SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A new voice at the San Diego County Scripps Regional Spelling Bee hopes to bring more fun to the event by adding a little more drama.
"I think it's going to be tons of fun. I really do. I'm excited," said Patricia Elmore Leonard.
Elmore Leonard is the founder of the San Diego Actors Theatre and has spent her life on stage. She said that background will help her as the Bee's official word pronouncer.
"I am a speller from way back," Elmore Leonard told ABC 10News anchor Jared Aarons. "I think I won my 7th-grade spelling bee. But I lost because I couldn't spell 'armageddon.' But my friend said, 'Don't worry about it. It's not the end of the world!'"
It is that kind of humor Elmore Leonard hopes to bring to one of the most stressful competitions in a child's life.
Her theater background has prepared her for the role, particularly when it comes to clear and precise delivery.
"Just try and have good diction, lips, tongue, teeth, in action," Elmore Leonard said.
Elmore Leonard also hopes to bring a new element to the Bee, having members of her theater perform Shakespearean monologues and sonnets during the breaks.
"If these participants love words, as I think they do, Shakespeare is a great place to go for learning words," Elmore Leonard said.
She sees the playwright as more than just a source of vocabulary.
"He's the ultimate philosopher, psychologist/psychiatrist, and a humanitarian," Elmore Leonard said.
It is all part of her plan to ease the stress of the competition and make the day as enjoyable as possible for the kids.
"Definitely want to have fun. And I want to see those kids have fun," Elmore Leonard said. "It's going to be a memorable day. Something they'll remember for the rest of their life."
The San Diego County Scripps Regional Spelling Bee is on Thursday morning, March 5, at the Jackie Robinson YMCA.
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