FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - This weekend the curtain rises on the latest performance from the Fairbanks Academy of Children’s Theater, featuring a well-loved set of cartoon friends from under the sea in The Spongebob Musical.

“The story is about the town of Bikini Bottom and they are kind of met with a crisis when a nearby volcano threatens to erupt and destroy their town,” explained one of the lead actresses Kylie Haas, who plays the scientific-minded squirrel Sandy Cheeks. “And so Spongebob assembles a team of his friends find a way to go and save the town and stop the volcano from erupting.”

“But of course there’s people like Plankton and Mister Crabs who kind of sabotage the story,” added star Natalie Wienke, who plays the title role of Spongebob.

The wacky troupe navigates the impending end of the world with ingenuity, emotion, and a roster of musical dance numbers.

“And then the sets are really amazing,” Haas said, “so there’s a lot to enjoy from this.”

“Thankfully I had my best friends to help me along the whole way,” Wienke said, reflecting on the long rehearsal process, “because Spongebob, Patrick and Sandy are best friends in the show, but [the actors] are my best friends in real life.”

The show will run through the weekend of October 20th, and tickets and times can be found on their website .