Tickets available online at bit.ly/ClaguePlayhouseTickets
Coming Soon…
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Conceived by Rebecca Feldman
Additional Material by Jay Reiss
Music and Lyrics by William Finn
Book by Rachel Sheinkin
Directed by Fred Sternfeld
Music Direction by Nick Klein
Choreography by Jen Justice
May 16 – June 8, 2025
Selected audience members will be asked to participate.
*NEW* Talk-Back Discussion with the Cast & Crew after the show on Saturday, May 17th and Sunday, May 25th
An eclectic group of six mid-pubescents vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the tweens spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming “ding” of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. Six spellers enter; one speller leaves a champion! At least the losers get a juice box.
Content warning: This show also includes adult language, sexual innuendo, an irreverent depiction of religious figures, gay parents, references to anxiety and family issues, and a song about an “unfortunate erection.” And it’s all very funny!
Our cast:
Brandon Alexander as Mitch Mahoney / Dan’s Dad / Olive’s Dad
Samuel Bartlett as Leaf Coneybear / Carl’s Dad
Alex Craig as William Barfee
Brooke Hamilton as Olive Ostrovsky
Reed Kruger as Chip Tolentino / Jesus
Lorna Jane Patterson as Logaine Schwartzandgrubeniere
Camila A. Piñero as Marcy Park
Leah Saltzer as Rona Lisa Peretti / Olive’s Mom
Cody Swanson as Douglas Panch
Grant Guyton as Understudy / Swing for Mitch Mahoney
Douglas F. Bailey as Understudy / Swing for Barfee and Panch
Ryan Kacmar as Understudy / Swing for Rona (2nd for Schwarzy behind Emily)
Michael Ryan as Understudy / Swing for Chip and Leaf
Emily Sedmak as Understudy / Swing for Olive, Marcy and Schwarzy
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com
Join Our Growing List of Donors/Members! Donations may be made online at bit.ly/ClaguePlayhouseDonations
Spring Fundraiser
Our Spring Fundraiser is going on now through June 30th!
This year’s fundraiser will be an in-store walk-in sale at Dean’s Greenhouse in Westlake, with a portion of your purchases donated to Clague Playhouse. Eligible purchases are plants, vegetables, soil and spring décor. Please visit Deans between May 1st to June 30th at 3984 Porter Road, Westlake, OH 44145 (Ph: 440-871-2050), and let the cashier know that you are with Clague Playhouse to participate in the fundraiser.
Thank you for your help in supporting Clague Playhouse!
Announcing our 2025-2026 Season!
Clague Playhouse is excited to announce our 2025-2026 season. This is our 98th season and our 58th season “in the barn.” Audition times will also be posted to the Auditions page soon. We hope you will join us for another year and thank you for supporting live theater!
The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie
Directed by Ron Newell
Show Dates: 9/12/2025 – 10/5/2025, with talk backs with director and cast on 9/13/2025 & 9/21/2025
Agatha Christie’s iconic murder mystery is the world’s most successful and longest-running play. After a local woman is murdered, the guests and staff at Monkswell Manor find themselves stranded during a snowstorm. It soon becomes clear that the killer is among them and the seven strangers grow increasingly suspicious of one another. A police detective, arriving on skis, interrogates the suspects: the newlyweds running the house; a spinster with a curious background; an architect who seems better equipped to be a chef; a retired Army major; a strange little man who claims his car has overturned in a drift; and a jurist who makes life miserable for everyone. When a second murder takes place, tensions and fears escalate, culminating in a brilliant surprise finish.
The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon
Directed by Curt Arnold
Show Dates: 11/14/2025 – 12/14/2025, with talk backs with director and cast on 11/15/2025 & 11/23/2025
A companion play to last year’s Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, this year’s The Wickhams takes audiences to the downstairs servants’ quarters during the same Christmas celebration. The no-nonsense housekeeper Mrs. Reynolds, eager new maid Cassie, and lovesick footman Brian are busy with holiday preparations. But their work is interrupted by the clandestine midnight arrival of Mr. Wickham – Lydia’s rogue of a husband and Mr. Darcy’s sworn enemy (who definitely was not invited). The Wickhams is a charming holiday tale that explores the confines of class and the generosity of forgiveness.
Maytag Virgin by Audrey Cefaly
Directed by Rose Leininger
Show Dates: 1/30/2026 – 2/22/2026, with talk backs with director and cast on 1/31/2026 & 2/8/2026
A classic love story by southern regionalist Audrey Cefaly, Maytag Virgin follows Alabama school teacher Lizzy Nash and her new neighbor, Jack Key, over the year following the tragic death of Lizzy’s husband. The play explores the ideas of inertia and self-enlightenment, and the bridge between the two.
Lettice and Lovage by Peter Shaffer
Directed by David Vegh
Show Dates: 3/27/2026 – 4/19/2026, with talk backs with director and cast on 3/28/2026 & 4/5/2026
Lettice Duffet is an indefatigable but daffy enthusiast of history and the theatre. As a tour guide at Fustian House, she theatrically embellishes its historical past, ultimately coming up on the radar of Lotte Schon, an inspector from the Preservation Trust. The two start a curious friendship, resulting in an epic battle of historical theatrics, quirky make-believe, and possible criminal charges. A show that proves that opposites do attract — or, at least, agree to reenact some history together.
Ordinary Days Music and Lyrics by Adam Gwon
Directed by Anne McEvoy
Show Dates: 5/22/2026 – 6/14/2026, with talk backs with director and cast on 5/23/2026 & 5/31/2026
Ordinary Days tells the story of four young New Yorkers whose lives intersect as they search for fulfillment, happiness, love, and cabs. Through a score of vibrant and memorable songs, their experiences ring startlingly true to life. Ordinary Days is an original musical for anyone who’s ever struggled to appreciate the simple things in a complex place. With equal doses of humor and poignancy, it celebrates how 8.3 million individual stories combine in unexpected ways to make New York City such a unique and extraordinary home.