Quick Take
UC Santa Cruz will bring a SpongeBob SquarePants musical to life this fall, marking the school's first musical production since 2022. Directed by assistant professor Rebecca Wear, the show explores themes of community, environmental crisis and xenophobia through a playful, campy retelling of the beloved Nickelodeon cartoon.
When UC Santa Cruz assistant professor of directing Rebecca Wear was brainstorming with one of her colleagues about what plays or musicals students should perform in the coming years, her colleague suggested doing something her young son could enjoy.
Wear recalled her colleague, UCSC assistant professor of costume design Pamela Rodriguez-Montero, suggesting the department should do “The SpongeBob Musical.”
About two years later, they are turning that suggestion into reality.
This fall, a cast of UC Santa Cruz students will perform “The SpongeBob Musical” at the university’s Theater Arts Center – the school’s first musical since 2022. In nine performances from Nov. 14 to 23, they’ll recreate the story of the Bikini Bottom community as it struggles to save its undersea home from a volcanic eruption.
The musical includes songs written by David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper and The Flaming Lips, and Wear said choreographer and UCSC lecturer Cid Pearlman will be assisting.
“The SpongeBob Musical” is based on the Nickelodeon children’s cartoon “SpongeBob Squarepants.” First released in 1999, Gen Z and Millennials grew up watching the animation, whose surreal humor lent itself to internet culture and memes. The main character, SpongeBob SquarePants, is a sea sponge who lives in a pineapple and works at the Krusty Krab in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom.
Wear, who’s directing the program, told Lookout there were a few reasons she and a colleague selected “The SpongeBob Musical” for UCSC’s first musical in three years. They think the story aligns well with the Department of Performance, Play & Design’s theme of science-related performances next year, and despite being entertaining for a young audience, it tells the story of how a community confronts biases and grapples with issues of environmental disasters, hate and misinformation. One of the characters, Sandy, a squirrel in an astronaut suit adapted for underwater living, tries to save the city with an invention but is chased by a mob of angry residents who criticize her for being from land and accuse her of being responsible for the impending eruption.
“SpongeBob invites us to confront how we individually fight against some of the biggest issues facing us right now, like climate change and xenophobia,” Wear said. “But does so in a way that is utterly playful, utterly campy, utterly absurd and utterly heartfelt.”
Wear and the department also hope the program will attract the wider Santa Cruz community that might not otherwise visit campus. The broad appeal they think the musical will have for the audience has already been felt by students who have applied to participate in the production. Wear said she’s already seen a more diverse range of students who are interested in participating, and she’s received more emails from students asking to contribute compared to prior years’ performances.
She said more than a handful of students were excited about auditioning for the buzzkill character Squidward and for Sandy.
“What’s been amazing has been to watch the students who are excited and who know themselves well enough to be like, ‘I would like to audition for Squidward,’” Wear said. “And I’m like, ‘I would love to see your audition for Squidward!’”
The department held its first round of auditions from June 2 to 5 and will have a second and final round during the first week of school at the end of September. Wear said the cast might be about 20 students but she’s not certain yet because it depends on how much money she can raise. She’s trying to bring in at least $20,000 for costumes and to pay some of the staff. All together, with actors, designers and staff, Wear said 40 people make up the crew that put on the show.
Tickets for “The Spongebob Musical: aren’t on sale yet, but Wear says they should be available in late fall. Tickets will be free for students.
The performances will be at UCSC’s Theater Arts Center Mainstage, located at 411 Kerr Rd. on the west side of the campus.
To donate to the production’s fundraiser, email Wear directly at rwear@ucsc.edu.
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