Abilene Christian University’s spring musical, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” is beginning this week.
In his director’s note, Joey Banks outlines the show as “a comedy about precocious kids spelling impossibly difficult words. It is silly, surprising, and often delightfully absurd. But beneath that humor is something much more tender: a group of young people who are desperate to be seen.”
Each speller arrives with their own insecurities and expectations. Banks writes how their individual flaws aren’t flaws at all, but truths to be embraced.
“What makes this musical so special is that it does not ask its characters to hide their eccentricities or ‘grow out’ of them. Instead, it invites us to celebrate them,” he wrote.
Performances in ACU’s Fulks Theatre were set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, as well as 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online at acu.universitytickets.com or at the box office.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: ACU’s ‘Spelling Bee’ celebrates embracing one’s quirks
Reporting by Ronald W. Erdrich, Abilene Reporter-News / Abilene Reporter-News
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