For Immediate Release

Onstage at Theatre Three: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Theatre Three’s 2009-2010 "Pursuit of Happiness" Season begins with the Tony Award-winning musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin. Everyone has a different idea of happiness and how to get it: living a full life onstage, winning a spelling bee, merging two very different lives for romantic success, surviving all of life’s changes with grace, creating something entertaining at the very last minute, treasuring America’s musical heritage, learning how to dance again, celebrating the holidays with wild abandon, paying tribute to a legendary talent, finding that one true love, and conquering personal demons. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee begins previews on Thursday, September 24, 2009 and will close on Sunday, October 25, 2009. Who will win The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee? The contestants are formidable: Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre has two Dads cheering her on from the stands, Marcy Park speaks six languages, Chip Tolentino was last year’s champion, Olive Ostrovsky considers the dictionary her best friend, William Barfee has a “magic foot”, and Leaf Coneybear almost won his school’s spelling bee. In this Tony-Award winning musical, six kids try to earn acceptance, respect, and their parents’ pride by winning the coveted spelling bee trophy. About The Playwrights: William Finn & Rachel Sheinkin William Finn (playwright): Mr. Finn is the writer and composer of Falsettos, for which he received two Tony Awards, Best Book of a Musical (with James Lapine) and Best Original Score. He has also written and composed In Trousers, March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland (Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, two Los Angeles Drama Critic’s Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, the Lucille Lortel Award, and Guggenheim Fellowship in Musical Composition). Mr. Finn wrote the lyrics to Graciela Daniele’s Tango Apasionado (music by the great Astor Piazzolla) and, with Michael Starobin, the music to Lapine’s version of The Winter’s Tale. His musical, Romance in Hard Times, was presented at the Public Theater. Recently, he wrote "Painting You" for Love’s Fire, a piece commissioned and performed by the Acting Company, based on Shakepeare's sonnets. For television, Mr. Finn provided the music and lyrics for the Ace Award-winning HBO cartoon "Ira Sleeps Over," "Tom Thumb and Thumbelina," "Pokey Little Puppy's First Christmas," and, with Ellen Fitzhugh, two "Brave Little Toaster" cartoons. Mr. Finn has written for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and The New Yorker. A graduate of Williams College where he was awarded the Hutchinson Fellowship for Musical Composition, Finn now teaches a weekly master class at the NYU Tisch Graduate Program in Musical Theatre Writing. His most recent projects include Elegies, A Song Cycle (Lincoln Center) and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee which ran on Broadway and has been produced nationally and internationally, as well. Rachel Sheinkin (playwright): Her work on Broadway includes The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Tony, Drama Desk Awards); Off Broadway: Striking 12 (Lucille Lortel nomination), and Off-Off Broadway: Serenade. Her regional credits include: Guthrie, Little House on the Prairie; Center Theater Group, Sleeping Beauty Wakes(Los Angeles Ovation Award); London: Blood Drive. Residencies, fellowships, commissions include: Eugene O’Neill National Theater Center, Baryshnikov Dance Foundation, MacDowell Colony, Manhattan Theatre Club, Deaf West, McCarter Theatre, Playwrights Horizons. Rachel is a volunteer mentor for TDF’s Open Doors program, a visiting instructor at Yale School of Drama, and adjunct faculty member of NYU’s Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program. About Theatre Three: Theatre Three was founded in 1961 by Norma Young, Jac Alder, Esther Ragland, and Robert Dracup with a clear mission: Theatre Three seeks to illuminate the human experience with exemplary, intimate theatrical productions while nurturing authors, regional artists and audiences. About Theatre Three’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee: Bruce R. Coleman will direct this production. The cast includes Amy Mills as Rona Lisa Peretti, Paul J. Williams as Douglas Panch, Mitch Mahoney as Darius-Anthony Robinson, Megan Kelly Bates as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre, B.J. Cleveland as Chip Tolentino, Chad Peterson as Leaf Coneybear, Marcy Park as Alexandra Valle, John Garcia as William Barfee, and Arianna Movassagh as Olive Ostrovsky. Musical direction by Terry Dobson. Set design by Jeffrey Schmidt. Lighting design by Amanda West. Costume Design by Bruce R. Coleman. A Note about Production Photos: Photos from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee can be found online in Theatre Three’s Press Room at http://www.theatre3dallas.com. The Official Openings: Official Opening Night is Monday, September 28, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. All press please R.S.V.P to Kimberly Richard at 214-871-3300, option #2 or kimberly@theatre3dallas.com. Performance Times: Preview Performances: Thursday, September 24 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, September 25 at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, September 26 at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, September 27 at 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Regular Performances: Thursdays & Sundays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., Saturday & Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. (The final performance of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will be Sunday, October 25 at 2:30 p.m. There will be no Sunday evening performance that day.) Additional special performances: Miser’s Night Out: Sunday, October 18, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. All tickets $10 The Hooky Matinee: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. All tickets $10 Ticket Prices: Previews: $15 -- $40 (September 24-28, 2009) Regular Run: $10 -- $40 (October 1-25, 2009) Tickets may be purchased by calling Theatre Three’s box office at 214-871-3300, option #1. Tickets may be requested online at www.theatre3dallas.com

For Further Information Contact: 2800 Routh Street, Suite 168, Dallas, Texas 75201 Phone: 214-871-3300 Fax: 214-871-3139 Email: admin@theatre3dallas.com Web: www.theatre3dallas.com