This has been a remarkably satisfying season for Island theatregoers. We have available not only our regular offerings — the Vineyard Playhouse’s mainstage season and Shakespeare in the amphitheatre, Camp Jabberwocky, Children’s Theatre, special events at the Yard — but also an energetic new theatre company, ArtFarm Enterprises, which has presented some glorious work in collaboration with Vineyard Arts Project and will soon be presenting more with the Actors Shakespeare Project from Boston.

Full disclosure: I am entangled, directly or indirectly, with too many of the above projects, producers, and players, ethically to write reviews of anything.

Happily, however, I have no relationship but “spectator” to Island Theatre Workshop’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which gives me the freedom to gush a bit. Happier still, this production really does deserve some gushing.

Island Theatre Workshop is the grandmother of the current Vineyard theatre scene. Beginning more than 40 years ago primarily as a children’s summer theatre camp, ITW has weathered the decades by adapting and reinventing itself, in size and scope, as necessary. It has always been a community theatre, it has never had a permanent home (until this spring) — and it has survived everything that fate has thrown at it. It has been the training ground for some of the most significant theatre professionals on Martha’s Vineyard (including both M.J. Bruder Munafo of the Vineyard Playhouse and Brian Ditchfield of ArtFarm Enterprises). Over the years its fortunes and yes, its quality, have ebbed and flowed: in the pre-Playhouse days, ITW boasted sold-out performances of (for example) The Mikado at the Tabernacle, but I doubt that’s the impression most Islanders currently have of this venerable community theatre company.

Putnam County Spelling Bee brings back the glory days of ITW. There is so much energy, joy, fun and talent on the stage of Katharine Cornell Theatre, it is almost a shame that the show runs under 90 minutes — I would have happily remained in my seat for several hours, just to soak up the sweet fun of the evening. With engaging musical numbers (a number of them performed by truly knockout voices), hilariously developed and acted characters, and delightfully playful choreography, this show succeeds at being both silly and sincere. It is effervescently presented by Taffy McCarthy (director and choreographer) and Linda Berg (musical director).

The premise is deceptively simple: it is set during a spelling bee. But it’s a spelling bee for 13-year-olds (played by an array of very talented adults and older teens), and their inner lives are just as complicated as the words they are asked to spell under the direction of a troubled vice principal, played with hilarious sardonic perfection by Jamie Alley. Besides their relationships to each other, their parents, their own adolescence and the words they have to wrangle with, the actors also do a brilliant job of working with audience members — four of whom are incorporated into the story, sitting bemusedly on-stage through song-and-dance numbers that are choreographed to be performed around them. This could be a recipe for awkwardness but instead it works incredibly well, and adds to the playful spirit of the evening. Give yourself the treat of going to see this show; you will be proud that our community has such a talented and resilient community theatre.

The cast includes: Martha Hudson, Rykerr Maynard, Jane Loutzenhiser, Nolan Burke, Jesse Seward, Katie Mayhew, Becky Williams, Jamie Alley and Kevin Ryan. Musicians include Linda Berg, piano; Jan Hyer, cello; Ann Davey, clarinet; Sal Esposito, drums. The lighting designer is Ralph Friedman, stage manager is Molly Peters, Kevin Ryan also did the set design and construction while the light board operator is Caroline Hight.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will be performed at Katharine Cornell Theatre on Spring street in Vineyard Haven tonight and tomorrow as well as Thursday to Sunday August 5 to 8. All performances are 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 at the door. For details, call 508-627-3166.