The SpongeBob Musical presented by First Act Theatre Arts

PRESENTS

Based on the series by Stephen Hillenburg Book by Kyle Jarrow

Original Songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming lips, Lady A, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants, T.I.

And Songs by David Bowie, Tom Kenny, & Andy Paley

Additional Lyrics by Jonathan Coulton

Additional Music by Tom Kitt

Musical Production Conceived by Tina Landau

©2023 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Nickelodeon, SpongeBob SquarePants and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc Created by Stephen Hillenburg

Any video and/or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited

Michelle Evans Director

Hillary Talken

Music Director

Brenda LaCour

Production Coordinator

Lucas Frias

Sound Apprentice

Lucy Hutchison

Props Apprentice

Anna Rosell Assistant Director/Stage Manager

Krista Pishny Choreographer

Becky Ochoa

Technical Director

Daniel Driver

Lighting Apprentice

Cole Edwards

Technical Director Apprentice

Carter Smith

Assistant Stage Manager

from the director

I have a confession. I have never been a fan of SpongeBob and have never watched the TV show. That's a little embarrassing for me to admit- directors are supposed to do research, analysis, and a ton of pre-rehearsal work in order to fully immerse themselves in the show they are working on, but I'm telling you this because just maybe...you haven't either. If that's the case, I can assure you- you will LOVE this show anyway. Maybe you know every episode of SpongeBob, in which case, you will REALLY love this show. Either way, I can promise you an amazing and EPIC 2.5 hours ahead of you.

You may be asking yourself, “why did she decide to direct this show?” Well, what initially sold me on this show was the music, and then once I read the script I quickly fell in love with this wacky story with a BIG heart. At its heart, The SpongeBob Musical is all about optimism and the power of positivity. Everyone’s favorite, lovable sea sponge exudes kindness, inclusion, courage, and love. Through his actions, SpongeBob shows us that we should not blame or exploit others, but instead should stand together to overcome a crisis.

Life is hard. When a crisis hits, sometimes it seems like the easiest thing would be to just run away, but our problems don’t disappear. In fact, problems can oftentimes grow bigger in our absence and eventually we will need to face them. While times of crisis can cause us to react in ways we otherwise know to be wrong, they also offer us the opportunity to rise to the occasion, spread love, light, and find our true purpose.

It takes a village to create a show and immersive environment to go along with it. I want to thank everyone who ventured into Bikini Bottom with me. First, when I agreed to direct this show I immediately said, “I need Hillary Talken to music direct” and after a little persuasion she signed on and you are all about to hear why she was the best woman for this show. Krista, my choreographer, was a surprise addition to our team. She is a First Act mom that had been hiding her amazing talents as a choreographer and now her handiwork is about to shine on stage. My wonderful Stage Manager, Anna, is a new face to First Act and I am SO grateful to her and her professionalism during this production. She is a gem and I couldn't have made all of this happen without her. Of course, I have to thank my dear friend and Production Coordinator, Brenda, for anticipating every need and just being our rock from auditions to performances. We have some of the BEST parent volunteers EVER, and I am deeply grateful for them all and the countless hours they have put into this show. Another THANK YOU needs to be extended to our wonderful First Act staff and board for their continual support. Finally, thank YOU for being here to support these FANTASTIC actors and this program that we love so much.

So please let loose, laugh it up, and have THE BEST DAY EVER with all of us in Bikini Bottom. All it takes is a little IMAGINATION!

May today’s production inspire you to spread some joy and treat others with kindness and compassion.

Now…are you ready kids?

Michelle Evans Director

artistic team

Brenda, Krista, Anna, Michelle, & Hillary

Musical numbers

ACT ONE

"Bikini Bottom Day"………....................................................................................Company (by Jonathan Coulton)

"Bikini Bottom Day (Reprise 1)” .................................................................SpongeBob ( by Jonathan Coulton)

"No Control"...........................................................................Perch Perkins & Company (by David Bowie & Brian Eno) "BFF" ……..........................................................................................SpongeBob & Patrick (by Plain White T’s)

“When the Going Gets Tough”..Plankton, Karen, Backup Dancers, & Company (by T.I., Domani Harris, & Darwin Quinn)

"(Just A) Simple Sponge".................................SpongeBob, Mr. Krabs, & Townfish (by Panic! At the Disco)

"Daddy Knows Best"……......................................Mr. Krabs, Pearl, & Electric Skates (by Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros) "Hero is My Middle Name"……...................SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, & Jellyfish (by Cyndi Lauper & Rob Hyman)

"Super Sea-Star Savior"…….......................Patrick, Sardine 1-4, & Sardine Chorus (by Yolanda Adams)

"Tomorrow Is" Company (by The Flaming Lips)

Musical numbers

ACT TWO

"Poor Pirates"………..................................................................................Patchy & Pirates (by Sara Bareilles)

"Bikini Bottom Day (Reprise 2)” .................................................................SpongeBob ( by Jonathan Coulton)

"Bikini Bottom Boogie"..............................The Electric Skates, Pearl, & Teen Fans (by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith)

"Chop to the Top" ……....................................................................Sandy & SpongeBob (by Lady A)

“(I Guess) I Miss You”...................................................................Patrick & SpongeBob (by John Legend)

"I’m Not a Loser".............................................................Squidward & Sea Anemones (by They Might Be Giants)

"Simple Sponge (Reprise)"……......................................................................SpongeBob (by Panic! at the Disco)

"Best Day Ever"……..................................................................SpongeBob & Company (by Andy Paley and Tom Kenny)

"Finale: Bikini Bottom Day (Reprise 3)"……..................................................Company (by Jonathan Coulton)

"SpongeBob Theme Song" Company (by Derek Drymon, Mark Harrison, Stephen Hillenburg, and Blaise Smith)

cast of characters

SpongeBob SquarePants.........................................................................Kaitlyn Talken

Patrick Star.......................................................................................................Charlie Lynn

Sandy Cheeks……….....................................................................................Riley Simmons

Squidward Q. Tentacles Evie Fisher

Sheldon J. Plankton………................................................................................Evan LeRoy

Eugene Krabs………...........................................................................................Jason James

Karen the Computer………......................................................................Emma Andrews

Pearl Krabs………..................................................................................Savannah Beaman

Gary…...............................................................................................Cole Wood-McKeown

Perch Perkins……….......................................................................................Lakyn Bradley

The Mayor of Bikini Bottom Melody Steffen

Larry the Lobster………................................................................................Noah Thomas

Old Man Jenkins……….................................................................................Jacob Banman

Mrs. Puff………..........................................................................................Danna Holzhauer

The French Narrator………...........................................................................Marin LaCour

Patchy the Pirate………................................................................................Rachel Pishny

Sardine 1...............................................................................................................Mya Evans

Sardine 2...............................................................................................Boston Woodward

Sardine 3 Lilly Robertson

Sardine 4.....................................................................................................Jadyn Valentine

Electric Skate 1.................................................................................................Jillian Bosch

Electric Skate 2...................................................................................................Taylor Bell

Electric Skate 3...........................................................................................Rowan Sopher

Security Guard 1...............................................................................................Kylie Marsh

Security Guard 2................................................................................................Lily Dennis

Buster Bluetang Harper Hoge

A Fish……….......................................................................................................Lainey Panek

Another Fish………………………………………………………………………………….....Sara Williams

Mob Fish……….....................................……………………………..........................Viktoria Driver

Johnny the Bartender……….....................................................................Josefin Schubel

Teen 1……….............................................................................................Arabella Flanagan

Teen 2………..................................................................................................Josefin Schubel

Teen 3……….....................................................................................................Sara Williams

Foley Artist Jonas Beyer

Cast of Characters

Pirates

MyaEvans,LillyRobertson,JadynValentine,BostonWoodward

SeaAnenomes

MyaEvans,HarperHoge,RachelPishny,LillyRobertson,MelodySteffen, JadynValentine

SardineChorus

TaylorBell,JillianBosch,ArabellaFlanagan,HarperHoge,RachelPishny, RowanSopher

GirlFishTrio

ArabellaFlanagan,HarperHoge,LaineyPanek

CowboyFish

TaylorBell,JillianBosch,RowanSopher

Plankton’sBackupDancers

MyaEvans,HarperHoge,RachelPishny,LillyRobertson,JosefinSchubel

Jellyfish

LilyDennis,ViktoriaDriver,DannaHolzhauer,KylieMarsh,LaineyPanek, SaraWilliams

Meet the Cast

Kaitlyn Talken as SpongeBob SqaurePants

Kaitlyn is 16 years old and a homeschooled sophomore. This is her 24th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Kaitlyn’s favorite role is Dolly Gallagher Levi in Hello, Dolly! Off stage, Kaitlyn enjoys spending hours walking through antique stores, going on sister adventures, and watching old movie musicals. Kaitlyn would like to thank her parents and sisters!

Charlie Lynn as Patrick Star

Charlie is 17 years old and a junior at Blue Valley High School. This is his 28th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Charlie’s favorite role is Patrick in The SpongeBob Musical Off stage, Charlie enjoys lifting, playing guitar, and eating Cheez Its. Charlie would like to thank his family, friends, and the artistic team for making this show so fire.

Riley

Simmons as Sandy Cheeks

Riley is 17 years old and a junior at Blue Valley Northwest High School This is her 10th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Riley’s favorite roles include Little Red in Into the Woods and Jane in Tarzan. Off stage, Riley enjoys reading and listening to music. Riley would like to thank her parents for always supporting her.

Meet the Cast

Evie Fisher as Squidward Q. Tentacles

Evie is 17 years old and a junior at Blue Valley Northwest High School. This is her 10th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Evie’s favorite role is Spiker in James and the Giant Peach. Off stage, Evie enjoys drawing, hanging out with friends, and eating cheese and crackers. Evie would like to thank her parents for always supporting her and her dogs Chip & Zoey for being the cutest things alive.

Evan LeRoy as Sheldon J. Plankton

Evan is 16 years old and a sophomore at Mill Valley High School. This is his 21st show with First Act Theatre Arts. Evan’s favorite role is The Man in the Yellow Suit in Tuck Everlasting. Off stage, Evan enjoys being a reporter for both his school’s video and print news departments Evan would like to thank his family for supporting him and the directing team for giving him this opportunity.

Jason James as Eugene Krabs

Jason is 18 years old and a senior at St. James Academy. This is his 10th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Jason’s favorite role is William Barfee in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Off stage, Jason enjoys composing music in his free time Jason would like to thank his vocal coach Matt Richardson for helping him improve so much and his Mom for making it possible for him to pursue his dreams.

Meet the Cast

Savannah Beaman as Pearl Krabs

Savannah is 17 years old and a junior at Blue Valley Northwest High School. This is her 30th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Savannah’s favorite role is Mrs. Irene Molloy in Hello, Dolly!. Off stage, Savannah enjoys hanging out with friends and going on adventures. Savannah would like to thank her parents for always being there for her and her friends for supporting her most.

Emma is 17 years old and a junior at Park Hill South High School. This is her 7th show with First Act Theatre Arts. Emma’s favorite role is Cinderella in Into the Woods Off stage, Emma enjoys drinking peach mango green tea Celsius and listening to Harry Styles. Emma would like to thank her family, friends, mentors, and above all, God, for giving her this opportunity.

Melody is 18 years old and a senior at Liberty North High School. This is her 23rd show with First Act Theatre Arts. Melody’s favorite role is an Alabama Lamb in Big Fish Off stage, Melody enjoys reading, writing, playing the guitar, and dancing. Melody would like to thank her family for always supporting her, everyone at First Act for making these past eight years truly amazing, and God for everything!

Emma Andrews as Karen the Computer

Melody Steffen as The Mayor of Bikini Bottom

Meet the Cast

Lakyn Bradley as Perch Perkins

Lakyn is 17 years old and a senior at St. James Academy. This is her 4th show with First Act Theatre Arts Lakyn’s favorite roles include Wednesday in The Addams Family and Natalie in All Shook Up. Off stage, Lakyn enjoys painting, drawing, writing, and hanging out with friends. Lakyn would like to thank her parents and her amazing friends for coming to see the show and supporting her

Cole is 16 years old and a freshman at Oak Park High School. This is his 3rd show with First Act Theatre Arts. Cole’s favorite role is Gary the Snail in The SpongeBob Musical. Off stage, Cole enjoys watching musicals, playing board games and puzzles, swimming, YMCA Challenger sports, and spending time with family. He loves all things Broadway! Cole would like to thank all of his family, friends, and teachers who are always cheering him on to succeed.

Cole Wood-McKeown as Gary

Meet the Cast

Jacob Banman

Old Man Jenkins

Electric Skate & Cowboy Fish

Electric Skate & Cowboy Fish Security Guard & Jellyfish

Sardine, Pirate & Sea Anemone

Teen Fan & Girl Fish Trio

Buster Bluetang, Girl Fish Trio & Sea Anemone

Meet the Cast

French Narrator Security Guard & Jellyfish

y A Fish, Girl Fish Trio, & Jellyfish

Patchy the Pirate & Sea Anenome Sardine, Pirate & Sea Anemone

Johnny the Bartender & Teen Fan

Electric Skate & Cowboy Fish

Larry the Lobster Sardine, Pirate, & Sea Anenome

Another Fish & Jellyfish

Sardine & Pirate

Congratulations!

Savannah Beaman

We can hear you and we LOVE you! Keep singing! Mom, Dad, Logan and Quinn

Taylor Bell

Taylor, We love watching you shine and we are so proud of you! Break a Leg!! Love, Mom, Dad, Carson, and Kennedy

Jillian Bosch

You're Electric! Boogie Woogie

Woogie! Love you and proud of you! Love, Mom, Dad and Leo

Lily Dennis

Lily: We are so proud of you and excited to watch you on stage!

Love, Mom, Dad, Danny, and Callie

Viktoria Driver

Viktoria – Bravo on leading the mob! Remember, every moment for God's glory! We're swimming in pride! Love, Mom & Dad

Evie Fisher

We are so proud of you, Evie! We can't wait to see you as Squidward J.Q. Tentacles! Love, Dad and Mom

Harper Hoge

We're so excited to see you do your thing under the sea! Have fun swimming around! Love, your Family

Congratulations!

Danna Holzhauer

Congrats Danna! It's such a pleasure seeing you shine on and off stage! Love Dad, Mom, Neumann and Grandma

Marin LaCour

Marin, we love watching you perform! Break a leg, but don't fall down those stairs!! Love, Mom and Dad

Evan LeRoy

Evan, (Plankton) You’ll shine brighter than the Krabby Patty secret formula. Break all the legs and looking forward to sharing the stage with you. Love you -The Fam

Rachel Pishny

Whether wearing a patch or sporting a black 'stache, you'll always be our favorite pirate! AAR! Love, Mom & Dad

Kaitlyn Talken

If you believe in yourself, with a tiny pinch of magic, all your dreams can come true! Thank you for sharing your gifts with us! We love you deeply and are very PROUD of you! Mom, Dad, and The Sisters

Cole Wood-McKeown

Cole, We are so proud of your dedication and hard work in SpongeBob the Musical! You are one AMAZING Gary the Snail...."MEOW" and definitely our favorite! We love you! Mom Teresa, Mom Barb, Andrew, & Skyler

parent committees

Backstage

Beaman

Fisher

Woodward*

Costumes

Andrews Driver

Flanagan

Marsh*

Green Room

Banman*

Wood-McKeown

House Bell

Steffen*

Makeup

LeRoy

Lynn*

Opportunity Baskets

Thomas Valentine*

PR/Marketing

Fulk*

Props

Bradley Jacobs (Sopher)*

Holzhauer

Schubel

Refreshments/Souvenirs

Bosch*

Dennis

James*

Simmons Sets

Evans

Hoge*

LaCour

Pishny

Talken

Williams Tech

Panek*

*Committee Head

Special Thanks

First Act Theatre Arts would like to extend special thanks to the following organizations and individuals for their generous contributions to this show.

John Rohr and the Goppert Center Staff for hosting this production

Village Presbyterian Church for hosting our auditions

Colonial Presbyterian for hosting our rehearsals

Evangel Church & Kaw Prairie Community Church for hosting our classes

Erin Hillier & Darci Foster for being our tireless class coordinators

Maggie Miller for her dedicated service to our HEART program

Erin Barton & Steve Kleinschmidt for their excellent show photos

Dennis Ryan for the terrific show recordings

Rick Aldrich & Totally His Graphics for our awesome show shirts

Dennis Hoge for his help with all things warehouse

Ginger Burns for her assistance with makeup

Cynthia Liggett for her help with props

Pam Bray & Gina Milbourn for their assistance with the organization of our costumes

Jacob, Mya, & Charlie for being our student worship team

Evie, Evan & Rowan for being our student social media team

Dahmer Contracting Group for donating the scaffolding

Alex Thorne for the 3D Printed Nautical Diving Helmet

The First Act Board and Staff for all of their support

Our amazing parent committees and wonderful volunteers: without you, our show would never be possible!

Brenda LaCour for making our production run smoothly

Our wonderful Artistic Team for putting this show together

And most importantly, our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ through whom all things are possible!