Properties Design by Laura Merrill

Foothill Theater Arts (Los Altos Hills, CA) February (2026)

book by Rachel Sheinkin

Directed by Milissa Carey

Six quirky adolescents. One intense spotlight. A lifetime of bragging rights on the line. This hilarious and heartwarming musical follows a lovable crew of overachievers as they battle nerves, rivalries, and the chaos of growing up, all while competing for the coveted spelling championship. With improv-style humor, catchy songs, and unforgettable characters, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a joyful celebration of awkward adolescence, fierce determination, and finding your voice, letter by letter.

Some notable pieces created for this production include:

• Large Trophy

  I wanted the large trophy to also be light so I customized a 3D printed file of a trophy for our spelling bee. I put everything together with gorilla glue and painted it with metallic acrylic paints.

• Banners (3)

  This show had quite a bit of graphic design work. I made all three banners, the main spelling bee banner, the sponsor banner, and the large winner’s check. All made in photoshop.

• Posters

  each of the wings or “hallways” on the set are covered in different types of school posters (dance, sports, science fair, ect..). Several small basketball pennants printed on canvas as well.