By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Most people watch cartoons for fun. Barton Fine and Performing Arts Coordinator Danika Bielek gets to call it work. As part of her preparation for the upcoming "SpongeBob SquarePants" musical at BCC, Bielek spent the winter break watching the popular Nickelodeon cartoon and various live performances to get some ideas to incorporate into the local production.
"After we pull together all of this research, then we start making our own decisions and making our own version of the musical, so it comes to life," Bielek said Monday morning on 1590 KVGB/95.5 FM's "Cougar Pause" program. "We think a lot of our community and what speaks to our community, what are good principles we hold in our area, and how do we highlight those within our production."
Auditions for the production were held in November. BCC Communications Instructor Denise Williams will direct the musical. She's working with Holly Johnson, drama teacher at Great Bend High School. Dr. Eric Foley will serve as music director. Bielek said many high school and college students make up the core cast of the program, including Anderson Luttrell, who brings a little bit of "whimsy" in the star role as SpongeBob.
"For his vocalization and movement, we've been developing this character in a way with him so he has his own version of SpongeBob," she said. "He's so invested and so fun to work with."
Tickets for the shows go on sale Feb. 1. General admission is $15, and tickets may be purchased up to an hour before showtime at the door, though Bielek expects large crowds and encourages online purchases at shows.bartonccc.edu. There will be three 7:30 p.m. performances on March 5, 6, and 7, then a 2 p.m. matinee performance on March 8 at the Fine Arts Building on the BCC campus.