For this year’s musical, Lafayette Theater Company will be performing Freaky Friday. Directors Michael Swindle and Dan Horst lead once again, with music teacher Brad Balog directing the pit and music teacher Christy Shaffer assisting with the songs.

Senior Lizzie Rattenborg, who plays the mother, likes the show for its music, but also because she gets to play two characters. While she physically plays the mother, she mentally plays the daughter.

“It’s unlike any other production we’ve done before. The two leads play each other which makes it fun to watch,” Rattenborg said.

Ellie Blake, the daughter in the show, is played by senior Keira Makalintal who, in previous musicals, was a member of the pit as a percussionist.

She decided to switch it up this year and change focus on her performance skills, which she feels aren’t as developed as her drumming skills.

“I definitely miss the fun pit experiences and environment, but the cast has been incredibly welcoming and supportive,” she said.

Besides the cast, Makalintal appreciates how the show’s humor fits everyone.

“I love the various generation-specific humor throughout the show; you can tell some of the jokes are directed at the moms in the audience and some at the daughters. There’s something for everyone,” she said.

Saxophone player senior Kyle Schwaille joined the pit during his sophomore year and has done it ever since.

Some of his favorite songs to play include Watch Your Back and Bring My Baby (Brother) Home because of their jazz style.

“It’s a funny and lighthearted show [that] has some great songs with very talented people,” he said.

In order for sound to be relayed properly to not only the audience but also the actors, crew members and musicians, there are multiple components.

A common misconception with the soundboard is that the soundboard only controls the actor’s microphones, but there’s a lot more to what it can do, music teacher Chris Livesay said.

The soundboard controls two outputs: the main speakers and the monitor speakers. The mains are what the audience hears while the monitors allow performers to hear themselves in the pit or backstage.

In past years, Balog could control the level of the pit while he was inside of it. This year, Livesay was brought in as a sound director to help improve the quality of sound across the theater.

“I have an iPad that can run the soundboard so I can walk around the theater and adjust based on how things sound in different parts of the audience,” Chris Livesay said. “Mr. Balog has an iPad that can control the level of the monitors in the pit if the musicians need to hear anything different than in rehearsal.” 

Performances are from Feb. 7-9 and will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale on the Lafayette website for $10 each with processing fees and will also be sold at the door for cash only.