Director tells cast, “Don’t act your age”
Tony Ravinsky has a strange request for his high school drama club. He’s telling his performers not to act their age. “You’ve all seen elementary school shows,” Mr. Ravinsky tells them. “I want you to act like the kids in those shows.”
The request makes sense because the club is presenting The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and the cast members are portraying a group of “tweens.” Here’s how Mr. Ravinsky describes the show.
“Spelling Bee features nine mid-pubescents vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime. They candidly disclose hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, while they spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, hoping never to hear the ‘ding’ of the bell that signals a mistake.”
Most high school performers have portrayed older characters. Now this year they’re moving in the opposite direction. But that won’t be the greatest challenge for the cast and its support team. This will be Cornwall’s first performance outdoors.
After producing a virtual show in the fall, the club was anxious to perform for a live audience. The only way to do that, without violating the COVID restrictions, was to move the show outdoors. The few props for Spelling Bee will be on the grass on the Route 94 side of Cornwall Central High School.
There will be performances on Thursday through Sunday evenings, May 20-23, plus matinees on Saturday and Sunday. It’s a 90-minute show with no intermission. If some of the evening curtain calls seem hurried, it’s because there’s no outdoor lighting and the performers will want to finish before dark.
Audience members are asked to bring lawn chairs.
Guests can buy their tickets on line (cchsny.booktix.com) and show them to the security staff on their way to the parking lot.
Performers will have individual microphones. Because there are only a dozen parts in Spelling Bee, Mr. Ravinsky has assembled two casts, so more students can participate. Each cast will perform in three shows and will be joined by a member of the school district administration.
I attended the first outdoor rehearsal. The singing and dancing was entertaining. And the performers were trying hard not to act their age.
