Read original article: www.mlive.com

ANN ARBOR, MI — Students at Pioneer High School are taking a deep dive under water with their fall production of “The SpongeBob Musical” that opens next week.

The musical, which debuted on Broadway in 2018 and garnered 12 Tony nominations, follows the people of Bikini Bottom as they face impending doom from a volcano eruption, according to a news release from the Pioneer Theatre Guild.

“The SpongeBob Musical” will be performed Nov. 6-9 at Pioneer High School’s Schreiber Auditorium, 601 W. Stadium Blvd. For many cast members, the musical represents a cherished childhood icon.

“For our generation, SpongeBob is the GOAT,” Pioneer sophomore Vea Williams, who plays the titular character, said in a statement. “I almost feel spooked by the pressure but I’m more excited than spooked.”

Gabby Thompson, [Pioneer] Theatre Guild student president, plays Sandy Cheeks and said a lot of their participants weren’t allowed to watch SpongeBob as kids but have more recently watched old episodes, realizing “he’s just so positive and funny.”

The production features songs from diverse artists including The Flaming Lips, John Legend, Aerosmith, Panic! at the Disco and David Bowie.

Naomi Parr, a theater student at the University of Michigan, is directing the production. In separate statements, she and junior Simon Schroeder, who plays Squidward, drew parallels of the production’s story to living through the coronavirus pandemic.

“The story is doomsday and ominous and there’s all kinds of government mismanagement and fearmongering by the media,” Parr said in a statement. “The first time I saw it I thought of climate change and when I talked to some of the kids in the cast, they told me they read it as COVID-19.”

Schroeder added, “This show is all about when disaster strikes, we can’t let the worst parts of ourselves come out.”

The remaining crew includes choreographer Tiffany Nagano, Ethan Swanson as music director, Tyler Driskill as pit conductor, [sponsors] Jayme Kelmigian and Quinn Strassel, Mysti Plummer as technical director and set designer, Patrick Schrock as sound designer, Ian Hyatt as lighting designer, Hayden Keene as costume designer, Jennifer Monk-Reising as props designer, Chloe Park as makeup designer, and Amanda Wyse as paint supervisor.

The Pioneer Theatre Guild’s program directors are Jayme Kelmigian, Mysti Plummer and Quinn Strassel.

Performances are set for 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, Friday, Nov. 7, and Saturday, Nov. 8, with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 9.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors over 65 and can be reserved at cur8.com/projects/ptg.

By Jackie Smith & MLive.com Staff
Photo taken by Quinn Strassel and used with permission from PTG

Generative AI was used to organize and structure information for this story, based on data provided by the Pioneer Theatre Guild. It was reviewed, edited and added to by MLive staff.