Column: On stage in Aurora and in real life, county spelling bees provide lesson in competition

Chicago Tribune

27-03-2025

'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' is a Tony-nominated production that's been around for 20 years. But the message of this beloved musical comedy that centers on six middle-schoolers vying for a trophy is more relevant than ever – there's a whole lot of pressure on kids to not only compete but to win, sometimes at any cost.
OK, so that's a lot to put on a musical comedy. Especially one as hilarious as this show that's playing through April 27 at Copley Theatre in downtown Aurora.
Yes, 'Putnam County Spelling Bee' is so darn adorable, I laughed and smiled my way through the entire two-hour show that not only features a talented cast of nerdy 'adolescents' and equally quirky adults, but also a handful of brave audience members who joined the spellers on stage as they vied for a chance to bring home a big trophy and represent their county at the next level of competition.
The top-notch caliber of this show is no surprise. That's what we've come to expect from the Paramount Theatre's BOLD Series, which not only manages to entertain but also deliver a message that keeps you thinking after the standing ovation.
This show, I guarantee, will hit home with a majority of the audience. After all, most of us have vivid memories of taking part in spelling bees, whether we were lousy at it, managed to hang around for several rounds or came away with head held high as a finalist, runner-up or champ.
As Director Stephen Schellhardt pointed out in his playbill notes, even with ChatGPT and spell check, 'America's love for this centuries-old spelling bee endures,' in all likelihood because 'competition is a cornerstone of society.'
Turns out, the same week this Copley musical opened, a seventh-grader from Larson Middle School in Elgin, Yahya Mohammed, took the top prize in the spelling bee sponsored by the Kane County Regional Office of Education, which has partnered with Scripps National Spelling Bee – celebrating its centennial this year – for more than two decades.
Young Yahya Mohammed – who nailed the word 'intersperse' after 20 rounds of competition – also won the regional bee last year, and lasted into the fourth round at the national contest in Washington, D.C.
There were 27 schools that were represented in the semifinal of this year's Kane County bee, according to the Regional Office of Education, and those numbers have remained consistent over the last several years.
Like anything that involves kids and/or education, there's been pros and cons written about word-memorization contests – promotes better reading, writing, spelling and confidence versus does not promote better reading, writing, spelling and confidence.
The musical definitely shines a humorous spotlight on the pressure kids are under to excel. But that's true in any youth-related competition, especially sports, where the ante has been upped for this generation, as it takes so much more time, money and family commitment to just stay in the game, never mind excel at it.
What I liked about 'Putnam County Spelling Bee,' however, is that in their angst-riddled pursuit of excellence and acceptance, these youngsters display resiliency, and that, while they realize winning is awesome, in the end, it's really just icing on the cake to the other positives that healthy competition can foster.
As Schellhardt pointed out in his director's playbill notes, the word competition stems from the Latin words COM, which means 'together,' and PETERE, which means 'to seek.'
'What if we were to honor that version of the word more often?' he asks. 'What if, in our pursuit of excellence, we turn towards each other instead of against and celebrate our differences?
'What if we champion the courage it takes to simply show up?'
Turns out those words were echoed by Patricia Dal Santo, regional superintendent of schools for Kane County.
'The amount of effort that students put into preparing for this competition is a feat itself,' she said, noting the 4,000-word study list these kids get to prepare for these spelling bees.
'Simply participating on this stage can be a treasured memory for children and their families,' she added, 'and we take pride in providing this platform for them to showcase their talent.'