Filled with songs and jokes, SpongeBob, Sandy, and Patrick embarked to save Bikini Bottom from a volcano. Everyone was claming to see the show at Lake Central’s auditorium Thursday night. The last play of the school year featuring all the classmen was the perfect way to finish seniors time.
“It's a great show for them to go out on,” said Pam Neth, musical director. “We're hoping to have really huge crowds for this. SpongeBob has been kind of an iconic thing for about 20 years, so I think it's well deserved on their part to go out on a show like this.”
This weekend’s musical is the perfect way for students who were freshmen during the COVID-19 Pandemic to finish their time. It is a great match for students and the future of the program.
“A lot of times in educational theater, we have to look at the crop of kids that we have and pick a show that works for them,” said Pam Neth, musical director. “After the pandemic, we're really trying to rebuild our program. We wanted to pick something really well known and fun to get people enthusiastic about theater again.”
The show has something for everyone both SpongeBob fans and not SpongeBob fans. Sophomore actor Stephen Schranz, who plays SpongeBob, was vaguely familiar with SpongeBob before the musical. It shocked Schranz initially by the choice.
“As time went on, I realized it made perfect sense,” said Schranz. “We have a wonderful cast and a wonderful crew who have done such an amazing job with this show. They have really put it together in the perfect way, and I couldn't imagine us doing any other show right now because it's just so perfect.”
Around 64 students participated in the cast and crew alone. Putting on three days of shows requires immense effort from everyone involved. The lighting crew spends hours watching the actors to make sure that they are properly lit.
“For lighting specifically, we spend a lot of time watching the actors to look at where they're going,” said Senior Jordan Zimmerman, stage manager. “Then the first thing we do is we just make sure that they're lit wherever we can see them. After that, we really have a turn and get creative with colors and special effects.”
A highlight of the musical is that Neth gets to direct her daughter, sophomore Bayless Neth who plays Patrick.
“It's fantastic,” said Neth. "I grew up here, so it's nice to finally be here in high school and having my own chance.”
Each of the actors got a chance to play characters with unique character traits. They get to embody these traits and display these qualities that they value.
“My favorite part of Sandy is that she's really really loyal to her friends,” said junior Kasey Barron. “That is something that I really value about myself, and I want to always embody that loyalty.”
The musical leans into the storyline and messaging to create more than just another SpongeBob episode. The actors get to perform as if their characters were alive in the theater.
“The TV show itself is very comedic and simple,” said Schranz. “With a show as big as this we can kind of show off more characters' emotions and dive into what makes the characters of SpongeBob so special.”
With explosive fun and meaningful storylines, the Lake Central Theatre Company puts on a show that can’t be missed. The SpongeBob Musical will continue with 7 p.m. performances on March 1 and 2 along with a 1 p.m. on March 2.
For more information, please visit http://www.lakecentraltheatre.com/home.html.