Sea Glass Stage revives quirky ‘Spelling Bee’ on Hilton Head

Sea Glass Stage at Coligny will present The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, a delightfully peculiar and wacky musical for all ages, with performances weekends from July 11th thru Aug. 3rd.
Directed by Alex Clark, the production captures the charm of the Tony winning show, which follows six eccentric middle school spellers competing in an off beat bee.

“There’s something so lovable about The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” Clark said. “It has quirky humor and eccentric characters, but the root of it is about growing up, finding connection, and learning to laugh at life’s awkward moments.”

The cast features adult performers playing young spellers: Sadie Beaumont as Marcy, Mark Erickson as Chip, Dan Franke as Barfée, Chloe Fry as Olive, Natalie Miller as Schwartzy and Alyssa Vogt as Leaf.

Drake Carney portrays Mitch, the bee’s former champion-turned-moderator; Ellie Friedman is Rona Lisa, the gentle counselor; and Kyle Price plays Vice Principal Panch, who also serves as pronouncer.

Audiences will have the chance to join the fun on stage: four audience members are selected each performance to take part in the bee, adding unpredictable, interactive moments to the show.

Performances run Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. from July 11th to Aug. 3rd, at Sea Glass Stage at Coligny, 1 N. Forest Beach Drive, Unit I 5. Adult tickets are $35; student admission is $20. Tickets are available at sgstage.org.

Originally by William Finn (music and lyrics) and Rachel Sheinkin (book), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee opened Off Broadway in 2005 and transferred to Broadway later that year. The musical earned acclaim for its clever script, memorable score and innovative audience participation.

Sea Glass Stage, a nonprofit community theatre based at Coligny Theatre, includes this production among its 2025 season offerings, alongside Next to Normal, The 39 Steps, The Great Gatsby and Christmas Belles.