Our 2026 Production: The Spongebob Musical!
Fort Salem Youth Theater
This summer, Fort Salem Youth Theater is heading under the sea, and we want YOU to join us.
We are now accepting registrations for "The SpongeBob Musical: Youth Edition," a hilarious, and heart-filled production packed with music by artists like Sara Bareilles, David Bowie, Steven Tyler, and Cyndi Lauper. In this unforgettable adventure, young performers (entering grade 6th through exiting grade 12) will sing, dance, and help save Bikini Bottom from an erupting volcano!
This exciting “camp-style” production will rehearse from July 6 through August 7, meeting Mondays through Fridays from 2:00PM to 5:00PM, with performances scheduled for Friday, August 7 @ 7:30PM, Saturday, August 8 @ 7:30PM and Sunday, August 9 @ 2:00PM.
The program is open to students entering 6th grade through those who have just completed 12th grade, from any school district. Whether you’re a seasoned performer or stepping on stage for the first time, this is a welcoming, high-energy environment designed to build confidence, creativity, and friendships.
Enrollment is now open, with an Early Bird rate of $245 available through April 30. Standard tuition is $295, and scholarships are available to ensure accessibility for all families. (See the note about scholarships on our registration tab below.)
This production will be led by a fantastic creative team, including Director Moses Oscar, Music Director Benjamin Quinones, and Choreographer Susi Thomas, each bringing a wealth of professional and educational experience to guide our young artists throughout the process. Learn more about them below!
Spots are limited, and we expect this program to fill quickly. We hope you’ll join us for what promises to be one of the most joyful and memorable experiences of the summer!
Meet the Creative Team!
Moses Oscar
Moses is a director and choreographer raised in Schenectady, where his love for storytelling was first sparked and nurtured by the late Bill Ziskin. Convinced early on that no other career could bring him the same personal fulfillment as the theatre, he committed himself to the arts. He went on to earn a B.A. in Theatre Arts from SUNY New Paltz in 2020, followed by an M.A. in Teaching from Clarkson University in 2024 (through its Siena College-based program).
Throughout his career, Moses has collaborated with several local theatre and film companies including Ursidae Parade, Proctors, and R’Ville Stage Creations, and has performed in over a dozen different roles.
Drawing on four years of experience teaching adolescents across various grade levels, Moses has developed a passion for education and currently serves as a theatre teacher in the Schenectady City School District. In this role, he loves helping his students navigate both the beauty and the challenges of growing up through the transformative power of storytelling. He firmly believes that acting is an extension of life, and that portraying life honestly on stage offers invaluable, lasting lessons for young minds.
As a director and choreographer, Moses past works include Once Upon A Mattress, School of Rock, The Phantom Tollbooth, Snowey Whitey, and Man In White, with additional stage credits on productions of Project Dance (Choreographer), Our Kingdom Come (Creative Director), Little Shop of Horrors (Choreographer), and The Addams Family (Assistant Director).
As an actor, he has been seen at Proctors in RENT (Benjamin Coffin lll), SUNY’s Love Labour’s Lost (King), Henry V, Servant of Two Masters (Porter), Into the Woods (Milky White), and at BRTC in To Kill A Mockingbird (Reverend), Freckleface Strawberry (Danny), and By The Way, Meet Very Stark (Leroy Barksdale/Herb Forrester).
This production marks debut with Fort Salem. He is absolutely thrilled to spend this summer living in the silliest pineapple under the sea!
DIRECTOR
Benjamin Quinones
Benjamin make his his Fort Salem Theater debut with this production of The Spongebob Musical. He is a music teacher in Saratoga Springs and an active music director throughout the region. His recent credits include music directing "Newsies" and "Frozen," and his work has also been seen with Spa City Theatre and Saratoga Children’s Theatre, including productions of "Alice by Heart" and "The Theory of Relativity," among many others. Onstage, he recently appeared in "First Date" at SLOC, where he also understudied both The Waiter and Man 2.
MUSIC DIRECTOR
CHOREOGRAPHERSusi Thomas
Susi made her professional debut at the age of 12 at Ashcroft Theater in the UK. She then went on to earn her BA in Dance from the University of Surrey, where she worked as a professional dancer and choreographer. Later, Susi set up her own Dance and Theatre company, Charlie's Works, in London and was always kept busy with product launches, fashion shows and reviews for renowned companies such as Tommy Hilfiger and British Airways. Since her arrival in the States she has choreographed and produced shows for the likes of Adirondack Childrens Troupe, Salem Central School, Salem Courthouse, Fort Salem Theater, Queensbury High School, Dorset Players, Long Trail School (Dorset Vermont) and Broadway Upstate (Glens Falls, NY).
In Salem, Susi is an active member of the Chamber of Commerce, and creator of The Susi Shoes Dancers, who are made up of a diverse crowd of enthusiasts who dance and perform for community events, whose goal is to touch the lives of young people and to get shoes and any necessary items gently and gracefully on the right hands and feet, and to always ensure that youth who cross their path stand tall with confidence and pride.
