Thank you to our
Season Sponsors Partnering Sponsors
ALE 8 One City of Winchester Kentucky Arts Council National Endowment for the Arts South Arts
Silver Author B.H. Woods Engine House Pizza Pub D&D Machinery Movers & Millwrights The Dunaway Family
Lifetime Potentials Traditional Bank The Holt Family
Bronze A.M.A Services MPG Architecture EPPIC Films Explorium of Lexington The jaime Delgado Real Estate Team
Providence Montessori School Winchester First
Confetti Clean Living Cleaners central Bank Clark county farm bureau
22-23 DONORS Mr. and Mrs. Steven Adams Danielle Adkins Betty Bailey Jennifer Baldwin Rebecca Bartee Charles Bast Emma Becker David Bellamy Peter Benson Katherine Berner Wendy Berryman Patricia Booth Shaquita Brown Martha Brown Resa Browning Margo Buchanan Rebecca Campomanes Nicole Cardwell Michael Caudill W. Brett Cheuvront Julianna Clarke Connie Coates Karen Combs Lisa Combs Leanna Comer Stephen Crosby Vanessa Crosby Halee Cunningham Olivia Davis Thomas & Melissa Dean Roni-Anne Denham Morgan Denny Darren Diguette Cicely Dore Michael and Nancy Dunn Daniel Ellis Harry Enoch Ian Ferrell Mike Fletcher Daniel Florence Laura Freeman William Glasscock Betty Jane Glasscock Joy Graham Nathaleen Jo Gravett Beth Ann Griffith Susan Grooms Thomas Guerra
Pamala Gulick Amy Harper Alexandria Harris Carlean Hefner Wanda Hobbs Evender Hodges David Hungerford Kelly Hutchens Rebecca Jackson Ronald Jackson Brooke Jackson Sherry Jackson Thompson Elizabeth W Jones Jeffery Justice Rebecca Keith Lucia Kincer Ron & Tammy Knight Mary Kate Knight Minda Kohner Coogle Pete Koutoulas Abby Lane Alfred Leo Jane Levy Jordan Lewis Jutta Kausch Liddle Blake Liles Elizabeth Lin Bo List Karen Litterer Patrick Lee Lucas Elizabeth Lucas Carlisle Mayer Becky McCraith Kelly McEuen Anthony Miller Betty Miller James Miller Tracey Miller Ellie Miller Tessa Miller Patricia Monohan Stacey Moore Barbara Morgan Becky Mozingo Esther Neel Jim Newman Rachael Newton William Oliver John & Renae Owen
Mark Pascuzzi Brandi Peacher Lisa Pohl Lalana Powell Carol Preston Charlie Preston Mary Quertermous Candace Quisenberry Charles Rankin Stuff Recycling James Rhodus Gay Nell Rittenberry Patricia Roberts Amy Schwab J. Morgan Shaffo Mishelle Shaffo Katibeth Sharp Ruthi and Rankin Skinner James Sleightholm Therese Smith Nathan Smith Louis Smith Crystal Smith Vivian Snipes Bradley Snowden Joslyn Stanfield Kitty Strode Susan Thiel Barbara Thornbury Kirsten Thorstad Andrea Tucker Terri Tye Fara Tyree Holly Vanmeter George Vanmeter Joseph Wagner Roy Wagner Mary Wells Madalyn Wells Stormy Wesley Adreanna Wills Gary Wiseman Cara Worland Beth Wyatt Mary T. Yeiser Vanessa Ziembroski AthensWest Theatre Company Rowland Foundation
SPOTLIGHT ON
EDUCATION SPARK
Our arts education program is LIVE! Check out our current offerings in music, acting, and dance! Check out our summer camp programs on our website!
YOUTH BOARD The Leeds Youth Advisory Board consists of highly motivated high school leaders from the greater Winchester area. It meets biweekly to work on arts-based projects, strengthen leadership skills through seminars, and enhance the greater community through enrichment opportunities. Visit our website for more information.
SCHOLARSHIPS We work hard to make the arts accessible for all, and want to give youth the tools they need to succeed in arts - based higher education and careers. We offer two scholarship funds: The Gordon Liddle Fund for private arts instruction, and the Vanessa Rogers Fund for arts higher education. Visit our website for more information.
Lauren Mink
Clark County Farm Bureau Insurance
proudly supports
TH Annua 5 2 E l TH
25TH Annual THE
CAST
Rona Lisa Perretti..................................................................SARAH MONEY Chip Tolentino...............................................................MATTHEW WINTERS Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere......................................EMMA ERWIN Leaf Coneybear.........................................................................JACOB ERNST William Barfee....................................................................JACKSON BECKER Marcy Park.............................................................................ELENA GUERRA Olive Ostrovsky...........................................................................JAILA YEAST Vice Principal Douglas Panch......................................PATRICK LEE LUCAS Mitch Mahoney....................................................................ELIJAH GARRETT Busy Bees....................................................... CJ KNORR, CRICKET BROWN, HARPER CROSBY, TOMMY FLANIGAN Understudies....................................... CJ KNORR (U/S Chip, Panch, Barfee), CRICKET BROWN (U/S Olive), HARPER CROSBY (U/S Logainne, Marcy), TOMMY FLANIGAN (U/S Mitch, Leaf) Understudies do not perform unless announced.
Creative team
Director / Choreographer.............................................VANESSA BECKER WEIG Music Director..................................................................................RON WILBUR Assistant Director...........................................................................NICK VANNOY Producer........................................................................................TRACEY MILLER Stage Manager......................................................................................MACEY FIX Assistant Stage Manager................................................................VIVIEN KURTZ Lighting Design.............................................................................BECKI YARROW Sound Design.......................................................................................JOHN WISE Scenic Design......................................LAWRENCE BUCKLAND, JAMES MILLER Costume Design...................................................ELLIE MILLER, RUTH BLEVINS Headshot Photography........................................................REBECCA ASHBY Production Photography............................SALLY HOROWITZ PHOTOGRAPHY Special Thanks............ Ruth and Don Blevins, Philip Moore, Armondo Diaz, Andrea Wilson, Diana Evans School of Dance, Vivien Kurtz, Elena Guerra, Nathan Smith, Tessa Miller, Jackson Becker, Esther Neel, UK Opera Theatre
25TH Annual THE
A note from the director... Spelling Bee was always on my bucket list of shows to direct. I wasn't sure why, but every time I watched the show, I laughed and cried, and took away something different from each production. Now that I have directed it, I understand why I was so compelled. This musical is filled with heart and humor. I believe the entire cast, crew, and creative team have enjoyed working with each other and such fabulous material. Spelling Bee is a parody of the seriousness of spelling bees. The humor of the script and score is brilliantly based in truth. I adore all of these characters, despite and maybe because of their shortcomings.This spelling bee serves as a microcosm of the pressures of adult life and how the characters respond to these pressures. It also exposes some of the adults' parenting flaws and how it affects their children. I have learned more than how to spell a few new words from these kids - Barfee, Chip, Leaf, Logainne, Marcey, and Olive - and their adult counterparts. I hope you do too!
-VANESSA BECKER WEIG
There will be one 15 minute intermission. No photography or videography allowed
Meet the Cast CJ Knorr - Busy Bee, U/S Chip, Panch, Barfee This is CJ's fourth production with Leeds, and he is so excited to be a part of this incredible cast. His previous roles at Leeds include John Brooke in Little Women, Captain Scott in Peter and The Starcatcher, and Lucas in The Addams Family Musical. CJ graduated from Arcadia University in 2020 and received his B.F.A in Acting. This is actually CJ's second time performing in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee as a part of his university's Main Stage production his senior year. He is really excited to jump back into the hilarity of this show and breathe new life into it. He would like to thank his friends, his family, his parents, and his girlfriend for always supporting him in all his acting endeavors and for always encouraging him to continue his acting journey.
Cricket Brown - Busy Bee, U/S Olive Cricket is happy to be returning to the Leeds stage! Cricket is a junior at Western Hills and is a college student at BCTC getting their associate's degree. Some of their favorite past performances include Peter And The Starcatcher (Mack), Beauty And The Beast (Silly Person), The Prom (Ensemble), Matilda the Musical (Ensemble), and Addams Family (Ancestor). This past summer they were accepted into GSA for Drama and Musical Theatre, and is an alumnus of the Musical Theatre program. They would like to thank Leeds for providing a space for them to be comfortable and grow as an artist. They hope you enjoy the bee!
Elena Guerra - Marcy Park Elena, a Winchester native, is thrilled to be returning to Leeds' stage for this spectacular production. Recently you may have seen her as Mrs. Wormwood in Matilda, Molly Aster in Peter and the Starcatcher, or Grandma Addams in The Addams Family at Leeds. Other featured credits include Kaylee in The Prom with Voices Amplified, Jo U/S in Little Women with Leeds, and Jean Louise Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird with CAL Theatre. While Elena has been in many local productions, Spelling Bee is her favorite to date. She describes this process to be the perfect storm with such an outstanding cast, crew, director, location, and script. Elena is grateful to be a part of something so magnificent, and she hopes that each and every audience enjoys this production as much as the artists within it have enjoyed its process. She would like to thank Sarah Money for going to Skyzone with her on glow night to try out different tricks for Marcy, Liza Geil for inspiration in playing Paris Eustace Geller, Jackson Becker for enduring Marcy's perfectionism, and all of our rehearsal spellers. Au revoir! Adios! さようなら! До свидания! !ֱה יה שלום Tschüss!
Elijah Garrett - Mitch Mahoney Tenor Elijah Garrett, native of Paducah, KY, attends University of Kentucky where he studies vocal performance under the pedagogy of Dr. Angelique Clay. He is a 2020 AllTech voice competition scholar at UK. He serves as a choral scholar and cantor at Faith Lutheran Church - ELCA. Elijah was last heard singing the Act II Quintet as Le Remendado in Carmen at UK. He sang the Act I Finale duet of Kurt Weill’s opera Street Scene for the University of Kentucky Opera Workshop “Encounters” scene production. He has performed the role of Beadle Bamford in Sweeney Todd and covered the role of Don Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro at Red River Lyric Opera. Elijah most recently performed as Elder Gleaton/ Sam Polk(Cover) in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah with UKOT.
Emma Erwin - Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere Emma Erwin graduated in 2018 from the UK Department of Theatre + Dance with a B.A. in Theatre and certificate in Musical Theatre. She has participated in countless productions in both the Columbus, OH and Lexington area, but her true passions lie in Theatre Education. Her favorite roles have been Tracy, (Hairspray), Lucy (You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown), Penny (Hairspray), Belle (Beauty and the Beast), and Beth (Little Women). She is the Director of Theatre for Voices Amplified’s ACTivate program and is so passionate about theatre education! This has been such a dream getting to be in one of her favorite shows with some of her favorite people in the world! Special thanks to Logan for being the best partner, and Chewie and Binx for providing lots of fur baby kisses and cuddles at the end of the day.
Harper Crosby - Busy Bee, U/S Marcy, Logainne Harper Crosby is a senior at Lafayette High School and Governor's School for the Arts alum, and is excited to share the stage with so many talented people! She has appeared on stage previously as Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Lexington Children's Theatre) and Sharpay Evans in High School Musical (InnOvation Arts Academy). She hopes you enjoy the show!
Jackson Becker - William Barfee Jackson is thrilled to be returning to Leeds as William Barfée. You may have recently seen him as Fester in The Addams Family, Smee in Peter and the Starcatcher, or Professor Bhaer in Little Women with Leeds. Other featured credits include Trent in The Prom with Voices Amplified, Corny Collins in Hairspray with Jessamine County Arts, and Charlie Brown in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown with Studio Players. Spelling Bee has always been a favorite of Jackson’s and he has thoroughly enjoyed the process of bringing this exhilarating story to life. He wants to thank Elena Guerra and his family for everything they do. He hopes you enjoy our production, and he asks you to kindly remember it’s Barfée… not Barfee. There’s an accent ague. Goodbye!
Jacob Ernst - Leaf Coneybear Jacob Ernst is a Lexington native, proud Lafayette & GSA alumni, and a recent graduate of the University of Kentucky. As a performer, you may have seen him in Peter and the Starcatcher (Prentiss) or Little Women (Laurie) here at Leeds. He also teaches for Spark, recently made his directorial debut (Singin in the Rain Jr.), and works as a substitute teacher for Fayette County. Jacob could not be more excited to be doing this show with this incredible cast & creative team. He loves Leaf and all of these other wonderfully zany characters a whole lot and hopes you will too!
Jaila Yeast - Olive Ostrovsky Jaila is ecstatic to be performing on the Leeds stage for the first time! She’s been performing locally for many years, most recently in Hairspray (Dynamite), Mean Girls (Regina George), Shrek the Musical (Fiona), and more. Spelling Bee has been her most challenging production thus far, while simultaneously being the most enjoyable. Jaila is so grateful for the flexibility of the Putnam production team, and for her fellow cast mates for dealing with her craziness. She would also like to thank Jayden for his help in character development, her family & friends for their constant support, and Olive Ostrovsky for helping her find a piece of herself that was previously hidden. Jaila hopes you enjoy the pandemonium that is this show, and thanks you for coming! Enjoy!
Matthew Winters - Chip Tolentino Matt is thrilled to finally be performing on the Leeds stage for the first time! Matt is an actor, singer, and director who is a graduate of Asbury University, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre and Cinema Performance, along with a minor in music. Matt has performed with several theatre companies across Central Kentucky including Kentucky Conservatory Theatre (Beauty and the Beast; Sir Galahad in Spamalot), Lexington Children’s Theatre (Cat in the Hat in Seussical), and Woodford Theatre (Little Shop of Horrors; Bob Wallace in White Christmas). Matt would like to thank Vanessa, the cast and production team, Tracey, and the staff of Leeds for making this such a fun and wonderful project. And he would also like to thank you all for coming to see the show and supporting the arts in Central Kentucky. Enjoy the show!
Patrick Lee Lucas - Vice Principal Douglas Panch Patrick Lee Lucas has sung, danced, and acted in Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, and Michigan. Favorite roles include Harold Hill (The Music Man), Cornelius Hackl (Hello, Dolly!), Frederick (A Little Night Music), The Old Man (A Christmas Story, The Musical), and Edward Bloom (Big Fish, The Musical). He has appeared in Leeds productions since 2015. This is his first spelling bee, on stage or off.
Sarah Money - Rona Lisa Perretti Sarah is thrilled to be making her Leeds debut! She is a graduate of SCAPA Lafayette and the University of Kentucky, where she currently works as a Neonatal ICU nurse and is pursuing her doctorate. Most recently, you may have seen her on stage in Jessamine County's Hairspray (Ensemble). Other favorite credits include Grease (Patty Simcox), Urinetown (Hope Cladwell cover), Sweeney Todd (Featured Ensemble), and Annie (Annie). Sarah would like to thank her husband, parents, Smitho family, and the Bucking sisters for their never-ending support (and assistance in creating many of her one-liners for this production). She would also like to thank her cats, Luna and Tuna, for allowing her to exist alongside them.
Tommy Flanigan - Busy Bee, Jesus, U/S Leaf, Mitch Tommy Flanigan is a 22 year old stand-up comedian from Lexington, Kentucky. Spending his days as a Preschool Teacher, Tommy has been doing theatre around the area and would like to thank everyone who has helped him make it to where he is today!
Vanessa Becker Weig - Director Vanessa Becker Weig is grateful for the opportunity to direct at Leeds where you last saw her as Morticia in The Addams Family. Vanessa is Co-Founder and Executive Artistic Director of Voices Amplified and is on the Part-Time Theatre Faculty at Eastern Kentucky University. She trained at the professional actor B.F.A. training program at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio and most recently trained with Anne Bogart and the SITI Company at their summer institute through Skidmore College. She has over 100 directing, choreography, and performance credits and since moving to Lexington 14 years ago, has directed or choreographed numerous productions for Woodford Theatre, the School for the Creative and Performing Arts, U.K.O.T.’ s Broadway Bound, and The Academy for Creative Excellence, and several award-winning productions for the Itheatrics Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta. She was the Education Director for Woodford Theatre from 2015-2019 and served as Artistic Director for the theatre in 2019 and 2020. Prior to moving to Lexington, Vanessa served for ten years as the Education Director and Resident Director/Actor for the Phoenix Theatre (now CATCO). Vanessa is a proud recipient of a Bluegrass Alliance for Women Impact Award and the prestigious Freddie G Fellowship from Music Theatre International. When she has a spare moment, Mrs. Weig appears on stage. Some of her favorite local roles include her time as Morticia, Paulette in Legally Blonde with KCT Summerfest, Madame De La Grande Bouche in Beauty and the Beast and The Warden in Holes with Lexington Children's Theatre.
Ron Wilbur - Music Director A native of Atlanta Georgia, Ronald Wilbur studied at University of Kentucky, focusing on vocal music education. While studying there, he broadened his knowledge, diversely, in many areas of music, ranging from classroom management to effective stylings of vocal jazz. Mr. Wilbur has had the opportunity to perform several titular characters such as: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Sweeney Todd), Ragtime (Colehouse Walker, Jr.) and The Wiz (Lion). Ron was also a featured vocalist on NBC’s hit television series, “The Sing-Off” (Season 4) with the University of Kentucky “acoUstiKats.” Ronald is also a recipient of the Rebecca Luker Award for his performance in the 2022 Lotte Lenya Vocal Competition. In addition to performing, Mr. Wilbur leads many sessions and workshops here in the states and abroad, covering the pedagogy of the singer's body, stage presence, and acting techniques. Ron is proud to serve as an educator and arts facilitator for many organizations in Central Kentucky.
Macey Fix - Stage Manager Macey is excited to be working with Leeds for the first time! She's worked with various other groups in central Kentucky, including Woodford Theatre, Adventure Theatre, and Jessamine County Arts+. Her previous production team credits include Stage Manager for A Christmas Carol and Assistant Stage Manager for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Along with stage managing, Macey's acted in many shows; favorite roles include Maud Dunlop in The Music Man, Julia Leverett in Lend Me a Tenor, and Lucy in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. She would like to thank the cast and production team for making her first experience at Leeds a great one!
Vivien Kurtz - Assistant Stage Manager Vivien is so excited to be doing her first show with Leeds! She is a graduate of SCAPA’s Theater Department and a Drama Alumni of the Governor’s School for the Arts. Vivien is the current Company Stage Manager for Voices Amplified in Lexington and has worked on The Prom and Descendants the Musical this year. In addition to Stage Managing, Vivien dedicates a lot of her time to dance and choreography. She’s previously danced with The Fam Foundation in Lexington and was even featured in the most recent Ale-8 Commercial. She would like to thank her loved ones for supporting her endeavors, as well as the cast and team at Leeds for creating such a safe space for joy, laughter, and love. Enjoy the show!
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