The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Meet the Guest Director

Colin Hanlon is a versatile actor, writer, director and producer based in New York City. He most recently directed Kowalski by Gregg Ostrin off-Broadway at the Duke on 42nd Street, Sylvia at Sharon Playhouse, Buyer & Cellar at Theatre Workshop of Nantucket, What Would Meryl Do at In the Woods Festival, as well as I Love You Because: A Queer Retelling. Additional directing credits include The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and co-directing It’s Only a Play at George Street Playhouse.

Hanlon is the co-producer and star of the acclaimed web series Submissions Only and currently appears in Showtime’s Uncoupled. His television work also includes roles on Modern Family, Difficult People, The Sinner and The Good Fight.

On Broadway, he has been featured in Falsettos, Rent and In Transit, as well as the first national tour of Wicked. Off-Broadway highlights include the New York City premiere of Dot by Colman Domingo (Vineyard Theatre, directed by Susan Stroman), A.R. Gurney’s final play Final Follies (Cherry Lane Theatre, directed by David Saint), and the original cast of I Love You Because.

As an educator, Hanlon is an adjunct professor at New York University’s (NYU) New Studio, Long Island University, Stella Adler and CAP21. He also teaches auditioning and self-tape technique through his private studio. Follow him on Instagram: @ColinHanlon.

Meet the Guest Music Director

Having worked at numerous Broadway shows, national tours, regional theaters, summer stocks, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center (Next to Normal), Garrett Taylor has made a name for himself as a multifaceted performer, pianist, conductor, teacher and orchestrator. This past holiday season saw the fourth year of the “A Charlie Brown Christmas LIVE” national tour for which he is proud to be primary orchestrator, arranger and supervisor. Taylor has been a frequent guest in the orchestra pit of “Wicked” on Broadway for more than seventeen years. He has worked with talented students at New York University (NYU), Manhattan School of Music, Marymount, Queens College, American Musical and Dramatic Academy and Stella Adler. Taylor also operates a busy voice studio with many Broadway performers and promising singers when residing in New York City.

Broadway credits include Wicked and Annie, and national tour credits include Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Grease (second national tour), A Charlie Brown Christmas LIVE and Sweet Charity. Regional credits include the Kennedy Center (Next to Normal), The Cape Playhouse (resident music director from 2017 to 2022), Paper Mill Playhouse, Milwaukee Repertory, Trinity Rep, The Fulton Theater, Westport Country Playhouse, Casa Mañana, The Gateway, The John W. Engeman Theater, Black Rock Theater, FlatRock Playhouse and Revival Theatre Company. Academia credits include Stella Adler, American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Marymount, Manhattan School of Music, New York University (NYU) and Queen’s College. Taylor can also be heard and seen on numerous recordings and TV specials. Follow him on Instagram @the_garrett_taylor_show to learn more.