See the Show

This summer, UNO Theatre’s Summer Musical Theatre Academy (SMTA) presents The SpongeBob Musical! Get ready for a high-energy, underwater adventure filled with incredible music, bold characters, and tons of fun! Students from 13 area high schools comprise the cast and crew of the production.

At the Black Box Theatre on the Dodge Campus

Enjoy performances in the Black Box Theatre, located inside the Weber Fine Arts Building on UNO's Dodge Campus. This will be a ticketed event, $5 for children and $10 for adults, with tickets on sale now.  

• Friday and Saturday, June 27-28 at 7:30 P.M.
• Sunday, June 29 at 2:00 P.M.

At the Gene Leahy Mall Performance Pavilion on The RiverFront

Enjoy their free performance at the Gene Leahy Mall Performance Pavilion on Tuesday, July 1 at 8 P.M.! Come early to secure your spot on the lawn beginning at 3 P.M. The production will kick off an exciting holiday week of offerings presented by The RiverFront!

About the Production

The production is directed and choreographed by Omaha musical theatre educators and professionals, Aubrey Finke and David Nuno, with musical direction by Curtis Reynolds, Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre at UNO, who also serves as the Academy’s Managing Director. The pit orchestra is a mix of Omaha professional musicians, UNO students, and, for the first time, top high school instrumentalists from across Omaha.

The Cast and Crew

• Jasmine Bartolon
• Lucy Barnes
• Rozz Busch
• Beau Casper-Fertwagner
• Judson Cloudt
• Thomas Harmon
• Annie Herfordt
• Jonathan Kelly
• Leo Kelly
• JJ Kreiling
• Sofia La Fata - Hornillos
• Callie Magdanz
• Fiona Magdanz
• Jayden Maple
• Will Mertins
• Margo Miller
• Kalesta Olson
• McKenna Pentland
• Mason Petersen
• Coralee Richards
• Michael Rieger-Hydar
• Emma Schlick
• Jilliann Schueler
• Nex Shuffty
• Lily Sanow
• Rowan Snyder
• Elizabeth Stratton
• Lily Stavropoulos
• Brayden Swotek-Davis
• Hannah Taylor
• Chris Tollo
• Eric Weaver Jr.
• Spencer Wickwire

SMTA Faculty

• Aubrey Finke and David Nuno, Direction and Choreography
• Curtis Reynolds, Managing Director and Music Director
• Adam Whittredge and Kaden Weis, Scenic Design    
• Adrian Ossenkop, Lighting Designer
• Thomas Rowe, Costume Designer
• Matthew Bardin, Sound Design
• Adam Rutherford, Properties Designer
• Jenn Sheshko-Wood, Cindy Phaneuf, Char Willoughby, Steven Williams, Julian Adair, Ron Zank, Jack Zerbe, Q Smith, Lawrence G. Stallings, Teaching Artists

Learn More About SMTA

Housed within the UNOTheatre Department, the Summer Musical Theatre Academy (SMTA) offers an industry-level, tuition-free program for high school theatre artists in the greater Omaha area. Students gain hands-on experience in every aspect of building, running, and performing a production in a professional and supportive environment. Through a four-week intensive with UNO faculty and industry professionals, participants receive comprehensive training in performance, technical theatre, and instrumental music. SMTA fosters responsibility, ownership, teamwork, and personal excellence, culminating in a full-length musical performed on the UNO campus and at downtown Omaha’s Gene Leahy Mall.

Watch video about the Summer Musical Theatre Academy here