Ball State University

04/14/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/14/2026 11:22

Ball State University to Present ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ Musical, April 16–19 & 21–25

Ball State University's Department of Theatre and Dance will present The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at 7:30 p.m. on April 16-18 and April 21-25, with a matinee performance at 2:30 p.m. April 19, in the Oakwood Building, Room 101.

With music and lyrics by William Finn and a book by Rachel Sheinkin, the musical was conceived by Rebecca Feldman and includes additional material by Jay Reiss. The Ball State production is directed by Carson Crow, '18, with musical direction by Dr. Jim Rhinehart, DA '12, associate teaching professor of musical theatre, and choreography by Kelsey Krigas, '20.

Tickets are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office at Sursa Performance Hall, in person, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.

In this production, an eclectic group of six mid-pubescents compete for the spelling championship of a lifetime. As the contestants spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, they also share candid and comedic stories from their home lives-hoping to avoid the bell that signals a spelling mistake and ends the competition.

"Our production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will take you through an immense journey of joy and utter heartbreak on the most important day of a 12-year-old's life," said Mr. Crow, who earned his bachelor's degree in direction from Ball State. "In this musical-comedy fraught with competition, come cheer on this year's champion. Expect to laugh, cry, and even have a chance to win the Putnam County Spelling Bee."

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.

The Department of Theatre and Dance is part of Ball State's College of Fine Arts. Learn more about the department's other upcoming theatrical performances online.

Ball State University published this content on April 14, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 14, 2026 at 17:22 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]