When school is out, summer at Straz Center's Patel Conservatory is in full swing. When our mainstage performances wrap up for the season, our campus comes alive with camps, classes and intensives in dance, music and theater. Young performers rehearse lines and perfect dance moves, while future stage managers and technicians learn the intricacies of lighting and sound. Instrumentalists and vocalists echo through the halls, and Straz is filled with the creative energy of Conservatory students all summer long.
This summer, the spotlight was on The SpongeBob Musical, professionally produced and performed in Straz Center’s Ferguson Hall. Typically, student performances take place in a black box theater located on the Conservatory’s campus. These smaller venues, with lower capacity and production costs, make them more accessible for student performances. Mainstage performances - larger in scale, more elaborate in staging, and with bigger ensembles - are often out of reach for student productions due to their expense.
However, thanks to a generous donation from the Peters Family Foundation, the cast and crew of The SpongeBob Musical had the opportunity to experience the professional world of theater, complete with a team of designers, technicians and an orchestra pit of Conservatory instrumentalists.
“Performing on a mainstage is huge for our students,” says Michelle Petrucci, the Conservatory’s Theater Department Chair. “They’re working alongside professionals with the team of designers and union crews. They’re learning how scenic transitions happen. They’re getting the full experience of how professional theater works. Plus, they’re sharing the same stage as so many famous people who performed before them throughout the year. What an incredible opportunity.”
Fran Warner has been involved with the Conservatory since seventh grade. Now 19, she worked alongside Michelle as Associate Choreographer for The SpongeBob Musical. “I started in the dance program, then started doing a little bit of theater and fell in love with it,” says Fran. “Now I’m choreographing and apprenticing here. I love being able to learn from everyone, whether they are younger students or experienced professionals like Michelle.” Fran’s day consisted of early morning preparations, rehearsing choreography and working closely with students and colleagues. “It’s a fun and collaborative environment where you get to hang with your friends, but it’s also a lot of work and we take it seriously.”
Over the course of three weeks, these high school and college-aged students were immersed in a demanding rehearsal schedule. Each day began at 9 A.M. and concluded at 5 P.M., Monday through Friday, with additional rehearsals on some Saturdays.
“I'm dancing all morning, then I go to lunch and get a quiet moment. Then we run straight into music. From there we’ll review everything from our day. We're practicing all different types of dance, and we're singing all different types of songs. It’s kind of crazy, but it’s a lot of fun,” says Sofia Pickford, who played Karen the Computer. She continues, “It’s so different from performing in a black box. It’s important for a young actor to learn how to perform for a hundred people and for a thousand. It’s a unique experience that we have these spaces on campus and that we get to utilize them.”
The SpongeBob Musical had three successful performances, drawing crowds of all ages and backgrounds. Angie Tharitimanont, summer Theater Intern at the Conservatory, explains, “I think it’s so cool that different movies and TV shows are being made into musicals. It’s a new wave of live art that people who may not be interested in more traditional musicals can connect with. It’s on TV and they get the plot, so it’s something they’re already familiar with. It opens their eyes to theater. It’s another outlet to show new audiences how different and beautiful storytelling can be through live art.”
The continued success of the Patel Conservatory's programs and productions is made possible by Straz Center donors. Contributions help keep tuition affordable, provide hundreds and scholarships annually and ensure that Conservatory students have access to exceptional learning and performance opportunities. Sofia, who has been attending Patel classes since she was four and has received scholarship support, reflects, “I’m only here because they had funds from a donor to give me a scholarship. Fifteen years later, I’m on Ferguson stage. Something so small can have a huge effect on so many people. It can change a person’s entire trajectory.”