SAUGUS — Audience members at the Saugus High School Drama Club’s production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” might want to consult their dictionaries before settling into the Lemoine-Mitchell Auditorium this weekend.
A select group of volunteers will be plucked out of the crowd during each performance and asked to compete in the spelling bee themselves, an out-of-the-ordinary element of the show that seeks to create a new level of audience engagement. To further that goal the show’s director, Alisha Dolan, has her cast utilize the aisles in the auditorium.
“I like to make a [larger] size auditorium like this feel more intimate,” she said. “It’s not only people going up on to the proscenium … they’re coming out to you too. So that it is a completely 360 experience.”
The show opens Thursday night at 7 p.m., with subsequent performances on Friday and Saturday evening at the same time. In all, 37 high schoolers are involved with the production, with students having their hands in almost every aspect of the show on and off stage. “Putnam” follows a group of children and adults as they compete in a spelling bee in fictional Putnam County.
Dolan, a drama teacher in her first year at the high school, explained that the show’s lights, costumes, and sound are run by professionals, with students taking part in essentially everything else the musical needs. The band providing music is also comprised of local professionals, she said.
The production process for “Putnam” kicked off roughly eight weeks ago, Dolan said. For a few weeks, that meant students had to split their attention between rehearsals for the show and their responsibilities for the METG High School Drama Festival.
Three students share the responsibilities of stage managing the show — junior Eric Lima, sophomore Kate Petipas, and junior Sarah Dorielan, each with their focus on a different area of the production. Essentially, they said, they’re responsible for ensuring the show runs without any hiccups.
“It’s both technical and acting aspects of the show,” Petipas explained. “We help the director out by just keeping track of blocking and other things that the actors need.”
For the entire cast and crew, “Putnam” represents a key milestone — the first full-scale production following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic more than three years ago. Being able to experience a new sense of closeness with their castmates and see a maskless audience is a huge step forward for some.
“Having people here again is such a different feeling,” said senior Yago Aires, who plays Chip Tolentino, a “very peppy” boy scout who won the prior year’s bee. “I can’t even describe it.”
“After the pandemic, you’re kind of a little rusty. But I feel like this year, we’re able to make a comeback and get our skills back,” added senior Mira Mauras.
“We’ve definitely been to hell and back,” said Malu Fernandes, a senior who plays Mitch Mahoney, a biker who “basically just hates everyone there.”
With opening night just around the corner, Fernandes said they were “[expletive] bricks.”
The cast’s seniors said it was difficult to be departing Saugus, but that they are looking forward to new opportunities.
“I feel like being a senior, I’m having more fun with the show because … it’s more exciting. When it’s your last show, it makes you more excited, energetic to do it,” Mauras said. “I’m going to miss the friends I made here so it’s gonna be sad, but I’m more excited to just do the show.”
But, all of the cast members The Daily Item spoke to said they were confident the production would be a success.
“You’re gonna be entertained,” said Fernandes.
