The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
University of Cincinnati's College - Conservatory of Music
Fall 2023
Fall 2023
Photography: Mark Lyons
Production Team
Director | Chaz Wolcott
Musical Director | Steve Goers
Sound Designer | Kaitlin Barnett
Lighting Designer | Jessica Drayton
Production Stage Manager | Sarah Patisaul
Costume Designer | Corey Cochran
Scenic Designer | Regan Densmore
Director | Chaz Wolcott
Musical Director | Steve Goers
Sound Designer | Kaitlin Barnett
Lighting Designer | Jessica Drayton
Production Stage Manager | Sarah Patisaul
Costume Designer | Corey Cochran
Scenic Designer | Regan Densmore
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a fast paced and humor filled show about 6 kids vying to win a spelling contest. On the surface, the story focuses on winning the spelling bee, but underneath that we get stories revolving around the everyday lives of students and their stresses, parental expectations, and growing up. For this show, we wanted to emphasize the feeling of a spotlight on a single person on stage. Think of the "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?" moments in which all the pressure is focused on a single spot.
Since the show revolves around the spelling bee, and the nature of the audience participation, there was be a microphone downstage center for everyone the “spell” at. This area was the theoretical “hot seat” in which the pressure of the competition is the greatest. My aim was to make this spot be a different “world” than the rest of the show. These moments are when the character is most alone, and so I isolated this sound away from the main world. This idea will play into the design of the overall system. The “main” world was to be an LCR system with vocals being in the center with a band left/right. For the “competition world” we will have a separate sound system that lives on a lower plane, and act as the sound system in the school gymnasium. These speakers were a part of the playing space and appeared more visibly older. This was only be used during the “hot seat” moments when anyone is spelling into the downstage center microphone. To emphasize that this competition is in a gym, I played with rear “reverb” speakers placed around the curve of Cohen Theatre behind the playing space of the stage to emulate an echo-y gym. These surround speakers were used mainly in conjunction with the "gym" speaker to emphasize the different world.
My goal for this production was to play into the intimacy of the show and the space. I wanted a sound system to support the emotional moments and for audiences to be able to hear and connect with these characters and their struggles and feel like they are a part of this contest (because they actually are). The “hot seat” moments are meant to place the audience into the head of the character spelling, and to have them experience the pressure and anxiety of being put on the spot in a competition.
Since the show revolves around the spelling bee, and the nature of the audience participation, there was be a microphone downstage center for everyone the “spell” at. This area was the theoretical “hot seat” in which the pressure of the competition is the greatest. My aim was to make this spot be a different “world” than the rest of the show. These moments are when the character is most alone, and so I isolated this sound away from the main world. This idea will play into the design of the overall system. The “main” world was to be an LCR system with vocals being in the center with a band left/right. For the “competition world” we will have a separate sound system that lives on a lower plane, and act as the sound system in the school gymnasium. These speakers were a part of the playing space and appeared more visibly older. This was only be used during the “hot seat” moments when anyone is spelling into the downstage center microphone. To emphasize that this competition is in a gym, I played with rear “reverb” speakers placed around the curve of Cohen Theatre behind the playing space of the stage to emulate an echo-y gym. These surround speakers were used mainly in conjunction with the "gym" speaker to emphasize the different world.
My goal for this production was to play into the intimacy of the show and the space. I wanted a sound system to support the emotional moments and for audiences to be able to hear and connect with these characters and their struggles and feel like they are a part of this contest (because they actually are). The “hot seat” moments are meant to place the audience into the head of the character spelling, and to have them experience the pressure and anxiety of being put on the spot in a competition.
