By Rebekah Whitlock and Ashleigh Colyer

Newark, Il. - Your name is called. You walk up to the microphone and wait. “Please spell soliloquy.” Your hands sweat. Your heart pounds. You know this word, and yet your mind goes blank.

That’s how Newark Community High School’s drama club spells entertainment. Friday, May 6th at 7:00 p.m. marks the opening of the hilarious production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Spelling bees by nature contain high stakes and sweaty palms, but the six quirky yet charming elementary school students (along with four audience volunteers) who compete for the spelling bee title are battling a lot more than each other.

Every production provides new challenges for the Newark dramatic team. This show requires students to hone their improvisation skills. Since four of the contestants are audience members, each show will be unique. “The most important thing for the actors to do is to make the volunteers feel safe. We’ve worked really hard to create an environment in which the audience can trust us,” director Elizabeth Wheeler says. For rehearsals the cast has invited random people in to volunteer so they can practice performing with people unfamiliar with the show. “This is nothing like anything we’ve ever done before. The audience will be on stage with us, interacting with us. And we get a chance to show off our acting ability. The casting was different, too. For this show, the director chose parts for us that were completely different from who we are in real life, so we are learning to be someone we’re not,” says senior, Alex Bogden. “It’s supercrazyawesomeamazing! And yes, I can spell that,” Bogden added.