There’s something about watching a performance in real time — with textured sets, flashing lights and mysterious actors projecting words across ancient auditoriums that have housed generations. The audience can feel the excitement of the theater and the dynamic relationship between the audience and the actors. But it’s far more than just the actors connecting on stage.
NC State University Theatre’s production of “The SpongeBob Musical” opens at Titmus Theatre in Raleigh on March 31. Jayme Mellema, scenic designer for University Theatre, is behind the musical’s evocative set pieces.
When describing the early days of the production cycle, Mellema said even for his job, it starts with the story.
“‘What are the writers trying to say, what am I connecting to and resonating with?’” Mellema said. “Oftentimes it’s abstract ideas — for instance, with this play, it was community. I find images that really speak to those ideas, along with composition and color.”
Mellema is currently in the early stages of designing sets for “The SpongeBob Musical.” He described his thematic resonance with the script.
“Part of the theme of this show is making the best of bad situations,” Mellema said. “The characters live in this uninviting shipwreck, surrounded by trash. At the same time, new life is growing from it, and the characters make do with what they have.”
Mellema’s challenge as a scenic designer is translating the musical’s themes into set pieces that work in tandem with the words on the page and the vision of the director. He cited his experience on NC State’s 2016 production of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” as a successful example. On that project, Mellema pulled from his studies in history and architecture to construct a unique set that reinforced themes of fractured identity.
“For Jekyll and Hyde, it was about the repression of personal identity, who you see in the mirror,” Mellema said. “So the whole set consisted of these grimy mirrors and was constructed in the shape of a medical amphitheater from the 1800s.”
When describing his personal style, Mellema referenced elements of design he’s frequented throughout his career. For “The Spongebob Musical,” his inimitable sensibilities remain the same.
“I really like heavy textures and simple shapes,” Mellema said. “Over the years, I’ve drawn from the well of certain things over and over again. Colors carry a lot of baggage, but for ‘The SpongeBob Musical,’ coral texture stood out to me.”
Beyond conceptualizing set design, Mellema is in constant communication with University Theatre Technical Director David Jensen. The two collaborate to transform Mellema’s vision into physical set pieces.
“I sort of draw and create 3D models of how I want everything to look,” Mellema said. “[Jensen] comes in with the architectural know-how to bring these set pieces into the physical world.”
Throughout the design process, Mellema is aware of certain constraints. At the beginning of each fiscal year, budgets are drafted and each university production is allocated only so much money.
“What I tell other design students is that if the idea is solid, it can take lots of different forms,” Mellema said. “The concept behind ‘The SpongeBob Musical’ is making the best out of bad situations. If for some reason my shipwreck design isn’t feasible, that idea can take a different form and still work.”
With all the time and research Mellema puts into his set pieces, it’s all about communicating a story that resonates.
“You’re trying to get specific kinds of responses, you’re trying to make the audience feel it,” Mellema said. “Whether it’s me, costumes or lighting, we’re all trying to tell the story without using any words. I do my best through image, color and concept.”
