part of our 2020-2021 season, and we are lucky we did. Spelling Bee features a very small cast, a score that works great on piano, and lots of improv and topical references that make it perfect for a COVID-19 production. Because we are following all city, county, and state health requirements, this production won’t look anything like what YMTC has done in the past. But like all YMTC productions, the talent and hard work of our students, directors, and creative team will produce an incredible result.

Here are just a few of the measures we are taking to ensure everyone is safe:

• Rehearsals will be outside and socially-distanced at our Aquatic Park rehearsal space. Thanks to our generous community, we raised the money to build a large outdoor stage in the yard.

• Our four performances will also be outside on this stage. 

• We will have an audience, but the audience will be 1/10th the size of normal audiences at El Cerrito Performing Arts Theater.  Mostly family and friends of the cast and crew will be able to attend, but there might be a few extra seats available for other YMTC supporters. 

• We’ll have sound and minimal costumes, sets, and props

• The show will be set in the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 – meaning that both the actors and the characters in the show will be social distancing and wearing masks. The show will be semi-staged in a concert-style (which is very much indeed like a real spelling bee!)

• The cast and crew will have to perform around airplane noise, train noise, traffic noise, and anything else that pops up during the show. And they will improvise and work around it!

We always set our bar high, and this is no different. No other Bay Area theater (youth, community, regional, or professional) is attempting to do what we are going to do in the way we are doing it. But our cast and crew are creative problem solvers and are up to the task.

Keep your eyes on our Facebook and Instagram to hear our stories – about the progress, the successes, the failures, the problem-solving, and ultimately the show.

Meet the spellers and administrators of the Bee!

… and the creative team working to make this happen!

Director …………………………………………….. Jennifer Boesing
Music Director …………………………………… David Möschler
Production Manager/Stage Manager ……. Celeste Kamiya
Assistant Director ………………………………. Uma Supatra-Campbell*
Sound Designer ………………………………….. Stephen Thorpe
Costume Designer ………………………………. Rachael Heiman
Props Designer …………………………………… Dawn Nakashima
Bolivar Stage Design/Build Team ………… Kathy Rogers and Bill Brewer

*Theater Arts Apprenticeship Program student