Jordan Gagnon Is Practically Perfect as Marcy Park in Spelling Bee

Jordan Gagnon as practically perfect Marcy Park
PHOTO by Jan Cartwright

The dictionary defines a “perfectionist” as “a person who refuses to accept any standard short of perfection.”  While the pursuit of perfection may help you overachieve, it also leaves very little margin for error.  Anything short of 100 percent is, by definition, a failure.  Such is the conundrum faced by Marcy Park, a character in The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

In the Farmington Players production, Jordan Gagnon plays Marcy in the adult cast.  Jordan has given a lot of thought to her character, saying, “She's such a fun character to play because she's someone that we've all known, or maybe even been, at some point our lives. She's the stereotypical overachiever who seems like she doesn't even have to try to be perfect at everything. I love playing Marcy because she makes it so hilariously obvious that she knows she's better than everyone, and doesn't want to waste her time with anything.”  

Marcy’s super serious demeanor is a source of great fun for Jordan:  “I pretty much get to straight-face everyone during the entire show, which is so fun! It's also been really interesting to explore her character and to discover how she really feels about her life, because she doesn't necessarily love the ‘perfect’ life she leads.”  Jordan can definitely relate to Marcy because “in elementary school I was that kid who didn't have to try to succeed, which is funny. In the same breath, I also remember how frustrated and down on myself I'd get when I couldn't do something right the first time, and I still deal with that a little bit even now. I understand Marcy's internal standards for perfection, and that's helped me to find her character a lot more. I also did spelling bees in elementary and middle school, and I remember how quickly they get super serious! It's intimidating!”

Jordan knows that audiences will enjoy Spelling Bee because “everyone can relate to at least one character in this show. Every time I watch this show, I find something new to love in each character. I also adore the fact that the audience gets to participate because that creates a different show every night, which I think the audience will really enjoy.”  Beyond its sheer entertainment value, Jordan believes that “this show also speaks to more than just a spelling bee. Everyone can walk away from this show having learned something about their awkward relationships with other people, and about how they look at the world. A lot can change when you look through the eyes of a 12-year-old for a while!”

Jordan is 16 years old, and currently a junior at North Farmington High School. She’s worked with Sky's the Limit Productions, North Farmington High School Theatre, Madonna University's Lyric Theatre, and Forever After Productions and plans on studying and pursuing a career in musical theatre. Her hobbies include reading, shopping, and spending time with her friends.

Jordan treasures her first time at the Barn, saying, “I'm so happy I've had the opportunity to work with this amazing team. Amy Lauter has been such a creative and open director, and all of my cast mates are now amazing friends of mine. I have no doubt that we will all stay in touch in the future.”

The Farmington Players production of The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is proudly sponsored by Mall, Malisow & Cooney, PC.  Four audience members (including some local celebrities) will be selected as spellers at each performance.  The show includes 12 performances (the three Saturday matinees feature 12-to-16 year-old spellers along with the regular adult cast.) from December 4 – 20.  If you want to #BeeAtTheBarn, tickets are available online at farmingtonplayers.org or by contacting the Barn box office at boxoffice@farmingtonplayers.org or 248-553-2955.