Spotlight on: Creative Team takes the stage
3-minute read // Published by Young Peoples Theatre, June 2022
Written by Chelsea Willis
Pictured: Brianna Budden in the role of Pearl Krabbs
In a stunning display of versatility, the creative team of The SpongeBob Musical have been taking on a variety of roles (with little notice) to ensure in fact that the ‘show must go on’. Performers are so used to pushing through when they don’t feel 100% but we have learned and grown through the world pandemic and now we know to stay home when we are unwell to keep everyone safe. As such, the theatre industry is learning to adapt with more regular absences due to illness.
Even with our double casts (two students sharing each role at alternating performances), YPT has successfully been implementing an understudy program as part of our casting and rehearsals in our last few productions to ensure every role is covered by multiple students. This not only ensures the show can go on, but also gives students industry practise and experience in learning multiple roles. However, even with all of that in place we have seen members of the creative team go onstage for this production (with little to no notice).
Congratulations to our Coral Chorus Director, Brianna Budden who covered the role of Pearl Krabbs, a vocally demanding role, in our first Saturday evening performance of The SpongeBob Musical. Brianna had a days notice to familiarize herself with the role, which was particularly difficult given she had spent the rehearsal period working with our youngest cast members and not our principal roles. Brianna calmly and professionally learned all of the lines, blocking, choreography and songs and wowed our audiences with a stunning vocal performance. Brianna has since performed the role for a second time and wowed audience just as much.
At one of our school holiday matinee’s, our Director Maddie Watts, took to the stage in the same role having just an hours notice to prepare. Maddie, knowing the
show very well, was able to step in last minute and perform the role with confidence and precision. Even, I myself, who usually wears the Choreographer and Assistant Director hat, jumped onstage as a sardine in the same performances, with audience members having fun spotting me in the sea of green and pink outfits.
Its not just our onstage performers either that we are being completely adaptable. We have also seen our crew be incredibly flexible with changing roles, different stage managers and even cast jumping in to help out with crew for the opposite cast. Huge admiration and thanks to our incredibly crew who have been keeping this big show running smoothly.
This production is a constant reminder of how versatile and wonderful our staff, students and volunteers are. Fittingly with this production, everyone is doing a great job of ‘going with the flow’.
Stayed tuned for our next blog post where we spotlight more of our understudies, (both official and unofficial) of The SpongeBob Musical.
Tickets for The SpongeBob Musical can be purchased at ypt.org.au/bookings
