A Tony award-winning musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee invites audience members onstage to participate in the hallowed middle school tradition of spelling complicated words while trying to suppress thoughts of cute classmates, family drama, and self-doubt.

This 2005 Broadway hit by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin has an improvisatory feel and features as few as nine actors, three of whom portray exasperated spelling bee moderators and various parents, while the other six become the adolescent geniuses whose suspenseful spelling attempts and subsequent monologues move the plot along. The story follows spellers Olive, Logainne, Leaf, Marcy, Barfee, and Chip, who show varying levels of skill and interest in participating. For example, Leaf is certain he doesn’t know any of the words given to him, but a strange trance overtakes him each time it’s his turn at the microphone, causing him to advance against all odds. Barfee is a champion with an unusual technique that makes him unstoppable. Marcy doesn’t envision a world where she isn’t the best, and Logainne’s dads feel the same way about their daughter. Chip would be a great contestant if there weren’t a hot girl in the front row.