Stage lights shut off, darkness enveloping the auditorium as footsteps can be heard trudging away.  Finally after almost 2 years of masked shows and cautious planning,  Theater is ready to steal the spotlight with “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”. Their show will be hitting the stage on Nov. 17 and closing night will be Nov.19. The musical was originally set to debut in the spring of 2020; however, after spending grueling hours auditioning, designing, painting, and practicing, the show was canceled due to the pandemic.   

With the revamped show just around the corner, students of all grade levels are excited to see the show come to life again. Both the cast and crew are looking forward to redoing the show, hoping to bring closure to the seniors who took part in the first rendition. For prop officer senior Molly McGraw, it’s all about having the show come full circle. 

“I’m really excited because this is a show I never got to finish. My freshman year I was just a member of the crew and now I’m the crew head,” McGraw said.  

Director Kim Harrison is also thrilled to bring the show back, not only to bring the seniors closure but because this is one of her favorite shows. Before teaching at FHC, Harrison produced this show two other times and is ready to bring the characters to life once again. 

“We just auditioned and the talent level was insane. A lot of them came in with lines already memorized,” Harrison said.

The cast is also ready to get started on the show, especially because it’s heavily focused on the characters. The set takes place in a school auditorium so the crew will focus more on ingenuity and creativity for props and set pieces. 

Alongside the fall musical, they’re also ready to start introducing improv shows and perform at the Renaissance Fair. Theater will be performing “The Seussification of A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and will also have a merchandise booth. They will be there every weekend from Sept. 17 through Oct. 23 with their booth being set up beside the Marco Polo Stage. 

At their booth theater will be selling their mascot Richard, the cute and cuddly crocheted spider. The spiders range in size, color and accessories with some spiders even being keychains. Prices are $5 for keychains and plushies start at $7 and increase based on size and the material. The spiders can also be found in room 22 during the first three hours as well as after school.