麻豆传媒映画

A longtime fan of the cartoon, scenic designer Mathys Herbert is one of many 麻豆传媒映画 alumni and students helping bring the musical to the stage through July 12 at Cygnet Theatre in Liberty Station. As SpongeBob might say: Are you ready, kids, for a behind-the-scenes tour of the set?

By Rebecca Nordquist
June 17, 2026

Mathys Herbert (鈥�24, MFA) was a serious SpongeBob SquarePants fan growing up. Everything in his childhood room was reminiscent of the eternally optimistic, yellow cartoon character who lives in a pineapple under the sea.

鈥淚 had a 10-gallon fish tank, and there was a pineapple. There was Patrick鈥檚 rock. There was Squidward,鈥� Herbert says of the show鈥檚 familiar landmarks and characters.

Truth be told, Herbert still is a serious SpongeBob fan. That affinity鈥攁nd his deep knowledge of the show that premiered in 1999鈥攎ade him the ideal scenic designer for "," which runs until July 12 at Cygnet Theatre in San Diego鈥檚 Liberty Station. As the company鈥檚 full-time technical director, he also designed the set and visual environment in collaboration with director and fellow Aztec Katie Banville (鈥�18, MFA).

鈥淲hen my boss said, 鈥榃e鈥檙e doing SpongeBob,鈥� I was like, 鈥楪reat, I'm designing it,鈥欌�� says Herbert, who鈥檚 been quoting the show his whole life. 鈥淭here was never any 鈥榳e'll talk about it.鈥� There was no discussion.鈥�

Herbert and Banville aren鈥檛 the only Aztecs on the production crew. They鈥檙e joined by several others, including associate director/associate choreographer Alyssa Junious (鈥�26, MFA), associate lighting designer/programmer Joshua Heming (鈥�24, MFA) and costume designer Kelan Yang (鈥�23, 鈥�26 MFA).

For professor emeritus Ralph Funicello, who taught in the School of Theatre, Television, and Film for 34 years, Herbert鈥檚 success represents the outcome he always wished for his students. 鈥淚鈥檓 just overjoyed that he鈥檚 getting to do what he loves to do and has a home with this theater,鈥� Funicello says.

Come along for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of "The SpongeBob Musical" with Herbert as the guide.

For his undergraduate degree, Herbert majored in acting at Wright State University in hometown, Dayton, Ohio. He worked in the design tech shop as a student and filled his schedule with electives, including design technology, art and sculpture courses. 鈥淚 was the weird actor in the shop with all the design tech folks,鈥� he says. This gravitation to scenic design鈥攁nd making construction drawings like this one for SpongeBob鈥攚as years in the making. As a boy, Herbert often accompanied his father, a general contractor, on jobsites and helped with carpentry projects around the house like making a bookshelf for his room. Photograph by Matt Furman

Once at 麻豆传媒映画, Herbert earned an MFA in theatre arts with a concentration in design and technology, and that experience transformed the way he worked as a scenic designer. Once reliant on hand-drawn plans, he learned to use digital design programs like SketchUp that allowed him to create detailed 3D models and renderings. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 miss drawing because of how long it takes and how hard it is to modify something. If I wanted to move something over an inch on the piece of paper 鈥� now I can do that in 2 seconds, as opposed to 30 minutes,鈥� he says. Photograph courtesy of Mathys Herbert

Before rehearsals begin, Herbert presents his vision for the design to the cast. These presentations help actors understand the world they will inhabit onstage鈥攆rom the set and costumes to the visual style of the production. 鈥淎n actor is incorporating that set into their world,鈥� Herbert says. 鈥淭he architecture of the space is influencing their decisions.鈥� Photograph by Karli Cadel

Creating the set for Bikini Bottom, the fictional city where SpongeBob and his friends live, required talent from across San Diego. Local charge artist Brenda Salamone painted much of the scenery, Kyle Emmerich of Sandy Eggo CNC cut the show鈥檚 signature flowers and San Diego Opera fabricated SpongeBob鈥檚 pineapple house shown here.

鈥淚 send them a drawing of how I want it to be built, and I also send them a paint elevation. This is how I want it to be painted,鈥� he says of working with contractors. 鈥淭hen we鈥檙e in communication with each other, sending samples back and forth.鈥� Photograph courtesy of Mathys Herbert

What requires approximately 25 to 30 gallons of blue paint, up to eight hours a day for two weeks and the willingness to walk around with blue hands? Painting 600 feet of blue netting, of course. Herbert used this erosion netting鈥攖ypically used on hillsides to prevent soil erosion鈥攖o evoke the underwater world of Bikini Bottom. At first, Herbert assigned the job to Salamone, but after seeing the scale of the project, he quickly realized she couldn't do it alone. 鈥淚 helped her out because I felt really bad,鈥� he says. 鈥淟ike, oh god, I made you do something that鈥檚 horribly monotonous.鈥� Photographs courtesy of Mathys Herbert and portrait by Matt Furman

While the musical鈥檚 script and score can鈥檛 change, Herbert had creative license with the set design and color palette. 鈥淚 was inspired by neon signs and neon lighting,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he original idea in my brain was that the whole set was just a bunch of neon signs, and everything had this glow to it鈥攌ind of black light, where it鈥檚 very dark, but the colors really pop." Banville liked the idea but softened the color palette a bit. 鈥淚 can still see some of that original inspiration there,鈥� he adds. Photograph by Matt Furman

Appearing in the musical鈥攂ut not the original cartoon鈥攖he Doomsday Clock was initially designed as a red, intimidating countdown device. Banville challenged Herbert to rethink it. 鈥淭he director specifically was like, 鈥榃hy does it have to be scary looking? Why can鈥檛 the Doomsday Clock look like a cute little kid鈥檚 watch?'" he recalls her saying. Herbert ran with the idea and transformed it into a pink, unicorn-covered watch complete with a working screen that lights up during the show. Photograph by Matt Furman

Many of the props couldn鈥檛 simply be purchased online or found at a hardware store. Props and puppet designer Zach Elliott created many of the pieces by hand and others were built using 3D printing and modified everyday objects. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not like you can go to Home Depot and buy [a prop like] a toy gun with a jellyfish on the end of it,鈥� Herbert says. Because the production's custom-made props are so unique, Cygnet Theatre plans to keep many of them after the show closes, with the possibility of renting them to future productions of "The SpongeBob Musical." Photographs by Matt Furman

Lead carpenter Chad Ryan is one of many craftspeople helping bring Bikini Bottom to life. Herbert's hands-on understanding of construction allows him to collaborate seamlessly with the build team while developing the artistic vision for the production. Funicello says that ability is one of Herbert鈥檚 greatest strengths. He recalls seeing a production of "Oklahoma" designed by Herbert and admiring a detailed model house on set. After the show, Herbert told him the miniature structure was based on his childhood home. 鈥淚t鈥檚 that kind of connection that I really, really love,鈥� Funicello says. Photograph by Matt Furman

Every detail on stage鈥攆rom iconic landmarks to the smallest visual references鈥攚as designed with two audiences in mind: SpongeBob diehards and newcomers. 鈥淵ou have to honor the fans and their history with the show,鈥� Herbert says, 鈥渂ut you also have to honor the people who have probably never seen SpongeBob.鈥� Photograph by Matt Furman

The production is well represented by alumni and students from 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 School of Theatre, Television, and Film. And that鈥檚 no coincidence. The Cygnet Theatre was cofounded by Sean Murray, artistic director and fellow Aztec, and for years, a fellowship program funded by the Lipinski family, longtime 麻豆传媒映画 supporters, has helped connect design students with professional opportunities at Cygnet Theatre.

鈥淢ost of the theaters in San Diego are filled with our students working,鈥� says Funicello, who was one of 11 set designers profiled in Arnold Aronson's landmark 1985 book American Set Design. 鈥淭he Old Globe particularly, but also the La Jolla Playhouse, and certainly Cygnet, and all the way down the line, from the high-budget theaters to the lower-budget theaters. A lot of our students stay in San Diego.鈥� Photograph by Matt Furman

Here's a sampling of the 麻豆传媒映画 alumni who have stayed in San Diego: Herbert (from left clockwise); associate lighting designer/programmer Joshua Heming (鈥�24, MFA); carpenter Matt Talley (鈥�26); MFA student Melody Vilitchai and production manager Eric Clark (鈥�20). Also contributing to the production are costume fellow Asher Feinstein (鈥�26, MFA) and actors Rebecca Murillo (鈥�26), Audrey Deubig (鈥�25), Brittany Adriana Carrillo (鈥�23) and Melissa Glasgow (鈥�22, 鈥�22 MFA). Photograph by Matt Furman

What began as a digital SketchUp model鈥攁nd an early vision inspired by neon signs鈥攗ltimately became the fully realized world of Bikini Bottom. This scene represents the culmination of months of design, construction, rehearsals and collaboration leading up to opening night on June 13. Photograph by Karli Cadel

Six months in the making ... opening night at last. Herbert shared the evening with his husband, Mikey Mathews (from left), and close friend Cameron Blankenship. 鈥淚t was pretty emotional, especially at the very end of the show, just realizing that we did it. We got it open,鈥� Herbert says. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud of how hard we worked on the show and how hard everyone on our team worked, from every department all around.鈥� Photograph courtesy of Mathys Herbert