As actors dressed as beloved characters from Bikini Bottom sing about friendship, the sounds of the nautical landscape fill the auditorium brought to life by the pit orchestra hidden under the stage.

The impressive performance by the pit orchestra during Tower Theater’s production of “SpongeBob the Musical” was recognized by the judges for this year’s Bobby G Awards. Their critique of the show led to the orchestra winning the 2022-2023 Bobby G Outstanding Performance by an Orchestra award.

“It means that we were the best performance in the state this year, which is pretty freaking cool,” Orchestra Director John Hermanson said. “And I’d say it’s pretty meaningful to the kids that put in all of the work that make those performances.” 

The Bobby G Awards celebrate high school musical theater programs, judging performances year round and nominating impressive performances for a myriad of different awards at the end of the year. 

Winners in each category are announced at the awards ceremony. This year’s event was held on the night of May 18, and all 40 members of the pit orchestra attended, accompanied by Hermanson.

“The screaming that happened when we won from our kids was pretty incredible,” he said.

Hermanson explained that winning the award is both a huge honor for the kids who got to be a part of this year’s pit orchestra, and a motivator for future members to stay on top and continue to win. 

“Where you have some momentum going forward to be nominated again,” he said, “I think the kids are excited just about the program in general and about performing in a pit orchestra.”