The Tony-award winning musical, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” was produced and performed at the Academy May 2-4 under the direction of senior Kaena Kekoa.

Kekoa spearheaded the effort as her senior year project. The entire production was student-led with help from production manager junior Nicole Yamada and Kamehameha Schools senior Jaren McMillian. The cast consisted of students from the Academy, St. Louis School and Kamehameha.

“Theater is something that is very dear to my heart, and I wanted to share my gift with everyone. I was really disappointed when I found out St. Louis was not going to do a spring musical.  I was really looking forward to it, and I know a lot of my other friends were too. I really wanted to do this for my friends, especially my fellow seniors who  wanted to do a show  in their last year of high school,” said Kekoa.

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” details the experience of six pre-pubescent teens competing in a middle school spelling bee. The characters differ in personality, yet all learn important lessons about the value of winning.

Senior Sidney Palea said, “The production was extremely entertaining for the audience, constantly making us laugh! It was also interactive as one student was brought up on stage to ‘compete’ as a contestant. Overall, I enjoyed the show very much.”

Senior Greer Smith agreed with Palea about the quality of the show.

 “The play was so unordinary and entertaining, not only for the audience, but you could tell that the performers enjoyed what they were doing. The fact that parts were ad libbed and audience members were involved made it more of an experience, rather than just watching people sing and act. It was definitely worth staying after school to watch on a Friday. My friends and I had a great time,” said Smith.

“I added my own spark to the show and I took everything that I have learned from my previous directors and I taught it to my cast. The show was very interactive where they danced, sang, and acted around the audience. Everyone enjoyed laughing with the cast and participating in the show, which was very satisfying,” said Kekoa.