For the 2022 Fall Play, Lafayette Theater Company (LTC) will be doing two one-act productions; 21 Chump Street and How to Ruin Your Promposal. Director Daniel Horst has taken over from previous director Natasha Fischer. Before he was put in the director position, he assisted in the decision process. 

“Last school year, Fischer had already decided on 21 Chump Street for the fall play. She needed something to pair with it because 21 Chump Street is only 15 minutes long, so we decided to have another one-act to add to it,” Horst said. 

Horst decided to add How to Ruin Your Promposal because it was clever and perfect for the high school demographic and he could also use a similar set for both productions.

“So when I learned that I would be directing I went looking for something that would work, something that could utilize a similar set so we wouldn’t have to build an entire new [set], and I came across How to Ruin Your Promposal and thought it would be a good show to do as well,” Horst said.

The first one-act is a musical, 21 Chump Street, which is based on true events from a high school drug investigation. 

“There is a female police officer who is undercover as a student and she is there trying to crack down on some drug trafficking that’s going on in the school,” Horst said. 

Following 21 Chump Street is the second one-act play, How to Ruin Your Promposal, which is a romantic comedy show following two high school students as one tries to ask the other to the prom. 

“Usually Fischer would make the selection for the fall play. However, since 21 Chump Street is a musical, she did run the idea by [Christy] Shaffer and [Traci] Bolton. The [Tuesday Night Rock Band] is also going to help us out,” Horst said. 

There will be a majority of the same cast from 21 Chump Street in How to Ruin Your Promposal, with seniors Logan Jaycox and Celeste Vinas playing the leads in the first one-act. Senior Cece Beckmann and junior Ben Dimmic play the primary leads in the second one-act.

“It’s been pretty a new challenge. It’s more memorization, more character work since most of the attention is going to be on me,” Jaycox said.

Jaycox is participating in both one-acts, playing Justin Laboy in 21 Chump Street and both Danny and Lyle Larkin in How to Ruin Your Promposal. Junior Katherine Limburg is only in How to Ruin Your Promposal, but enjoys the connections she has made with the cast in both shows and with her character, Jessica.

“Jessica is like an activist, feminist [and] she’s a really fun character. She’s probably a more overdramatic version of myself, which is why it was super fun to get that role,” Limburg said.

Starting this year, the theater company has moved to online tickets featuring easy-to-use QR codes posted around school for students to purchase tickets. It also makes the ticketing process easier for the three-night production. This also allows people to choose their seats through the online portal. 

“This is our first year doing online ticketing so we’re excited for that. Unlike football games, which is a one-night event, this is a three-night event,” Horst said. “It is 10 dollars per ticket, they can be bought in advance through the QR link that we will be putting out,”

If students and staff members don’t purchase tickets online, there will also be a limited amount of tickets available at the door for the same price, cash only.

The play will open on Oct. 20, 21 and 22. All performances will start at 7 pm.