Initially, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee started as a non-musical play, entitled C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E, done by the improvisational group “The Farm.” One of the performers in the play, Sarah Saltzberg, happened to be the nanny of playwright, Wendy Wasserstein. Impressed by what she saw, Wasserstein suggested to friend, William Finn, that he may be able to take the show to the next level. Finn, his former student, Rachel Sheinkin, and C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E creator, Rebecca Feldman, worked together to turn the piece into a full-length musical.

A hilarious and heartwarming musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee takes audiences on a whimsical journey into the competitive world of spelling bees. Set in a small town, the story follows an eclectic group of six mid-pubescents as they vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the tweens spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming “ding” of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. Six spellers enter; one speller leaves a champion! At least the losers get a juice box.

Winner of the Tony and the Drama Desk Awards for Best Book