About the Musical
When a nearby volcano suddenly becomes active, the citizens of Bikini Bottom believe their world is about to end. As fear and panic spread, SpongeBob SquarePants refuses to give up hope. Alongside his best friends, Patrick Star and Sandy Cheeks, he sets out to find a way to save their home. Along the journey, the community faces challenges, disagreements, and unexpected heroes, learning that courage, friendship, and working together are stronger than fear. In the end, the people of Bikini Bottom discover that hope and determination can overcome even the greatest obstacles, making it the best day ever.
Meet the Directors
Ainsley Knox
Director
Ainsley Knox is a Wabasha-Kellogg Drama Department alumni currently studying acting at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Since high school, she has acted in 4 college-level productions, including Anne of Green Gables and Julius Caesar. In addition to her college acting credits, she is a founding member of the Duluth Shakespeare Project, and recently played Viola in Twelfth Night. Ainsley was the playwright and director for both the 2022 and 2023 Elementary Plays, and she looks forward to expanding her directing experience through The SpongeBob Musical! She is super excited to work with the community and put on a show all about believing in yourself, never giving up, and the importance of community in tough times!
Cris Medina
Director
He has been involved in theatre since the age of 10 and has worked both on stage and behind the scenes, acting in productions as well as directing more than 75 community theatre, children’s theatre, middle school, and high school productions. He enjoys the collaborative nature of theatre, the process of creating a production from the ground up, and the opportunity to work with people of all ages and experience levels. He is excited to help bring community theatre back to Wabasha, continuing a tradition that began in the early days of the River Junction Arts Council.
Adam Burns
Technical Director
Adam Burns is the Technical Director for SpongeBob the Musical! He attended West High School in Sioux City, Iowa, where he helped his theatre director with lighting and sound setups as a sophomore. He worked on shows such as Bye Bye Birdie and Oklahoma. He also set up the lights, camera, and recording studio equipment for the school’s new Mass Communications class. All the items were donated, so they didn’t come with any instructions, and Adam had a lot of fun putting it all together! Outside of his hometown and Wabasha, he has seen Hamilton and Moulin Rouge in 2022 and 2023. He has been working with Cris Medina since 2018 at Wabasha Kellogg High School, volunteering his time to help with all things tech! Most recently, he was the Technical Director for Grumpy Old Men the Musical put on by the River Junction Arts Council. Adam is looking forward to working with everyone on SpongeBob!!
Natalie Thyren
Vocal Director & Pit Conductor
Natalie Thyren is a dedicated vocal music educator at Wabasha-Kellogg Schools with over 30 years of teaching, directing, and performing experience. Some of her favorite on-stage roles include Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins), Belle (Beauty and the Beast), Marian (The Music Man), Hope (Anything Goes), Babe (The Pajama Game), and Esther (Meet Me in St. Louis). Off-stage, she has spent three decades serving area schools and community theatres as an assistant, vocal, and pit director.
Natalie is deeply passionate about making music accessible to everyone. Following the closure of several regional theater groups, she is incredibly grateful for RJAC and a community fiercely committed to welcoming everyone back to the stage.
“The gift of community theatre is rare and well worth the sacrifice of time, as shown by those traveling over an hour to be here,” Natalie says. “We are so lucky to have a community that values the arts. Whether you are in the audience or on stage, I hope you leave believing in the power of community, and that your heart is lifted by this show!”
Claire Penning
Choreographer
Claire Penning is a choreographer, teacher, and performing artist passionate about creating expressive, musical, and story-driven movement for the stage. She currently teaches at the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts and at La Crosse Dance Centre, instructing multiple levels of tap, jazz, and contemporary for students ranging from middle school through adult and collegiate levels.
As a choreographer, Claire has worked with a wide range of schools, universities, and regional theaters, including Wabasha-Kellogg High School, Cotter High School, the River Junction Arts Council, Saint Mary’s University, and the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts. Her choreography spans musical theatre, concert dance, and competition settings, and is recognized for its blend of technical precision, storytelling, and dynamic rhythm.
Claire is also an experienced show choir choreographer, creating energetic and stylistically diverse routines for groups across the midwest. Her work includes choreography for Onalaska Middle School’s “Top O’ the Middle” and “In the Middle” ensembles, as well as multiple seasonal concert pieces for Cotter High School’s show choir program. Her choreography emphasizes musicality, performance quality, and ensemble connection, bringing both artistry and joy to the competitive show choir stage.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point and continues to perform and create throughout the United States.