Youthclusive Inc. theater group will present the Tony Award-winning musical comedy “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” Sept. 4-6 at Center Stage Theater, 751 Paseo Nuevo, Santa Barbara.
Directed by Chloe Voigt, choreographed by Caitlin Weber, and music directed by Alma Li, the full-length Broadway production stars the Youthclusive Company.
The production marks a milestone for the young troup — Youthclusive’s first summer musical and the successful expansion of its free performing arts programming into a year-round model.
“Get ready for a riotous musical comedy as an eccentric group of overachieving middle schoolers competes for spelling supremacy, and discovers that winning is not the only way to belong,” the performance company said.
The competition unfolds under the watchful eye of nostalgic former champion Rona Lisa Peretti (Naomi Jane Voigt) and easily flustered word pronouncer Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Antonio T. Luna or Sam Campbell), while intimidating comfort counselor Mitch Mahoney (Tay Papiese or Romy Cress-Ravel) distributes juice boxes to eliminated contestants.
The spellers include dictionary-loving Olive Ostrovsky (Eva Lundgaard or KayKay Alese); allergic and unusually confident William Barfée (Nico Petersen or Jordan Thrasher); athletic Boy Scout Chip Tolentino (Zachary Singer); politically intense Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre (Sol Garcia Guevara or Lilly Sebastian); colorful, homeschooled Leaf Coneybear (Eli Stewart or Caitlin Weber); and hyper-achieving Marcy Park (Sophie Menelli or Chloe Voigt).
“Spelling Bee celebrates young people who do not fit into one narrow definition of success, which makes it a perfect Youthclusive show,” said Voight, founder of Youthclusive.
“At Youthclusive, young people are not limited to one ‘type’ or one pathway. They perform, direct, choreograph, music direct, design, build, run sound and lighting, work backstage, welcome audiences, and lead the entire page-to-stage process. Everyone belongs here.” she said.
Youthclusive is a community-based, youth-founded, youth-led and youth-directed nonprofit providing free, open-access performing arts opportunities for Santa Barbara County youth.
“Inclusion is Youthclusive’s superpower: participation is never determined by a family’s ability to pay, prior experience, body type, disability or neurodiversity, gender identity or expression, race, ethnicity, language, or a narrow idea of who belongs in theater,” the group said.
Youthclusive does not charge participation fees, maintain waitlists, or turn interested youth away. When demand grows, the company expands its casts, performances, production teams, technical pathways, youth pit, and leadership opportunities so access grows rather than narrows.
Youthclusive’s inaugural production “The SpongeBob Musical” sold out every performance. The following season, “High School Musical” more than doubled youth participation and expanded to two casts, four performances, and larger youth-led teams onstage, backstage and in the control room.
The production welcomed 472 audience members, including 181 young people. Of those, 99 K-12 students attended free through the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation’s Community Ticket Subsidy program.
The commitment to access continues with “Spelling Bee,” as the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation will again help make the audience part of Youthclusive’s inclusive ecosystem by supporting 20 free K–12 student tickets per performance – 80 free youth tickets in total.
“We’ve found that youth theatre is more accessible when adults step aside and let young people create it, they form the culture that disregards differences” said Michele Voigt, Youthclusive Board president.
“Art is not an extra, it is essential,” she said. “Everyone benefits when everyone is included, and art and community flourish when differences are celebrated.”
Tickets available at Center Stage Theater. Prices are: Limited Reserved VIP, Front Row: $44.50; Adult: $28.50 Youth: $18.50; Free K-12 student tickets: 20 available per performance.
The production is rated PG-13 for mature themes, mild adult language, and comedic teenage angst. Families are encouraged to review the guidance when selecting tickets for younger students.
For more, visit www.youthclusive.com.
Sign Up to be a Guest Speller here.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International.