This year’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, under the student-led direction of Finn Brown ‘26, will compete at the state level against other high schools at the Straz Center on March 19. Ahead of the show’s debut at the Straz, the cast and production have already earned awards recognizing their outstanding and exemplary performances.  

Most recently, the show received three Spotlight Achievements: two for Lead Performance, awarded to Finn Brown as William Barfée and Cate Burchett ’27 as Marcy Park, and an additional achievement recognizing Brown for his direction of the production. These achievements were received by being selected by professional directors and actors who attended the show at Tampa Catholic and scored the students highly.

“These are professional people in the area giving actual feedback and notes based off the performance they saw,” Brown said. “From there, your show as a whole can get nominated for certain awards. Tampa Catholic in the past has received a bunch of awards, but this year was actually the first year we received one for Direction of a Piece, which is really crazy because this is my first time directing.”  

Brown stepped into the director’s role after theatre teacher Mrs. Mayhew approached him over the summer about the opportunity. Though his experience had previously been on stage as a performer, he embraced the move to the director’s chair with enthusiasm and assurance, confident in the foundation built through four years of formal theatre training. Grounded in that education, he felt prepared.  

Up next for the budding actors, Brown and Burchett will perform a song that their character sings at the Straz in April with hopes to be selected as one of the five boys or five girls to move forward to perform again in May and be announced as the male or female winner in this region. Winners are selected to make their Broadway debut at the Jimmy Awards.

“At the Jimmy Awards, all the regional winners perform on Broadway,” Brown said. “They narrow it down to one winner, boy and girl nationally. A lot of big Broadway and TV actors got their start at the Jimmy Awards, so it is really cool that we even get the opportunity to step into that.”

The production’s stage manager, Jess Lopez ‘26, spoke to how participating in this production has given her a newfound confidence in her theatre production skills and interests.

“Being stage manager is a lot of work, but it is really fun,” Lopez said. “I feel super invested in the show. I know almost everyone’s lines at this point.”

She said that her first three years at TC she was in a few theatre classes but suppressed her desire to participate. Now, after being the one in charge of calling all lightning and sound cues in this award-winning production, she’s embracing theatre.

“It’s a part of me now,” Lopez said. “I’m happy to be involved. I never thought I’d be going to states for theatre, especially stage managing in a thousand-seat theatre at the Straz Center.”

Lopez has committed to attending Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) with the intent to pursue a degree in psychology. She said she will likely look for opportunities at FGCU to be involved with their collegiate theatre productions.

Brown will also be graduating from Tampa Catholic in May and has his eyes set on making musical theatre a long-term career.

“I want to go to school for musical theatre, and I think that’s something I can make a living doing and can take seriously moving forward after my experience and the preparation I’ve received at Tampa Catholic.”

TC Theatre hopes to add another trophy, or a few, to its case following upcoming competitions. As the cast brings this production to a close, they look ahead with excitement and confidence, optimistic about a bright and successful future for the arts at Tampa Catholic as they embrace their God-given talents within the arts.

“I think TC Theatre is ready,” said Brown. “Big things are coming.”

For more information about Tampa Catholic High School Theatre, click here.