Stamford High School’s Strawberry Hill Players will be preforming the musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. This year Stamford High will be putting on three different productions in one school year as opposed to the usual two. This change, as Alex Cahr, sophomore, explains, is something she looks forward to as it gives all the actors and crew the opportunity to improve and grow stronger. This fall’s musical is about a spelling bee focused on the six contestants and the adults running the spelling bee. There are ten main roles in the musical. The Round Table caught up with one of the actresses Brianna Bellavia. Brianna has just been cast at Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere, a student competing in the spelling bee. “Being a senior in the drama club is really cool, it’s fun to be the oldest and have others look up to you; at the same time it’s sad, I don’t want to leave.” Brianna Bellavia as well as two other seniors were cast as leads in the musical; these students are Matthew Woodside and Ziggy Sakalauskas.
Alex Cahr was cast as Olive Ostrovsky, another student participating in the spelling bee. Olive is a relatable character who partakes in the spelling bee with no support from her family. Cahr explains that she is “looking forward to playing a part unlike any part I’ve ever played before, and a chance to be on stage with my friends.” The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, as Cahr describes it, is an amazing comedy; it’s definitely something to look forward to as fall nears.
Other members of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee include Zoë Usowski, Will Hunt, Shaina Lubliner, Bryce Drynan (the only freshman lead), and Erin Maher.
Also recently cast is Stamford Public School’s All School Musical: Shrek. The role of Shrek will be played by none other than Stamford High’s very own Bennett Leeds (senior). In an interview with The Round Table, Bennett told us: “I’m really excited to work with this music. It’s contemporary, fun, and totally different from what I’m used to performing”. This is Bennett’s fourth and final All School Musical, a very bittersweet thought. Bennett, along with his fellow seniors participating in the production, are role models for the younger cast members who will be returning to the All School Musical family or even joining for the first time. The All School Musical is the one time when students from high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools in Stamford can work together and put on a show.
Other cast members of Shrek include: Jessica Freedman as Princess Fiona, Eric Andrade as Donkey, Aidan Hart as Lord Farquaad, and Jennifer DeNardo as Dragon.
Make sure to check out the musicals in the fall and see all the hard work the Stamford High students and other peers put into these productions.