Student-Directed Musical Reinvigorates Theater Club

This March, the Davidson community will see its first entirely student-directed musical in years. Breanna Suarez ‘25 saw a sign in the greenroom of the Cunningham Theater Building on campus for a student-led theater group that no longer existed. After this, she decided to restart Davidson’s Dionysia Theater Group. Dionysia’s fall performance of The Vagina Monologues was the group’s first performance since its revival, but this spring, the theater group will be performing an entirely student-led production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Suarez, who serves as co-director alongside Davis Varnado ‘25, explained that the show is “a fun musical” with “children played by adults in a spelling bee.” This show was specifically chosen because of its lighthearted and witty nature, as well as the opportunity to work in relevant jokes and allusions, explained cast member Isabella McCormick ‘25. One additional aspect of the show’s appeal is that it involves audience interaction. Specifically, students will be invited on stage to participate in a spelling bee along with the cast members.

Suarez and Varnado serve two distinct and important roles in the direction process. Suarez handles the musical numbers and works closely with the choreographer, as a self-proclaimed

“theater baby.” She also sought out production rights and worked to ensure adequate funding for the performance. In order to achieve this goal, Suarez applied for the Davidson Arts and Creative Engagement Grant and is now using it to fund Putnam

Conversely, Varnado works with the actors and pays attention to the scene work and acting. During rehearsals, Varnado does thirty-minute individual meetings with the cast members to discuss their characters. He explained, “I have been talking to all the different actors, and [asking] them off the bat is how [they] feel about the show so far. And [I’ve] been expecting some ‘it’s fine, it’s a lot of work,’ but they’ve all just said, ‘I love it so much, I’ve met so many new friends, [and] it’s been such an amazing experience. I’m so excited to keep going with rehearsals.”

Neither Varnado nor Suarez have extensive experience with directing. Varnado’s experience is limited to “a few short scenes and [a] fifteen minute movie scene [in a directing class].” However, he shared that “directing is something that [he’s] always been interested in.” Both students and the show’s cast are “so excited, so motivated, and just so happy [which] is really special.”

Several of Putnam’s cast members also shared their thoughts and excitement about the production. “This seemed like a great opportunity to be in a musical but also do something new that I hadn’t done before, explore my theatrical musicality in a new, fun way, [and] expand my musical repertoire,” said McCormick.

Florence Cuomo ‘23 shared similar sentiments about being in Putnam

“Everyone is [involved] because they love theater,” she said, “because they love to sing, because they love to dance, because they love musicals. And so it’s a different energy that I really like and that inspires me to be really committed to the project.”

Cuomo also expressed her gratitude towards Suarez. As a senior, the revival of Dionysia has created one final opportunity for Cuomo to participate in a musical.

Samantha Smith ‘25 was also quick to join the cast. She appreciated the student leadership but was also looking to make up for a past mistake. “My high school did [Putnam] my sophomore year,” she said, “and I never auditioned and I regretted it for the years to come.”

Though this is not a regular departmental show at Davidson, the cast is still committed to rehearsing as often as possible and going through all the necessary steps to prepare a high quality musical. Cuomo explained that they have been meeting three times each week to “have a vocal rehearsal or a blocking rehearsal where [they] work on the movements on stage, or a choreography rehearsal, where [they] work on the dancing.” Despite the regimented rehearsals, Smith said that “it’s very much low pressure [and] a lot of fun.”

Some cast members had some initial worries about the dynamics between themselves and the directors, given that both the cast and production teams are made up entirely of students. “I was a little worried going into it [about there being] weird power levels,” McCormick shared. However, Cuomo explained that these concerns quickly disappeared as this structure proved to create true camaraderie and support. “The dynamics are very friendly [and] respectful,” Smith said. “I think we respect our student directors so much for the work they’re putting in so we want to give them our best and help bring their vision to life.”

The team behind Putnam is confident that the show will be well-received by the Davidson community. In terms of the content of Putnam, McCormick shared that “although it’s funny and silly, it does have a more emotional undertone. So people get a good laugh and also leave feeling like ‘wow, okay, I was moved by that.”