The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

For 16 years, Sisters High School has held the tradition of performing musicals to share with the community.

Every other year, Director Rick Johnson chooses a specific script to perform. A lot of thought goes into this decision. Johnson has to take into consideration his current choir makeup, the rating of the play, and the enjoyment of the experience from an audience’s perspective. This year, after much deliberation, their pick was the unorthodox “Spongebob.”

“A lot of people might cringe when they hear that, but when you take a closer look at the script you realize how deep it is, and I think the audience will both laugh and cry while watching, but ultimately leave feeling moved,” said Johnson.

Johnson, along with accompanist Julie Cash, held auditions last spring to cast participants for roles.

“It was so great because I was able to see all these students that would be perfect within the available roles,” Johnson said.

Sophomore Ava O’Neill was chosen during her fresman year to play Spongebob. The other main roles went to Audrey Roth as Sandy Squirrel, Blake Parker for Patrick, and Ted Stolaz for Squidward.

“We’ve had underclassmen as major roles in past years, but Ava definitely earned this. She’s so bright and full of joy, she fits the character perfectly,” Johnson said.

The entire choir team feels nervous, but simultaneously thrilled for their upcoming performance.

“It’s incredible to see everyone around me growing and improving their skills. My favorite moments are when Mr. Johnson’s face lights up after a rehearsal, and I feel like we’ve done a good job,” said O’Neill.

It hasn’t just been choir participants preparing for the play; art and audio-visual students have also played a major role in the preparation of this performance.

The tech team is led by junior Jack Turpen, and the AV class by Kayla Golka. Together they have aided in managing sound, light, and the overall performance structure.

The art class has been furiously painting and crafting set pieces for the numerous background changes.

“My Drawing and Painting II classes have been working on the designs,” said art teacher Bethany Gunnerson. “It’s a great opportunity to work on a real-world challenge and have the students receive an order and interpret it with their own creativity.”

The play itself is centered around Spongebob’s hometown of Bikini Bottom, dealing with the danger of a nearby volcano on the verge of eruption that could wipe out their village. It provides surprisingly passionate insight into ocean pollution, and the meaning of community. All the set pieces used are recycled to go along with the theme of environmental conservation.

With all the hardwork and planning involved in the endeavor, the cast and crew is more than ready to put on a show.

The musical will run November 2-5.