Photo Courtesy of Jonathan White

Oberlin performing the role of Logainne SchwartzandGrubiniere in San Francisco’s Landmark Musical Theatre’s production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

Ever since she was a child, Hofstra alumna Libby Oberlin knew theater would become her life.

Oberlin’s acting career started when she was seven, joining a local play in Nantucket Island, which is in her home state of Massachusetts. After that summer, she enrolled in acting classes. From primary school until high school, Oberlin said she was always with her theater company.

“[That summer] was around the time when my parents were getting divorced,” Oberlin said. “It honestly helped me find my voice and sort of carve my way in the world.”

After she moved to New York and performed in many shows at Hofstra, Oberlin said she was grateful for the extensive theater training she received before she came to Hofstra. This training involved performing in avant-garde shows and studying at Shakespeare & Company, a Massachusetts-based theater that offers an comprehensive actor-training program.

“When I got to New York, I felt like I had a strong base of my own craft. I will always love New York,” Oberlin said. “The group of friends that I found were mostly performers and [by] having so many like-minded people in New York, you don’t feel alone in that fight. You feel like people get me here and we’re all seeking the same thing.”

Libby Oberlin graduated from Hofstra University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in theater arts. Five years later, she earned her master’s from New York University in educational theater for grades K-12. After moving to San Francisco 10 years ago, she jumped into teaching by starting The Theater School, where she would get to act and direct.

Handling a business was time-consuming, so Oberlin decided to teach part-time while acting full-time. Currently, she is performing for San Francisco’s Landmark Musical Theatre for the first time in her role as Logainne SchwartzandGrubiniere in the Tony Award-winning audience favorite, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” based off the touching story by Rachel Sheinkin. The show has been playing in the Children’s Creativity Theater since Saturday, Oct. 9, and will be onstage until Sunday, Nov. 7.

“Every show you do, you learn something about your own performance and what you want as an actor,” Oberlin said. “The more people you work with, the better. I feel like working in San Francisco and getting to know different types of theater companies, can only be positive.”

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is about six middle school students, who are portrayed by adult actors, competing in a spelling bee. Due to strong language and some sexual content, the Landmark Musical Theater company prohibits children 13 and under from attending, unless they are accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. Since they are adults playing children, Oberlin said the actors can have an edgy adult sense of humor which makes her role more fun.

Because one of her strict fathers constantly drills words into her head, Logainne SchwartzandGrubiniere is a very jittery and nervous girl. Oberlin said her character is also the type to express social activism despite her young age. For example, her character breaks into song about how she’s pro-choice but still a virgin.

“I really try to go out of character emotionally and find that connection because it’s finding that glimmer that makes [acting] truthful or not. You want to be truthful onstage no matter what,” Oberlin said. “I can relate to [the character’s] nervousness and anxiety of wanting to be perfect and being aware of all eyes on her.”

Oberlin said she’s typically played more serious roles, such as Lady Capulet from “Romeo and Juliet,” so acting a lighthearted role is new territory for her. While she’s experienced in dramas, comedies are more challenging because the actors need to deliver the humor without being corny or predictable.

“There’s something in every show that I just adore, but it’s fun to do a comedy,” Oberlin said. “It’s exciting to jump into a lighthearted, silly role, especially after the year and a half we’ve all been going through.”

There are little things that distinguish this production from its Broadway cousin. Due to the spelling bee theme, the cast finds multiple opportunities for wordplay and inside jokes. The two casts are called Alpha and Betta, for example, referring to a scene where one character makes a pun with the word “alphabet.” Another distinguishing aspect of this production is that the cast pulls four members of the audience onstage to partake in the show.

“It’s a challenge, but an exciting challenge that you never know if the volunteers are going to get the word right or not,” Oberlin said. “You never know what they’re going to give you and that’s been really fun but it’s hard to rehearse that. You have to be in the moment and whatever they give you, you have to go with it.”

While she has extensive background in theater training, Oberlin said she’s grateful for the education she received from Hofstra. One of the reasons she enjoys teaching is because of the passionate and enthusiastic professors she’s had over the years. She said she really loves the community of Hofstra.

“My training at Hofstra and my education really helped me grow. I just didn’t study as hard [in high school] so when I came to Hofstra, I wanted to do well. I wanted to prove to myself that I can kick ass educationally,” Oberlin said. “That really helped me learn dedication and you need it as a performer in New York. There was a great mixture of educational opportunities as well as social. I feel really grateful for my experience there, [and] I wish all that on the new students.”