WSCC Sevier County Campus Hosts “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”
You might have some bad memories of spelling bees from your elementary school days – sweaty palms, a nervous stomach and all those spelling rules circling in your mind. Walters State’s Sevier County Campus will help you shake off those memories and replace them with the fun and quirky contestants featured in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”
This musical shows at 7 p.m. March 27-28, with a 2 p.m. showing on March 29 in the Connor-Short Center. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for students. Reservations can be made by calling 865.774.5800. Tickets will also be available at the door.
The play is the first full-length theatrical production performed on the campus, and the first at Walters State for director Amber Williamson, instructor of music at the college. She chose this production for a variety of reasons – great music and audience participation.
“You are actually watching a spelling bee. A few members of the audience become participants and that adds to the comedy,” Williamson said. “This is set in a small town and the annual spelling bee brings out some of the quirkier traits of residents.”
While the teenagers try to spell, the adults running the bee run into a series of Lucy-and-Ethel situations. Some of the funniest moments come when the adults are challenged to use the given words in sentences.
The play is a wonderful vehicle to show off the talented students who have spent much of the semester perfecting both their singing and spelling talents. John David Ayers of Gatlinburg has been cast as Chip Tolentino; Anna Brackins, also of Gatlinburg, plays Anna Brackens. Caitlin Marie Goolsby of Sevierville has the challenging role of Rona, mistress of ceremonies at the Bee. Phoenix Keller, currently a student Sevier County High School, is cast as William Barfee and Montana Marrero, of Sevier County, plays Logainee. Bradford McGaha is making his theatrical debut in this production as Vice Principal Douglas Panch. Connie Phillips of Sevierville is cast as Mitch Mahoney. Keegan Tucker of Jefferson County plays Leaf Coneybear and Jessica Witte of Pigeon Forge plays Marcy Park.
While this is the first play for Williamson to direct at Walters State, she brings an array of experience with her. She has spent many nights both on stage and in orchestras. Her previous work includes time with the McLeod Summer Playhouse and the Spanish Lyric Opera. She is a professional flautist and performed regularly with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, the Jackson Symphony, the Corinth Symphony and the Memphis Chamber Ensemble. She holds a B.S. in Music and an M.S. in Music, Flute Performance, from Southern Illinois University. She is completing her Ph.D. at the University of Memphis.
Assisting Williamson is a face familiar to the entertainment industry in Sevier County, Pedro Tomás. For 25 years, he served as director, choreographer and dance partner for entertainer Louise Mandrell. He holds a B.A. in theatre and M.A. in Spanish Literature. Tomás is also a proud to have earned his A.S. degree from Walters State. He is a lecturer for the Department of Modern Foreign Languages at the University of Tennessee and serves as an adjunct professor at Walters State. He also created choreography for BackBeat, a show choir based at the Sevier County Campus, for nine years.
About Walters State
Over 6,200 credit and 4,000 non-credit students attend Walters State. The college has campuses in Morristown, Greeneville, Sevierville and Tazewell. It offers over 100 associate degrees and technical certificates. Visit Walters State’s website at ws.edu.
About Tennessee’s Community Colleges
Tennessee’s Community Colleges is a system of 13 colleges offering a high-quality, affordable, convenient and personal education to prepare students to achieve their educational and career goals in two years or less. We offer associates degrees and certificate programs, workforce development programs and transfer pathways to four-year degrees. For more information, please visit us online at tncommunitycolleges.org.
