After almost six months of rehearsal, including a month and a half of unexpected delay, Sunday marked the end of the musical season on campus with the last performance of The SpongeBob Musical. 

“This is one of the shows that I’ve seen the most growth in amongst my cast and crew,” theater director Heather Willingham said. “We started Thursday night with a strong show, but by Sunday, we had a show that topped that. Every night got better and better. All you can ask for from artists is that they improve upon their craft every single time, and they did.”

Combined with the inherent popularity of SpongeBob Squarepants, the production was among the most successful in the school’s history, according to Willingham, rivaling its biggest productions.

“Our audience had a blast,” Willingham said. “Moneywise, we actually did better than we’ve ever done even though we charged less for tickets. For Shrek, we charged $10 for students and $15 for adults. This show, we knocked off five for each, so when you compare it, we actually did better on this show than we ever have.”

Despite having confidence in their production, the cast of the show was impressed by audience turnout.

“After opening night, I was amazed with the audience interaction we had,” sophomore Aparajitha Srinivasan said. “Most people don’t usually show up to Thursday night shows, but It went really well, and I was really happy with it. The audiences loved When The Going Gets Tough since it got the most hype from both the cast and the audience.”

Freshman theater technician Jonah Roberts attributes much of the show’s success to the intensive rehearsals leading up to the opening night.

“All the long rehearsals were really good,” Roberts said. “We might have been a little tired at the end of them, but they really helped mold the show into what we wanted it to look like.”

For lead actress Ella Lewis, cast chemistry was another factor in the successful production of The Spongebob Musical.

“Our theater department had a big issue with getting along last year,” Lewis said. “My campaign for becoming theater club president was to make theater a more welcoming and inclusive place, and this show has proven to me that I have accomplished that goal. No one was splitting up in their own groups, and every single person said they felt seen and loved. I have never been so proud of any group of people in my life.”