Wyatt Van Hazel on Finding Joy in Oceanside Theatre Company's "Spelling Bee"

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Playing through June 14th

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Every spelling bee has that one contestant who seems to be operating on a completely different wavelength. In “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” at Oceanside Theatre Company, that contestant is Leaf Coneybear: endlessly enthusiastic, wonderfully imaginative, and often just one distraction away from wandering into his own world.

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Wyatt Van Hazel returns to OTC after appearing as Otto in “Spring Awakening”, this time through the company's STAGES Apprenticeship Program. Currently studying theatre at MiraCosta College, Van Hazel has quickly become a familiar face on local stages. We spoke with him about creating his version of Leaf, learning through STAGES, and why joy is at the heart of this production.

Leaf Coneybear is one of musical theatre's most beloved oddballs, requiring a lot of physical comedy and childlike energy. How did you develop your version of Leaf?

When I was cast as Leaf Coneybear, I was overwhelmed with trying to figure out who this person is. I decided I didn’t want to regurgitate an impression of the genius, Jesse Tyler Ferguson (the original Leaf Coneybear.) I wanted to grow my own Leaf. I spent a lot of time figuring out where Leaf came from, how excited he is to be here, and how he perceives life. He is sporadic and fun. Everything is fascinating to him; he appreciates almost everything about life. He gets lost in his imagination frequently. I spent a lot of rehearsals figuring out how Leaf would exist in the space and how he interacts with the people around him by testing out different things every rehearsal. I figured out that Leaf and I have quite a lot of similarities. He’s just the purest version of joy. The most important part of developing this character was just jumping all the way in and trusting I could be this person because Leaf Coneybear would be himself with no fear and no hesitation, so I just had to do that too.

For readers who may not be familiar with it, how has the STAGES Apprenticeship Program helped bridge the gap between college training and professional theatre?

The STAGES Apprenticeship Program helps students like me meet and work with people who are more experienced by making certain roles accessible only to students. Without this apprenticeship, I probably wouldn’t have gotten the chance to work with Melissa Glasgow (our director), and I wouldn’t have been able to learn everything I did from her without it. She offered so much important information and wisdom that she has gained from her personal experience working in this industry.

You previously appeared at OTC in Spring Awakening and are now returning through the STAGES Apprenticeship Program. What has it been like coming back to the company in this new role?

It has been fantastic to come back to the company. "Spring Awakening" was truly so fun. I made so many friends, and I have even been getting recognized for being in the show, which is also a good reason for the STAGES Apprenticeship. Coming back to do "Spelling Bee" has just been a big fun joyride all over again, even more so, considering "Spring Awakening" dealt with some pretty heavy topics, but this show is just pure fun.

What do you hope audiences take away from this show as they leave the theatre, aside from being able to spell "capybara" and "Acouchi"?

I want people to feel joy. My character, Leaf Coneybear, is constantly flustered with happiness, and it’s made me happier as a person to play this character. I want audiences to leave with that feeling too. With everything that goes on all the time, I want people to just be happy for an hour and a half watching the show, and I feel like our cast and crew have done so much to make that possible. And when an audience is happy, it makes everyone on stage feel even happier, and it energizes the show. I hope everyone who watches the show leaves with a newfound joy.

If Leaf Coneybear's mission is to spread joy, Wyatt Van Hazel seems more than up to the task. His performance is a reminder of the heart, humor, and imagination that make “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee such a delight.

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is playing at Oceanside Theatre Company through June 14th. For ticket and show time information go to oceansidetheatre.org

Photo Credit: Oceanside Theatre Company

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/san-diego/article/Interview-Wyatt-Van-Hazel-of-THE-25TH-ANNUAL-PUTNAM-COUNTY-SPELLING-BEE-at-Oceanside-Theatre-Company-20260611)._