Performances are at 7:30 tonight through Nov. 22 and 2 p.m. Nov. 22. Admission is free for all NOC faculty, staff and students; $5 for adults and $2 for non-NOC students.

Alec Carson, a sophomore from Ponca City majoring in music theater, is among the cast members.

"Directing a wonderful musical like 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' is such a great experience. We have a great cast and this musical is very funny and entertaining," said Shannon Bradford, director and NOC music instructor.

The musical is based on a book by Rachel Sheinkin with music and lyrics by William Finnand. It is a hilarious tale of overachievers' angst chronicling the experience of six adolescent outsiders vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime.

The six spellers, in the throes of puberty, overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, learn that winning isn't everything and that losing doesn't necessarily make you a loser.

The show's Tony Award-winning creative team has created the unlikeliest of hit musicals about the unlikeliest of heroes: A quirky yet charming cast of outsiders for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time.