Members of the Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical cast began their first rehearsals Monday. Just like auditions, rehearsals take place after school in the auditorium. Here, the cast can get all the space they need to sharpen their singing, dancing, and acting skills as they bring the beloved cartoon characters to life.

“I expect we will be getting to know each other and learning the music this week,” senior Kenna Hall said. “It’s a fun musical, and I’m playing Squidward. We’re all going to have a great time with it.”

At first, senior Ella Lewis wasn’t so sure about the choice of Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical as she didn’t want a cartoon character to be her last role in high school.

“I didn’t want the role initially, but I’ve grown to adore this role,” Lewis said via text. “The music for the show is way better than what I initially expected too. Going into the rehearsal process, I’m excited to get to know the people and bring this fun story to life.”

For some students, the Spongebob production is an opportunity to move from the background to the spotlight.

“I’m really excited to finally be playing a bigger role [Patrick Star] than most of the shows I’ve been in,” junior Kevin Crawford said. “I’m expecting to go over the script so much that it becomes embedded in my brain.”