By Sara Widmann ’15, Staff Writer 

As students began to smile at the prospect of March break, the Winter Musical was front and center in the Newark Academy community!  This year, students performed The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, an interactive musical based on six quirky spelling bee contestants vying to win the honor of  “Bee Champion.” On Broadway, the musical is a fairly new show, originally debuting in 2005; despite its short time playing, it has already received six Tony Award nominations. The Newark Academy community adapted this unpredictably funny play to its own style, starring students of all grades. The nine main characters, better known as the spellers and teachers includes Leaf Conneybear, played by Joe Sokolowski ’16, Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere, played by Erin Viola ’16, Chip Tolentino, played by Peter Torres ’15, Vice Principal Panche, played by Matt Thekkethala ’15, Marcy Park, played by Julia Blanchard ’14, Olive Ostrovsky, played by Sydney Mann ’14, William Barfee, played by Jake Mundo’14, Rona Lisa Perreti, played by Kristi Petillo ’14, and Trish Mahoney, played by Rebecca Antwi ’14.

Any cast member will testify to the fact that the musical was truly an incredible experience, both on and off the stage. It is an experience unlike any other, where students can join from every spectrum of the community. From the athlete to the dedicated artist, and everyone in between, performing in the musical has allowed students to form unique friendships that may not have occurred outside of the auditorium doors. Julia Blanchard’14, who began performing in the chorus last year, strongly recommends participating, stating, “It’s a great thing to do if you’re looking to get involved in something and meet new people. It’s fun stuff and by the end the cast is so close. It’s fun to show the school all the work you’ve done as a group.” Furthermore, as a main character this year, and seven-year play veteran, Sydney Mann’14 also advises many to join the cast. “Everyone should go out for the musical because it is an amazing experience. It boosts your confidence, teaching you how to perform, and it also widens your Newark Academy spectrum introducing you to some of the nicest students.” Gabby Bellemo’15, a newcomer to the school, has been involved in plays all her life. However she was particularly fond of this performance, as she believes “the cast has gotten very close, and very attached to the songs and jokes in the script. It is great being in an environment filled with music, dancing, and enthusiastic people that all have something in common.”

Nevertheless, if singing and dancing aren’t up one’s alley, every member of the cast was still delighted to receive as much support as possible. This year’s performance was unlike any other, as it involved four random members of the audience coming up on stage in different scenes to contend in the Spelling Bee. As Julia Blanchard enthusiastically stated, “The audience had a big role and no two shows were the same.” The show begins was performed on February 27^th at 7:30 p.m., and ran every night through March 1^st. The bee was truly a success!