Spelling bee '23 - Headshots & Bios

Cast & Crew Bios

Amiya Tess (Co- Director, Co- Producer, Last minute replacement for Barfee) is so excited for you to see this show!! This is her 3rd year at SJST/NST (and her 50th show ever woohoo!), and she is so grateful to the entire experience. Hobbies include italicizing every show title in these bios. She would like to thank her family for their emotional support, Aria for being an awesome co-director, and exactly four cast/crew members for sending in their bios on time. 

Aria Lehri (Co-Director, Co-Producer) is so glad you decided to join us to see tonight's show! This her 4th show with SJST/NST and she has a feeling this one is probably going to win awards. She expects a Nobel Prize to be collectively awarded to the cast and crew, at the very least. Aria attends NYU for film, and she's had an absolute blast this summer working with some of the most talented, supportive, hardworking people she's had the pleasure of knowing. She hopes you enjoy the show!!! (Don't worry, you will) :)

Claire Skatrud (Rona) is so excited to be playing Rona Lisa Peretti, and she had loved music directing the show this year! She recently graduated from Needham High School and will be attending Washington University in St. Louis this fall. She’d like to thank the directors, crew, cast, and everyone who made this show possible!

I’m Sangita Das-Quigley (Olive) and I am a recent graduate of Needham High School. I have previously participated in pit orchestras for several of the high school shows and was in the ensemble of Beauty and the Beast this past year. Thank you for coming and I hope you enjoy the show!

Haley Larson (Sound Engineer) is so excited to be a part of this production of Spelling Bee! This is her 7th show doing sound, and she is so happy to have been a part of this amazing show!

James Casale (Chip "Drip" Tolentino)  is a rising sophomore who loves theater and got back into it freshman year. Over the course of this show he has become a better actor, speller, singer and possibly even learned to juggle. He is excited to have the chance to perform over the summer and hopes you enjoy the show as much as he does.

This is Ellie Yonchak's (Stage Manager / Technical Director) third summer with NST, and her second as their technical director! Spelling Bee is one of her favorite shows and she hopes you love it as much as she does. She would like to thank her family for their support, her crew for their perseverance, and you, the audience, for coming to her show. 

Henry McCue (Leaf) signed up for Spelling Bee during lunch time, and was super excited to play Leaf Coneybear. He played the role of Charlie Lee in Radium Girls, and is a member of the NHS Chorale and a leader of the Subway Dwarves A Capella group. Check him out @hdogmcgee on Instagram.

Emily Zinner (Lighting Designer / Technical Director) is the long term lighting director and designer for Needham High School productions. This is her final production before she goes off to college at Oberlin. She is excited to show off her hard work

Fiona Byrne (Schwarzy) is thrilled to be performing in her first NST production. In the past, she has performed in many shows including The Addams Family (Pugsley), Beauty and the Beast (Villager), and Mean Girls (Ms. Norbury). In her free time she enjoys reading, skiing, and playing guitar. She would like to thank the cast and crew for making this show such a memorable experience.

Julia Goldman (Marcy) is so excited to be performing in her first NST production! Previous roles include Florinda (Into The Woods, Needham High School) and White Rabbit (Shrek, Needham Community Theater). She would like to thank everyone in the cast and crew for making this show such an amazing experience, and she hopes you enjoy!

Sabina Weekes (Spotlight Operator) is so excited to be a part of Needham Student Theatre's production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee! This will be the sixth show she has participated in. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, and rewatching her favorite movies. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Aaron Spiegel (Panch) Aaron is excited to be making his NST debut in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee! He and his jacket are very excited to be working together again for the first time in over a year. Aaron is going into his senior year at Needham High. Enjoy the show!

Nadia Tess (Assistant Music Director) did not submit a bio so Amiya (her amazing sister) wrote one for her. Nadia is a rising sophomore at Needham High School, where she is a part of the theatre program. Past roles include Jane in Mary Poppins, Molly in Annie, and Matilda in Matilda (but Amiya won't take credit for giving her the opportunity to practice acting like a little sister), and she will be playing Torrey in WTP's upcoming production of Freaky Friday. Outside of theatre, she hangs out with friends, plays the guitar, and has her accessories stolen by her sister (they're cute OKAY). 

Leyna Blume (Last minute Olive replacement) has had an amazing time being part of the show this past week! Her recent past roles include Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Alice in The Addams Family, and Cinderella in Into The Woods. In her free time, Leyna enjoys spending time with her friends and family, singing, and reading. She has had so much fun getting to know the show, and she hopes you enjoy it as much as she does!

Mari Melin (Sound Engineer) is an upcoming senior at Needham High School, and plays sound effects and music for the Spelling Bee! She first joined tech in eight grade and has helped run mics, sound effects, and spotlights for shows.

Noah Semel (Spotlight Operator) started working in theater tech in 6th grade and has continued to since. He has experience in lights, sound and set design. Noah is excited to be doing spot for the first time on this production. 

Ben Gilman (Carl/Olive's dad) is excited to perform his first show with Needham Student Theatre! Ben's past repertoire includes roles in Lightning Thief, Newsies, Guys & Dolls and Charlie Brown, to name just a few. Apart from his performances, Ben also had the opportunity to venture into the backstage aspects of musical theater, serving as an assistant director at Wellesley Theatre Project for Descendants and Dot and Kangaroo. Away from the limelight, Ben is a passionate sports enthusiast and runner. He achieved a personal milestone last year by completing his first half-marathon. Ben would like to thank his family and his brother for their love, and support. He would also like to thank Directors: Amiya Tess and Aria Lehri and Music Director: Claire Skatrud