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Return to The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
William Finn (Music and Lyrics) Mr. Finn is the writer and composer of Falsettos, for which he received two Tony Awards, Best Book of a Musical (with James Lapine) and Best Original Score. He has also written and composed In Trousers, March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland (Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, two Los Angeles Drama Critics Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, the Lucille Lortel Award and Guggenheim Fellowship in Musical Composition). His most recent projects include Elegies, A Song Cycle (Lincoln Center) and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Broadway).
Rachel Sheinkin (Book) collaborated with William Finn and the company to adapt C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E into this musical (Tony, Drama Desk awards). Other music theatre collaborations include Striking 12 (TheatreWorks, Palo Alto); Blood Drive (O’Neill National Music Theatre Conference) and Serenade (Baryshnikov Arts Center).
Rebecca Feldman (Creator) Rebecca Feldman created The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee for which she won a Lucille Lortel Award, Drama Desk and Tony Nomination for Best Musical. She directed its world premiere at Barrington Stage Company in the summer of 2004. Rebecca conceived, directed and performed in C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E, the play upon which Spelling Bee is based.
Jay Reiss (Additional Material) originated the role as Vice Principal Douglas Panch off-Broadway and on Broadway in the Spelling Bee. He is a playwright with a degree from Juilliard.
 Richard Hopkins (Director) Artistic Director of Florida Studio Theatre since 1980, Richard Hopkins has guided the company from a small touring group to a professional regional theatre. Mr. Hopkins began his professional theatre career as a resident actor with Asolo State Theatre in Sarasota, Florida. In 1974 he founded the Palisades Theatre Company in Washington, DC, which subsequently moved to St. Petersburg to become American Stage. He served as its Producing Director from 1974-1980. Additional experiences include: President of the Florida Professional Theatres Association (1983-1985), Panelist for Theatre Program of Florida Arts Council, and Director/Instructor for Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus’ Clown College (1981). He was Theatre Specialist for the U.S. Dept. of State to Cairo and Amman. Awards include the Florida Professional Theatre’s Richard Fallon Award for Artistic Excellence and Sarasota Arts Council Award for Artistic Excellence. His many directing credits include: Boleros for the Disenchanted, Permanent Collection, Metamorphoses, The Bully Pulpit, God’s Man in Texas, Hysteria, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, 2: Goering at Nuremberg, Six Degrees of Separation, Execution of Justice, Death by Misadventure, Hi-Hat-Hattie, Invictus, Agnes of God, Beyond Therapy, True West, La Ronde, Betrayal, and numerous other plays and Cabaret projects.
Corinne Aquilina (Music Director) Credits include Arranger and Music Director for the Off-Broadway show Menopause, The Musical, played the Broadway pit of Boy from Oz, Musical Director for the National Tours of The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Annie, and Five Guys Named Moe. Several regional credits. She is a member of The Dramatists Guild of America, ASCAP, and American Federation of Musicians Local 802.
 Stephen Hope (Choreographer & Dance Captain) provided original choreography for the FST productions of A Murder, A Mystery and A Marriage, Steppin’ Out, A Marvelous Party, Good Evening, and both Laughing Matters, Too, and ’09. His choreographic work has been featured at Lincoln Center and in numerous regional productions throughout the United States.
CAST
 Rachel Cantor* (Logainne Schwartzand-grubenierre) Though her orthodontist may not agree, Rachel is thrilled to be making her FST debut playing the littlest lisper at the Bee. Past credits include; Off Broadway: Stephen Schwartz’s Captain Louie, National tour: Les Miserables, Laura Ingalls Wilder… (Laura), Regional: Urinetown (Hope), Charlie Brown (Sally), Christmas Carol (Belle), NYC Readings: Cutman; A Boxing Musical, Empire, and Beauty Queen. Numerous national voice-overs, including Huggies and Walmart. Graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy and The Boston Conservatory.
 Robin Lee Gallo* (Marcy Park) is delighted to be performing at Florida Studio Theatre. Broadway and National Tour: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Miss Saigon. Off-Broadway/NY: Kahn & Kant (Michelle Kwan), The Yellow Wood, Making Tracks, The Wedding Banquet, Make Cake Not War, Banjo Boys. Regional: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Marcy), Miss Saigon (Kim), Tomfoolery, Children of Eden, A Chorus Line (Connie), Titanic. TV: Law & Order SVU, Romper Room. BFA: NYU/Tisch.
 Ashley Puckett Gonzales* (Rona Lisa Peretti) NYC & National Tour: Annie 30th AnniversaryTour and Annie at Madison Square Garden (Lily St. Regis). Dance with Me (Lucille Ball). NYC New Musical Reading. Selected Regional credits include Cabaret (Emcee), Violet (Violet), Sunday in the Park with George (Dot/Marie), Grease (Frenchy), Joseph…Dreamcoat (Narrator), The Little Hours (Waltz/Midge). Ashley can be heard on Cartoon Network’s Case Closed (various roles) and Kodocha (Miss Mitsuya) and has been featured on Gunslinger Girls and Baki the Grappler.
Stephen Hope* (Vice Principal Douglas Panch) performed on Broadway in the original productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and The Scarlet Pimpernel, Off-Broadway in Fairy Tales, Dames At Sea, and Ascension, and on regional stages across the country. FST audiences will recognize him from more than a dozen productions including The Exonerated, Ruthless!, European Cabaret and both Laughing Matters, Too and ‘09.
 Sarah Jane Mellen (Olive Ostrovsky) is making her FST debut! NY credits: Manhattan Children’s Theatre – Peter and the Wolf (Bird), Rikki Tikki Tavi (Darzee/Teddy). Regional credits: The Wiz (Dorothy), Bat Boy (Shelly), City of Angels (Mallory), Seussical (Mayzie La Bird). TV: MTV reality show Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods. Training: Circle in the Square Theatre School.
 Kavin Panmeechao (Chip Tolentino) recently toured with The Bee in the role of Chip. Recent regional credits include Thoroughly Modern Millie (Ching Ho), Hello, Dolly! (Manny), Side Show (Fakir), Bye Bye Birdie (Harvey Johnson), and The King and I (Royal Dancer), as well as work for the Nuffield Theatre in Lancaster, United Kingdom. This is his FST debut!
 Erick Pinnick* (Mitch Mahoney) most recently appeared in Roundabout Theatre Company’s Tin Pan Alley Rag. He has appeared on Broadway as Mr. Smythe in A Christmas Carol and has toured nationally with Sunset Boulevard starring Petula Clark. Past roles include Curtis in Dreamgirls in the Barrymore nominated production (Prince Theatre), Adrian in Smokey Joe’s Café (John Engeman Theatre), Ulysses in Paint Your Wagon (Pioneer Theatre), Daniel in Once on this Island (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Jake in Side Show (Gorilla Theatre), and Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar (European Tour). Other productions include Baby and Follies (Papermill Playhouse, cast recording).
 Christopher Totten* (Leaf Coneybear) FST debut! New York: The Black Dahlia, Unlock’d, Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story, The Late Christopher Bean, I Can…Wholesale. National Tours: Annie, Cinderella. Regional: Unlock’d, The Dining Room, Oliver!, Godspell. Proud member of Actors Equity. www.christophertotten.com
 Bruce Warren* (William Barfeé) performed in Sarasota on the National Tour of The Wizard of Oz (Uncle Henry/Oz Guard/Nikko/Wizard & Cowardly Lion U/S) which played the Van Wezel this Spring. Other tours: 25th Anniversary North American Cats (Gus/Growl Tiger/Bustopher Jones), First National Oklahoma! (Jud & Ali Hakim U/S). Regional: Ragtime (Tateh), Singin’ in the Rain (Roscoe Dexter), The Sound of Music (Max Detweiler), Chicago (Mary Sunshine), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Gad/Baker), Songs for a New World (Man 2). www.BruceWarrenOnline.com
BAND
Tony Bruno (Drummer) began his professional drumming career at the age of 17 with The Kenny Fitzgerald Jazz Band. His first musical was FST’s 1988 production of No Way to Treat a Lady. He then spent many years on the road with The Larry Stout Circus Band, and has just returned from engagements with Circus Hollywood, touring New York, Texas and Georgia. He has also performed extensively for Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI, and has been the exclusive drummer for Circus Sarasota for the past eight years. Other performances with FST include Heartbeats, Role Play, and Blue Plate Special. He recently performed in Johnny Varro’s Quintet for the Sarasota Jazz Festival and returned to FST for this past season’s production of A Marvelous Party.
Phyllis Gessler (Synthesizer) is happy to return to FST where two years ago she worked as pianist for Altar Boyz and before on Hedwig and the Angry Inch. She has many musical directing credits all over the United States as well as the Far East. She also teaches voice and music directs for Pinellas County Center for the Arts in St. Petersburg.
Jeff Theiss (Pianist) recently graduated from Ithaca College with his Masters in Music in opera and musical theater conducting. During the summer he is Assistant Musical Director at Merry Go Round Playhouse in Auburn, NY, and also teaches at City Lights Youth Theatre in New York City. He would like to thank the cast for their hard work and support, Corinne for her guidance, and FST for the opportunity to work on such a fun show!
Production Staff
Production Manager...........................................Bruce Price*
Company Manager.............................................Garry Breul
Production Stage Manager.................................Kelli Karen*
Costume Designer.............................................Marcella Beckwith
Scenic Designer................................................Nayna Ramey
Lighting Designer..............................................Michael Foster
Sound Designer.................................................Eric Stahlhammer
* Denotes member Actors' Equity Association. The Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
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