“I think what [projection design] is really doing is allowing us to tell stories in new ways,” Nigrini says. “It’s really bringing the possibility of a cinematic form of storytelling to the theatre.”

For a musical like SpongeBob, Nigrini’s task is more than creating a video display of Bikini Bottom—he must also communicate the spirit and playfulness of SpongeBob visually, immersing the audience in the undersea world that made the original cartoon so captivating.

Then, of course, there is the daunting task of translating the two-dimensional elements of the TV series into a three-dimensional theatrical experience. For the design team, that meant starting from scratch and honing in on the essence of beloved character without simply reproducing the television show.

To create the projections necessary to make Bikini Bottom a reality, Nigrini uses all the tools at his disposal. He uses programs like Adobe After Effects and Cinema 4D to build content. Then, to display them, Nigrini uses a tool called D3, a projection design software and hardware system originally built for rock concerts and arena performances for acts like U2.

“The amount of technology in this room is mind-numbing,” he says with a laugh. “Hopefully, when you come to the theatre, you’ll have no idea [of the number of machines working]. If we can get the computers to behave, it’s magic.”

As I glance at his monitor, a three-dimensional animation of scenic designer David Zinn’s stage model reflects on his screen. It’s a D3 feature that has been invaluable for Nigrini in creating his projections prior to being in the theatre. Despite his early preparation, the three-week tech period is Nigrini’s only opportunity to make his vision come to fruition.

“By the time we get to this stage, we certainly know what the plan is for every moment of the show. But you have to put that plan into motion, and you learn what works and what doesn’t work,” Nigrini explains. “We very specifically step through every single moment. We may sit and look at and refine and polish a five-second long moment for an hour if that is what it takes.”

Slowly but surely, those five-second moments stitch together to form a scene until finally the cast is ready to run a section of the show. As if pressing play on a movie, the actors portraying the show’s iconic trio—SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star, and Sandy Cheeks— spring to life and the seriousness of the afternoon gives way to infectious joy.

But Nigrini doesn’t sit back in awe of the scene in front of him—he stares at the stage with laser focus, noting how his projections play out. With a well-known world like that of SpongeBob, he wants to make sure he gets his design just right.

“There is the balance of the very sophisticated game we’re playing about getting the audience’s imagination working with us,” he says. “The challenge is to not do the obvious, to not illustrate.”

The scene ends as a stage manager calls “hold,” stopping the actors in their place. They await their next instruction. The production team evaluates their work. After a few minutes of tweaking, they run it again.

After about an hour-and-a-half of starting and stopping, it’s time for a break. The house lights in the theatre turn on, the designers remove their headsets, and the room exhales.

“It’s wonderful to be in a room with this many talented people,” says Nigrini, noting the creativity and generosity of his collaborators. The show’s design brims with whimsy, belaying the fun SpongeBob’s creators had while imbuing humor into the musical’s design. “The thing all of us are trying to grab onto is how completely nuts it is!” he says, noting the freedom in the team’s creative process. “It seems like there are no rules. It’s liberating. Everyday is like, ‘Can I have another completely off-the-wall idea?’”

After ten minutes, the creative team settles back in to finish building the show. When the production officially opens on December 4, it will offer fans a new SpongeBob story set to an eclectic score composed by some of pop music’s brightest stars—from Steven Tyler and Aerosmith to Sara Bareilles to Cyndi Lauper.

As the house lights fade back to black, Nigrini returns to his computer and the tides of Bikini Bottom shimmer and flow as he paints with light to create the underwater world SpongeBob fans will never forget.

Flip through photos of tech below:

close gallery

0 of

Inside Tech Rehearsal for Broadway’s SpongeBob SquarePants, The Broadway Musical

Next Slide  

You may also like

• 
  9 Broadway Musicals on the Open Water
• 
  Look Back at Highlights of SpongeBob SquarePants, The Musical as They End Their Broadway Run
• 
  See the Cast of SpongeBob With Their Original Cartoon Voice Counterparts