Spectrum Theatre gets philosophical with “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”

Lola Garvie / V Mag at UVA

A cast of ten University students brought humor, heart and talent to the stage for their production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” With three April performances, Spectrum Theatre’s spring 2025 musical explored psychological depth and trauma through the format of a spelling bee.

Since 2004, the University’s student-run Spectrum Theatre has provided young artists a haven for authentic self-expression and a diverse collaborative community. As one of the smallest theater CIOs on Grounds, Spectrum offers students a tight-knit community to flourish as artists.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought difficulties for Spectrum Theatre, including membership turnover and financial changes. Despite limited resources, the organization remained steadfast in its mission — to create thought-provoking theater for audiences and performers.

“Personally and across our organization, we really believe that when someone goes to see a show, they should leave with questions and want to talk to people about it,” said Xander Tilock, Spectrum producer and third-year College student. “This is a place where you can be your authentic self, create beautiful art with others and have an impact on this community.”

Since restructuring, the company has put on productions of “Fun Home,” “Carrie: The Musical” and “Alice by Heart.” For the first time in several years, the organization added a second show to this season’s lineup, a one-act play called “The Wolves.”

This commitment to the conversational purpose of theater lies at the core of “The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee.” The musical follows six middle schoolers as they compete in a spelling bee, revealing the details of their personal and domestic lives in the process. Beneath the comedic tone and casual setting lie themes of resilience, economic struggles, parental trauma and the pressures of growing up.

Second-year College student Brianna Whitaker served as the director of the show. Whitaker’s vision of the musical emphasizes this depth while simultaneously maintaining the show’s upbeat tone. Whitaker said she wants to highlight the musical’s numerous “jarring transitions” between whimsy and tears to capitalize on its emotional impact.

According to Whitaker, a striking example of this dissonance occurs in the middle of the musical during the character Olive’s, “The I Love You Song.” About to win the contest, Olive suddenly breaks into a heart-wrenching and emotive ballad about her neglect from her parents.

“One second you're having fun laughing at a kid, and the next you don't know if you're supposed to cry or not,” Whitaker said. 

Whitaker has a personal connection to the musical’s psychological undertones. Olive’s struggles and desire for parental validation resonate deeply with experiences of depression, anxiety, and academic pressure, Whitaker said.

Tilock also pointed out how University students might particularly relate with the musical, especially its song “Pandemonium,” due to its commentary on stress and chaos. “Life is random and unfair / Life is pandemonium,” the lyrics posit.

“I really relate that to a lot of U.Va students,” said Tilock. “So much is going on, and sometimes it's really nice to just take a breath and go, ‘You know what? Not everything is under your control.’”

Spectrum Theatre not only strives to engage its audience, but also applies this same thoughtful perspective to its members by fostering inclusivity. Members said the organization serves as a space for students, no matter their background, to take creative liberty and experiment fearlessly.

Whitaker said she previously felt excluded from casting throughout her musical theater career due to being a short Black woman with a low vocal range. At Spectrum Theatre, however, she found her home and strives for a diverse and inclusive cast, integrating her personal experience into her direction. With these goals in mind, Whitaker was open to gender-bending and race-bending characters.

“I think art is as much a beautiful, malleable form of expression as it is a medium for change,” Whitaker said. “There’s a place at Spectrum for everybody. You are seen, you are heard, you are wanted, you belong.”

Empathy and the individual are at the root of everything Spectrum Theater creates. 

“It’s all about the heart,” Tilock said. “It's all about the people. And some of my favorite people I've ever met at U.Va. come from Spectrum.”

Audiences witnessed Spectrum’s commitment to fostering deep inclusive connections and sparking conversation as “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” took the stage for three showings April 4, 5 and 6. Thanks to Spectrum’s artistic drive and philosophical endeavor, this spelling bee transcended the stage.