For the cast of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” life is pandemonium.
“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” Vibrant Colors Collective’s (VC2) first full-scale production, will be shown Oct. 27 and 28 in Shanley Pavilion.
VC2, which started last year, is the only Northwestern club with a mission to produce multicultural shows.
Their first musical — an adaptation of the musical penned by Rachel Sheinkin that premiered on Broadway in 2005 — revolves around six adolescents with a range of personalities that compete in a spelling bee moderated by three adults. During the show, audience members are invited to participate in the bee.
Even without an audience, the “Spelling Bee” cast rehearses for around four hours at a time, four times a week — a process which started in September.
In a small Parkes Hall classroom with fluorescent lighting, the cast of “Spelling Bee” completed what they called a “stumble through” of the musical’s first act. Despite its name, the run featured full choreography with jazz hands, pirouettes and kicks, especially in Act 1’s “Pandemonium.”
Communication freshman Maya Palacios said “pandemonium” was an accurate descriptor for the musical. It’s also her favorite song from the show.
“‘Pandemonium’ was so fun because it’s just chaos,” she said. “The staging is fun too, because we just go crazy, and everyone gets their little moments.”
For Palacios, “Spelling Bee” auditions were her first experience with the NU theater scene. Before trying out, she had never filmed a self-tape (a filmed audition actors send in during most processes). Palacios said she was “flabbergasted” when she was cast as Marcy Park, one of the contestants.
As the only freshman in the cast, she said it was nerve-wracking to start practicing with older cast members.
“‘Imposter syndrome’ is an overused term, but it very much fits how I felt going in,” she said. “Everyone was so talented, but everyone was also really friendly.”
To determine the cast, musical director and Communication sophomore Walter Todd said they held a six-hour dance call and an 18-hour general audition.
Ultimately, the group looked for “silliness and expressiveness” in candidates. They wanted to remove the group from the traumatic nature of the mainstream theater — Todd pointed to the typical inclusion of people of color in stories of suffering instead of joy — that includes people of color, they said.
“We just want to give some artists of color on campus a chance to have a fun process where it is low stakes, and we don’t have to worry about all the craziness of the world,” Todd said.
SESP sophomore Malik Middleton, who plays Leaf Coneybear, said he has a new favorite song from the musical every time he hears a cast member sing it for the first time.
Middleton said it was their first time hearing Palacios’ rendition of her character’s solo, “I Speak Six Languages,” two weeks ago. That’s all they listened to for the following week, they said.
Beyond talent, Middleton also said he found excitement, love and respect in his fellow cast members.
“Everyone in this room is a person of color and everyone on the team is a person of color,” they said. “I don’t think I can overstate how important that feels and how great that feels.”
Middleton added he was excited for what the show could do for the greater community of color –– even beyond NU.
The showrunners are trying to set up partnerships with local businesses and Evanston Township High School, they said.
“‘Spelling Bee’ ended up being the perfect pick … to choose a musical that was written by white people in 2005 and turn it into a show for people of color, by people of color,” Middleton said. “It speaks to everything that VC2 is about.”
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