On Sept. 27, the Aliso Niguel Theater company held a meeting where they announced what their upcoming spring musical would be. After much anticipation, they announced that it would be “The Spongebob Musical.”
This sparked many mixed opinions among students in theater, some hoping it would be “Hadestown” or “Bright Star,” and others more than happy with the decision to do Spongebob.
Keilani Meyer (12), the stage manager and lighting designer for the current play, who had hoped Hadestown would be chosen, says her reaction to Spongebob being chosen was “kind of disappointment, but I am okay with it now.”
Madison Rodriguez (11), a member of the ensemble for the current play, says “I was definitely a little bit shocked, I was not expecting it as much as the others”
Abby Kirland (10), costume designer says, “I was really shocked but…excited at the same time because I know there is going to be a challenge but it will be exciting and new, our largest production to date, and it will be just wonderful.”
Jackson Cravens (10), current lights designer and tech director says, “I was very happy and pleased with the decision to do Spongebob, as it was my first choice”
The musical contains a wide variety of music written by many different artists, including John Legend, Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, and They Might Be Giants. The contrasting musical genres come together very effectively in one show.
Mr. Golden, the executive director of the theater company and director of the musical, says he was influenced to pick Spongebob because “it’s got a good message, it’s characters that people are familiar with but it’s going to surprise them as well…it’s going to be presented in a different way, in a way that will be familiar but surprising and wildly entertaining.”
Golden’s goal for the technical aspect of the production is to immerse the audience in the world of Bikini Bottom the moment they walk into the theater.
Golden also says, “There’s a lot of opportunity for some really creative, fun, imaginative sets, costumes, props, lights, sounds, everything, so I’m very excited about that.”
It will be up to the students to bring the musical to life. Golden is interested in how the students will tackle some of the more challenging aspects of the production. He challenges the crew to discover how to create that underwater feel, as well as create all sorts of creative props for the musical.
The auditions for the musical begin the week after Thanksgiving break. Vocal auditions on Monday, dance auditions on Tuesday, callbacks on Wednesday and by the end of the week the cast and crew will be posted.
The week before Thanksgiving break however, they will have a musical workshop during Wolverine+ and after school on Wednesday, Nov. 20. The workshop will be to help students prepare for the auditions, many of whom have no idea what it is like to audition for a musical with the help of a music director. On Nov. 21, they will be taught the audition combination by a choreographer.
Golden encourages anyone who wants to audition to do so, as any character can be played by any student.
The Spongebob Musical performances will begin on April 17, with their last performance being on the 26. The Aliso Niguel Theater Company has a lot they need to do before then, but the cast and crew are confident they will overcome any challenges and put together an entertaining and stunning musical.
