Brookswood Secondary School's Musical Theatre program presents , Wednesday to Saturday, Feb. 22 to 25.

With music and lyrics by William Finn, and book by Rachel Sheinkin, the show ran on Broadway in 2005-06 and received two .

In this musical comedy, six young people 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 is filled with 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.

A unique feature of this musical is that there are four audience volunteers recruited every night to participate on-stage as guest spellers. Each new group of volunteers guarantees a new set of hilarious and unexpected experiences, each night is as unique as the one before.

The willing contestants are chosen through a careful vetting process, utilizing pre-show lobby interviews and audience questionnaires.

The production includes more than 50 students in the cast, orchestra and crew who have been rehearsing since October .

The production team includes Sharon Conrad, Gordon Hamilton and Sheri Eyre as artistic directors, Derrick Turi as music director, and Jordan Allarie as choreographer.

Performances begin at 7 p.m. All seating is reserved and the single ticket price is $12, by cash or cheque.

Email Sharon Conrad at sconrad@sd35.bc.ca to reserve tickets, or call at 530-2141, ext. 241.

Brookswood Secondary School is located at 20902 37A Ave.