Spongebob the Musical was all set, with a staff of eighty-eight which included forty actors and actresses, twenty-seven production members, and twenty-one pit musicians, the musical seemed to be going in a great direction.

“We had been rehearsing every day since the beginning of February,” said, drama teacher, Ms. Lisa Cover-Tucci.

But when the production was hit with COVID-19, everything came to a screeching halt. 

“Then there was a 10-day period where several of the cast members came down with COVID, and we were not allowed to rehearse together,” said Ms. Cover-Tucci. 

Due to a year of being in isolation because of COVID-19, every member of the production team has had to become accustomed to the art of quarantining. So when the decision to go virtual became available there was no lag time in understanding what needed to be done, but that did not go without any challenges.

“That [the outbreak] really set us back a lot because we weren’t able to work on the stuff that we really need to work on,” said Adrian Rios (‘25). 

Being that it is a musical, singing is the biggest component, but when Wi-Fi and bad connection got incorporated into the mix it proved to cause major issues.

“We had no rehearsals at all which was insane and then we started virtual rehearsals, which was very challenging because it’s a musical so we have to sing and stuff, but nothing lined up,” said Sienna Brittian (‘23). 

Aside from the COVID-19 dilemma, quick costume changes were causing some anxiety for actors in the musical. 

“When we came back, it was a little bit difficult to kind of like readjust everything I’d say, probably the quick changes, like, after pirates, I have to go backstage to the Blackbox and change for their town’s fish outfit,” said Adriana Vasquez (‘25). 

Although there were some issues with quick changing, there were also some positives to come out of the costume and set design. 

“It’s really fun because we got to do our own costumes,” said Brittain. 

The costumes played a very essential role in the musical, some cast members made their own, while others went thrifting to find their interesting pieces. 

“Goodwill is cheap. The shoes, the boots, those were eight bucks. The trench coat was another eight bucks. That’s $16 together. The hat that was I think 20 bucks, that was the most expensive part of the whole thing, even though it’s probably the cheapest to make,” said Wayne Clampitt (‘22), who plays Patchy the Pirate. 

Along with costume design, makeup was a must in the production, and being there was only 3 people assigned to this important job, it was a new but fun experience for the MUAs.

“It’s been a really cool experience. I’ve definitely done makeup for like smaller productions or productions that I’ve personally been in but, I’ve never done anything for this many people,” said Daisy Contreras (‘22). 

The SpongeBob musical proved to be a success as the performance underwent on opening night, and with all the emotion and the challenges the entire staff faced, it definitely was an emotional experience. 

“It was exciting after the first show before that. It was just scary. It was just fear. Just fear I don’t want to disappoint anyone,” said Clampitt (‘22). 

Gallery • 11 Photos

Winston (John) Perry ('22), playing as Patrick, does his final practice with the sardines.