Editor’s Note: This article was also published in the Benet Herald 2025 Graduation Edition.
This year, Benet Academy presented Freaky Friday in St. Daniel Auditorium as their spring musical, a story originally written by Mary Rodgers and adapted by Disney into the well-known film. Director Brian Wand brought the show to life with the help of Kelsey Peceniak, Lauren Butera, Riordan Klisiewicz, Emily Rausch, Lindsay Semanik, Ramon Marth, Ashley Acorn, and Charlie Pipal, who worked together in order to fine-tune the choreography, pit orchestra, and set design.
The performance took place for seven nights in March – the 13th, 14th, 16th, 17th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd. It showcased the talents of 83 dedicated students in the formation of this modern, groovy world. Colorful props, imaginative set pieces, and complex musical arrangements reflected the cast and crew’s long hours of hard work – often through late-night hours of hard work rehearsals extending as late as 9:00 p.m.
Multiple actresses, who alternated as Ellie Blake and her mother, Katherine, took on the lead roles. Mary Panatera and Gwen Heimburger brought Ellie to life with heartfelt emotion, hilarious attitude, and playful charm: especially in scenes with Fletcher, played by Jack Dunbar. Allison Perrino and Rylie Cieplak portrayed Katherine Blake perfectly with wit and warmth, capturing the body-swap scenario and building authentic chemistry with Mike, played by Jacob Olejnik. Each performer provided something unique, yet all resonated with the audience through their genuine emulation of the Blakes’ evolving relationship.
These consistent, rigorous efforts towards the production truly paid off, for everyone left the auditorium filled with laughter, joy, and even sadness by the final curtain. Jonathan Skopek, a member of the set crew, helped to work sound monitoring, cueing, and managing the microphones backstage. “We had twenty-nine different people with mics in this show, so we had to keep track of who had them on when,” he explained. “We also ran into a few problems with the soundboard, but we figured it out. However, the most challenging part of the job is that we only get two weeks to perfect what we do”.
Beyond the technological aspects, the musical members brought tons of energy and enthusiasm to the St. Daniel Auditorium stage. They delivered lines with humor yet emotional depth and displayed true compassion towards acting all from start to finish.
Freaky Friday marks Benet Academy’s thirty-first musical, and it is one that will be remembered. When the final curtain closed, the cast and crew stood proud as they reflected on their journeys as actors, designers, singers, instrumentalists, and dancers. In the end, they knew that their countless hours of commitment towards the musical had created something truly special.
