Concord Theatricals Launches SING LIKE A SPONGE: THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL Contest

Concord Theatricals is celebrating Nickelodeon's SpongeBob Squarepants with the launch of Sing Like a Sponge: The SpongeBob Musical Contest, a brand-new competition that  will award 10 schools or youth groups in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Canada (excluding Quebec) with a complimentary license package to perform The SpongeBob Musical or The SpongeBob Musical: Youth Edition in 2024 or 2025. The contest is open to all schools and youth groups, especially Title 1 and other schools and groups in under-resourced communities. Open for submissions today, the contest runs through Monday, June 10, 2024, at 11:59pm ET. 

“Whenever I hear the word SpongeBob, I smile,” said Bill Gaden, President of Concord Theatricals. “Concord is delighted to spread SpongeBob smiles to 10 under-resourced schools.  We know the power of theatre and the excitement, empowerment, and pure joy that it can bring to middle and high school students.  We look forward to schools showing us what their ‘best day ever' is.”

“SpongeBob SquarePants has been spreading joy for 25 years, and The SpongeBob Musical continues to delight audiences around the globe as they experience the world of Bikini Bottom live,” said Rachel Karpf, Vice President, Experiences and Live Stage, Paramount Consumer Products and Experiences. “We have seen how much schools and youth groups love this incredible musical, so we are thrilled to partner with Concord Theatricals to celebrate everyone's favorite porous pal by giving fans even more opportunity to create their own productions.”

To enter the contest, schools and youth groups must complete a written application, including an essay that answers the question: SpongeBob demonstrates endless positivity. How do your students show the SpongeBob spirit in their school community? The winners will be chosen by a set of adjudicators based on a variety of factors, including financial need and creativity of answer. Each recipient will be awarded a three-performance licensing package for The SpongeBob Musical or The SpongeBob Musical: Youth Edition, including all rental material. 

Selected organizations must present their production of The SpongeBob Musical or The SpongeBob Musical: Youth Edition between September 2024 and December 2025. For more information, including official contest rules and how to enter, visit concordtheatricals.com/sing-like-a-sponge.

The SpongeBob Musical is based on the beloved animated series created by Stephen Hillenburg and tells the story of the optimistic SpongeBob and his irresistible friends coming together to save their undersea world from volcanic destruction. The musical features a book by Tony Award-nominated, Obie Award-winning writer and musician Kyle Jarrow, with original songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alexander Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady A, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T's, They Might Be Giants and T.I., and songs by David Bowie, Tom Kenny and Andy Paley. Additional lyrics are by Jonathan Coulton, with additional music by Tom Kitt. The musical production was conceived by renowned writer, director and Drama Desk Award-winning Tina Landau.

The Broadway production of The SpongeBob Musical earned its place on 2017's “Best of Broadway” lists including Broadway.com, BuzzFeed, The Chicago Tribune, The Daily Beast, Deadline, ET Online, Forbes, Time Out New York and Variety. The SpongeBob Musical was named Best Musical by the Drama Desk Awards and Outer Critics Circle and earned 12 Tony Award nominations – the most nominated musical of the 2017-2018 theatre season. Following the Broadway run and national tour, the musical has become a favorite around the world, boasting over 2,000 unique productions in more than 20 countries, and earning recognition as one of the most-produced musicals in US high schools in the 2022-23 school year.

Since its premiere on July 17, 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants has reigned as the most-watched animated series for 22 consecutive years, while generating a universe of beloved characters, pop culture catchphrases and memes, theatrical releases, consumer products, a Tony award-winning Broadway musical and a global fan base. SpongeBob SquarePants is one of the most widely distributed properties in Paramount Global history, seen in more than 180 markets, translated in 30+ languages, and averaging more than 90 million total viewers every quarter. SpongeBob SquarePants was created by Stephen Hillenburg and produced by Nickelodeon in Burbank, Calif. The character-driven cartoon chronicles the nautical and sometimes nonsensical adventures of SpongeBob, an incurable optimist and earnest sea sponge, and his undersea friends.