Pop Culturalist Chats With SpongeBob SquarePants’ Walter Trarbach and Mike Dobson

If you’ve seen SpongeBob SquarePants on Broadway, you’ll know that it is chockful of sounds–not just musically, but also sound effects. The masters behind all the sound mixing and making are Walter Trarbach, sound designer, and Mike Dobson, live foley designer (for those who don’t know, live foley is making sound effects during a performance, like the noise of squishy walking as an actor walks). Both are nominated together for the Tony for Best Sound Design of a Musical.

We were able to chat with them about their roles, how they created the sounds for the show, and what it was like to be with the production for more than six years.

PC: What drew you to sound design and live foley design?
WT: I began working backstage in theater when I was in junior high.  Eventually, I found sound design and enjoyed it because it exists at the intersection of music and technology.

MD: I was a classical percussion student at music school when I took a summer job playing drums for a circus. I learned there that in traditional circus, the drummer is expected to provide sound effects for the action while also playing in the band. It’s an antiquated technique from times before recorded sound. I fell in love with this idea and did a lot of shows with circus performers, dancers, actors, clowns—anyone who was a physical performer. Over time, I learned more and added ideas from film foley and theatrical sound design to the mix to get to this version of live foley sound.

Wesley Taylor as Plankton with company; Photo credit: Joan Marcus

PC: You’ve been with the production for six years. How has being a part of SpongeBob for so long shaped how you view the show? How do you keep things fresh?
WT: I began the project with absolutely no knowledge of the SpongeBob cartoon. The musical has always been fresh because it grows and evolves so much with every iteration. There are always new ideas and challenges. We get to work with a great group of creative people so it never gets dull.

MD: Yes, our first workshop was six years ago this week! I’ve always felt so lucky to work on SpongeBob. I’ve been a super fan of the cartoon since it first aired. The Broadway show and my experience stay fresh through the fact that it is a living, breathing thing that is slightly different every time. Then, the audience brings so much energy each night. They always make it feel new.

PC: How collaborative was the sound and live foley design process with other production departments? And then with each other?
WT: This show is all collaboration all the time. Six years ago, we got together in a room with Mike Dobson, Tina Landau (our director), David Zinn (set and costume designer), and a bunch of actors. We just played around with the vocabulary of SpongeBob and tried out different ideas. For every sound effect in the show, I’m sure there are ten others that we tried and didn’t cut it. The whole spirit of the development has been collaborative. Getting to work so closely with Mike Dobson has been an incredible joy. We both bring a lot of passion and zaniness to the project, and we push each other to be better and enable each other to make the best show possible.

MD: Our director, Tina Landau, creates an amazing environment of play and collaboration in the rehearsal room that we all get to enjoy and participate in throughout the process. I felt especially lucky because the foley has so much overlap with other aspects of the show. I even get to play on drums designed by David Zinn!

Working with Walter has been an amazing highlight throughout the whole process. I’m on stage, so I rely on his ears to hear it as the audience does. Everything I play, whether it’s an electronic sound or an acoustic percussion sound, is informed by what he is hearing.

 Walter Trarbach and Mike Dobson

PC: SpongeBob has a ton going on at all times. What is the biggest challenge in making sure the sound seamlessly fits in with everything else?