VGCC Dinner Theater promises a spellbinding evening

Vance-Granville Community College has announced that an upcoming production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” a musical comedy, will be the college’s sixth annual Dinner Theater. The event, once again involving the collaboration of the VGCC Drama and Culinary Arts departments, is scheduled for the evenings of Thursday, April 26, and Friday, April 27, in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. Dinner begins at 6 p.m. each evening.

Winner of the Tony and the Drama Desk Awards for Best Book, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee has charmed audiences across the country with its effortless wit and humor. Featuring a fast-paced, wildly funny and touching book by Rachel Sheinkin and a vibrant score by William Finn, this “bee” is one unforgettable experience.

The comedy premiered on Broadway in 2005 to critical acclaim. Its action centers on an eclectic group of six schoolchildren who are vying to win the coveted spelling bee championship. The tweens candidly disclose hilarious, and often touching, stories from their home lives while spelling their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing “ding” of the bell that signals a spelling mistake.

Betsy Henderson, VGCC’s Department Chair/Instructor of Humanities and Fine Arts, is the director of the play.

Tickets are $30 and are scheduled to go on sale on March 22. Audience members will be able to choose the table and specific seats they want, at the same time that they buy their tickets online. Patrons are encouraged to purchase their tickets early in order to have the best chance of getting the seats they want for this year’s show.

For more information, visit vgcc.springerstudios.net/dinnertheater .