Photos: Spelling Bee Behind The Scenes

Chris Stanford (Mitch Mahoney) and Aimee Kerber (Rona Lisa Peretti) excited for the spelling to begin!

5 minutes to places - get out of the basement! Kelly Slater (Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre), Austin Travis (Leaf Coneybear), Joel Shoemaker (Chip Tolentino), Kallie Bundy (Olive Ostrovsky), Megan Masterman (Marcy Park). Behind Kelly: Brian Artman (William Barfee). Note: Austin is trying desperately to stop a gushing cheek wound from playing cards.

Carol Plotkin, prop and drink maker extraordinaire.

Pre-show warm-up euchre. Hannah Kerns, stage manager front left. Brett Cottone, director back left. Brian Artman back right. It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt Austin!

Compliments of Brett Cottone and Wendy Baugh, choreographer!

We were cautioned against eating the dark frosting to spare our sparkly white teeth. Fortunately for me, Panch never smiles. Yummm.

Behind the scenes. Saying goodbye to audience speller #3. "Now go home and spell, give your squeeze some affection!"

Coneybear: "I fell." It's a hard age for boys.

Mitch just taking it all in, a skill honed in prison.

The monitor in the green room (which, technically, is dedicated to a guy named Brown). Audience begins to trickle in!

Pandemonium practice. C'mon Mitch, spin this thing in those sandals!

5 minutes till opening, and Rona is beautiful and ready to go!

15 minutes till opening, and the crowd's pouring in to buy tickets. "Just had to come - I heard that the song after intermission is really exuberant!"

Wendy chilling in the green room, guarding her stash of Mountain Dew.