Hi James!
We just did The Spongebob Musical the first two weekends of November, and it could not have gone better. The kids absolutely loved working on the show, and the themes, style, and casting of the show built a strong sense of community. Since there are so many different opportunities for students to shine, it truly is an ensemble show. I would keep this in mind going into your rehearsals - there will be a lot of finagling to figure out quick changes, who moves what when, etc. There are HUNDREDS of props and costumes. It is not cut and dry like many traditional musicals. We had 85 kids in our production with no cuts, so be prepared for lots of interest!
The audience also responded very positively to the show. Many said they hated the cartoon, but came back night after night because they loved the show that much. We nearly sold out our 800 seat auditorium every night the second weekend. We could have done a third weekend, and the kids and audience still wouldn't have been sick of it.
The biggest advice I can give is to make a character map of who is playing what character in each scene as part of the cast list, because the doubling gets tricky really fast. The other advice is plan for two weeks of tech. This show is technically exhausting between the sound effects, scenic changes, lighting cues, and orchestra music. If I could do it again, I would ease into the first week with costume changes, mics, and sound effects, and add the lights, sets, and orchestra during the "actual" tech week.
I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have, and you can see photos of our production on our social media. I hope you have the MOST fun working on this show, and that it is the BEST DAY EVER for you and your students!
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Brooklyn Chalfant
Director of Theatre Arts
IN
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Original Message:
Sent: 11-15-2021 11:23
From: James McCulloch
Subject: SPONGEBOB the MUSICAL
Hello all!
Looking to hear any of the "good", the "bad" and the "ugly" on producing/presenting Spongbob the Musical. Hoping to possibly present this relatively new show in May of 2022 and want to know how other schools have done with this show. Thanks for ANY help, insights, thoughts on this show. Much appreciated!
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James McCulloch
Drama Director of Mariner Drama
Marine City, Michigan
jmcculloch@ecsd.us
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