Take part in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”

Have you ever wanted to perform in a show at the Barksdale Theatre?

If you attend one of the upcoming productions of the two-act musical "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," you might get your chance.

"Four members of the audience are recruited to participate in the actual spelling bee, up there on stage with the cast during Act I for each and every performance," said Judi Crenshaw, publicist for Theatre IV and Barksdale Theatre. "It's sort of a combination of being in the spelling bee, but also being in a professional show."

Those interested in participating are asked to arrive at least 45 minutes before the play starts. Crenshaw said a "bee representative" will be in the lobby, taking the names of those interested. The representative will interview each person in order to find a diverse foursome to invite on stage.

About 15 minutes before the show starts, the names will be announced. Those pulled from the audience are given words to spell, just like the characters are. If they get a word wrong, a bell dings and they leave the bee.

"The cast is all ad-libbing around this; it's really just hilarious," she said. "And they truly do become part of the cast each night." -- Jeremy Slayton