Ian Paul Custer and Chie Isobe rehearsing a scene from 'Spelling Bee.'
Describe how it’s been working on ‘Spelling Bee’ with Noble Fool Theatricals?
There is such a great energy from everyone associated with the production. Kevin Bellie (director) and Peter Storms (music director) have such positive, fun attitudes and allow so much creativity from everyone in the cast in hopes to make it a warm show. There’s no stress, only playfullness which is important to have in the rehearsal room when mostly everyone’s playing 12 year olds.
You grew up in the area. Tell us more about that.
I grew up in St. Charles – attending school at Wild Rose Elementary, Thompson Middle School, and St. Charles North High School where I studied theatre under Anne Voigtman Hunt, Donna Steele, Ryan Colton, and Dale Morgan, performing in school plays and in the St. Charles Arts and Music Festivals. I have also performed with ECC’s Musical Theatre program, studying with Konnie Kay, Terry Domschke, and Richard Paul during high school
Describe your character and how your own life experiences may have helped developed this role.
I play William Barfee, an extremely determined young student obsessed with wining the Bee who struggles with echolalia and a rare mucus memberane disorder. Working on the character has definitely triggered great memories from growing up in St. Charles. It reminded me how everything seems so huge when you’re young and small and how you want to be as big as the world around you. So even the smallest mistakes we make can be earth shattering to our 12 year old lives. Everything that happens when you’re young is the most important thing that has ever existed – because that’s all you know.
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Ian Paul Custer’s Bio
Recent Chicago theatre credits include High Holidays at the Goodman Theatre; High Fidelity: The Musical with Route 66 Theatre Company, directed by Peter Amster; Weekend with TimeLine Theatre Company, directed by Damon Kiely; Hedda Gabler with Raven Theatre; and The Changeling with Caffeine Theatre. Previous favorite roles include Alceste in The Misanthrope, Nasty/Interesting Man in Eurydice, and Sigismund in Life’s A Dream. He received his B.F.A. from the Theatre School of DePaul University and is an avid fan and performer of jazz and blues piano.
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