Fate of ‘Spelling Bee’ Remains Uncertain

February 4, 2023 by Ann Wishart

Drama surrounding Cardinal Schools’ proposed production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” took center stage Feb. 1 during an informal but tense discussion among the controversy’s central cast.

Production Director Vanessa Allen, Superintendent Jack Cunningham, board members Wendy Anderson and Katie Thomas, Cardinal Middle School Principal Mike Hall and a teachers’ union representative met to discuss how best to move forward following the board’s Jan. 25 decision to cancel “Spelling Bee” over its PG-13 content.

Among the options discussed was making changes to the production. There are legal limits to doing so — characters and storylines can’t be changed, and any changes must go through the company that holds production rights, Allen said — but it might not be an insurmountable challenge.

Local volunteer assistant director Mandi Matchinga verified by phone Feb. 3 the “Spelling Bee” writers are willing to collaborate on a rewrite.

“We did receive an email from Rachel Sheinkin, one of the original writers,” Matchinga said.

Scheinkin offered, if given a specific list of issues, to sit down with the other writer and make adaptations and modifications to the script to address the board’s concerns and make it appropriate for our community, she added.

Concerns about the musical were brought to the board’s attention when a resident sent an email dated Jan. 11 to the board objecting to various facets of “Spelling Bee.”

The email read:

“I have heard some rumblings about the content of this year’s musical. I read the script and did find it very troubling for a school performance (sexual and religious references). I also understand that the performance for the middle school will not happen due to the content.

“Also, hearsay from a student in the show is that the musical staff is trying to see how far they can go with it now and in the future. I would appreciate you looking into this and letting us know your thoughts.

“Thank you in advance.”

Cunningham reiterated during the Feb. 1 meeting that several board members were also concerned about crude language in the “Spelling Bee” script and a song about puberty.

Allen explained one student sings she has two dads, but no one professes them to be gay.

Anderson said most people who sent emails just assumed the dads were gay.

Thomas said she saw the production and thought it was very funny.

“Two board members didn’t want to ditch the show. We want to see this show,” she said. “They can make some modifications to the lyrics.”

Lyrics aside, Anderson also said the character biographies are offensive and stereotypical, asserting the term “home-schooled” is used in a derogatory manner.

The union representative countered that most characters in musicals, such as those in “Cinderella,” are stereotypes.

“We make them that way,” the union representative said.

Anderson noted actors are encouraged to ad-lib comments regarding politics and religion, and she pressed for the production of a different musical.

“I got the script with a few changes you made. I don’t know why you can’t do something else,” she said.

Timing, Casting Challenge Replacement

Substituting a less contentious musical at a later date was discussed. In fact,

Cunningham opened the meeting by saying the board still wants a musical this spring.

However, concerns exist over timing.

“Spelling Bee” was set to be performed in March, and receiving permission to produce a new musical could take weeks — followed by more weeks of practice, the union representative said.

The board agreed to postpone an alternate production until April or May, but appeared to be split on how “Spelling Bee” should proceed.

Allen noted she has only two male actors available and claimed there are not a lot of other high school students with the talent and desire to sing on stage.

“We have issues with numbers. Everybody is having trouble with numbers,” she said. “We are very limited in what we can do. We need kids who can do the parts. This was the only one that was feasible.”

However, another issue brought up with “Spelling Bee” is a requirement that younger students would need permission slips to attend the PG-13 musical.

Anderson said previous shows, such as “The Wizard of Oz,” were G-rated for general audiences, which meant students of any age could attend without permission slips.

“Music is a critical thing in Middlefield. I don’t want it to get exclusive,” she said. “We can’t even let our sixth-graders go see (‘Spelling Bee’).”

No Precedent for Selecting Productions

All the debate during the Feb. 1 meeting led to discourse about how things got to this point in the first place.

Cunningham told Allen at the meeting the process of choosing a musical was handled poorly.

“You should have brought it to Mike (Hall) or the board or me, rather than finding out along the way,” he said.

As concern over the musical began building within the last few weeks, it appeared the district had no formal approval policy for choosing production material.

Allen noted no precedent has been set.

Thomas, who has experience with high school productions, said in a phone conversation Feb. 2 she supports the production of “Spelling Bee” and some alterations of the script and song lyrics to bring the rating closer to PG.

She also said the vast majority of musicals have at least one sexually suggestive scene. “Theater is meant to be a little bit edgy,” she said.

Ultimately, during the Feb. 1 meeting, Thomas urged the administration and all board members to work together for a solution.

Cunningham said his goal is to have a musical and urged Allen to attend the Feb. 8 school board meeting.

“I’m trying to make sure we are moving forward and the kids have something to perform,” he said.

‘Spelling Bee’ Threat Deemed Miscommunication

The morning of Feb. 2, Cunningham requested no additional names be mentioned in the media regarding the “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” controversy due to perceived threats received against a teacher. He reported to law enforcement a threatening phone call was made to the school the morning of Feb. 2.

Middlefield Village Police Chief Joe Tucholski said Thursday afternoon the phone call came into the school district at about 11 a.m. from a person who gave the office his name.

By the afternoon, police had checked with the alleged caller, who was at work and denied making the call, the chief said.

Further investigation determined no threats were made over the phone, he said.

“There was no actual threat. There was a miscommunication between the office staff and the teacher,” Tucholski said. “Someone did call asking about (a former teacher), but there were no threats or derogatory statements.