On April 13, 2025, at the 2-4:30 p.m. performance of “The SpongeBob Musical,” certified American Sign Language interpreters will be present alongside the show. The performance will be located in the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center Main Theatre, and tickets are available on Viterbo’s website. A section in the front of the audience, referred to as the ASL Viewing Section, is reserved for people who are deaf or hard of hearing and those coming to watch the show with them. From this section, individuals will have a line of sight to the interpreter, who will be located at the front of the auditorium near the stage. Both the interpreter and the action on the stage behind them will be visible. There will be two certified interpreters working, and they will rotate at set intervals.
“This production brings an opportunity to Viterbo, which allows our students and our community members—both hearing and deaf—to connect around a shared experience,” says Jodie Novak, an ASL interpreter and instructor for the ASL Deaf Studies program at Viterbo. Novak is working with the Fine Arts Center to coordinate the interpretation. She is also working with Viterbo’s Deaf Visual and Performing Arts course students to promote the production to the deaf community.
When asked if there is anything she would like to say to the Deaf community, Novak says, “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome [you] to our campus, and [we] look forward to ongoing collaborations.” Additionally, to hearing people, Novak says, “We also welcome [you] to our campus, and [we] invite [you] to connect with the Deaf community members in our area, as well as our students, to create a…diverse and robust community.”
Deaf community members wishing to purchase tickets for this show can do so online, by phone, or in-person at the box office. If purchasing online, the ASL Viewing Section will be highlighted in pink. Instructions for purchasing these tickets can be found on Viterbo’s website: https://www.viterbo.edu/events/spongebob-musical. More information can be found on the Instagram account of the Fine Arts Center @viterbofac, as well as the Viterbo ASL Club @viterbo.aslclub. More information is expected to come out as the date gets closer.
The goal is to expand on this initiative to offer more, perhaps annual, ASL interpreted performances, as well as expand the opportunities for students at Viterbo who are studying ASL. This interpretation of “The SpongeBob Musical” is only the beginning, and the Lumen is excited to see what opportunities the future may hold.
