Freaky Friday - Relaxed Performance Visual Guide

DEVONPORT CHORAL SOCIETY'S PRODUCTION OF

Relaxed Performance Visual Story

HELLO AND WHAT IS A RELAXED PERFORMANCE

ABOUT THE VENUE

USEFUL INFORMATION ON THE DAY

SHOW NOTES AND THEATRE GUIDLINES

THE CHARACTERS

ABOUT THE SHOW AND WHAT TO EXPECT SCENE BY SCENE

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Hello

We are looking forward to welcoming you to the Relaxed Performance of Disney's Freaky Friday. We hope you are excited to see the show!

This pack is designed to give you a bit more information about the performance ahead of your visit.

What is a Relaxed Performance?

Relaxed Performances are open to everyone but are especially tailored to support audiences with additional needs who may benefit from a more relaxed performance environment. This may include children, young people and adults with neurodivergence, such as autism, learning difficulties and other sensory or communication needs.

We want theatre to be available for everyone.

In our Relaxed Performance you can expect:

• The show you come to see is the same quality, cast and story as every other performance in the season.

• Minor changes are made to sensory elements of the show, such as reducing bright lighting or loud noises.

• There is a relaxed attitude to noise and movement.

• You are welcome to bring in and use stimming devices.

• The theatre doors will remain open and the house lights will remain on, but dimmed.

• You can leave the venue at any time and there is a chill out area available.

We are very grateful to the Primary Health Tasmania, paranaple arts centre, Princess Theatre, photographer Kelly Slater, and the Able Sensory Hub for assisting us in presenting this Relaxed Performance.

About the venue

The paranaple arts centre is located in Market Square, Devonport. The Multi-level Car Park, with entrances off Best Street and Fenton Way, offers direct access to Market Square and includes multiple accessible bays on all levels. Saturday parking is $2 all day.

The entrance to the paranaple arts centre has yellow all around the glass doors so it's easy to find when you are in Market Square.

There are stairs and a ramp that go to the glass doors. They are automatic, so they will open when you get close to them.

Inside the glass doors, in the foyer is the Box Office. The Box Office is a place where you can pick up your ticket from a member of staff. If your tickets have already been collected you probably won’t need to go to the Box Office.

As you go through the foyer and into the auditorium you will see a table where you can buy a program with information about all the people that helped to make the production.

At the end of this corridor is the lift and stairs if you need to go to the toilet or you want to buy something to eat or drink.

When you turn left at the end of the corridor, you will find the entrance to the auditorium. A staff member will be there to check your tickets.

The staff members who check your tickets and help you to find your seat are called ushers.

The auditorium is the part of the theatre where the audience sit when they are watching the performance.

Inside the auditorium there are spaces at the top for wheelchairs and there are lots of rows of seats. An usher will help you find your seats.

If you are uncomfortable where you are sitting and there is room in the auditorium, you can ask the ushers if it's okay to move to a different seat. This is not always possible, but the ushers will try their best to help you.

Lift

You might want to eat something before or during the show. The Theatre Bar and Kiosk is located on the lower ground floor. You can either take the stairs or use the lift.

You can take your food and drinks into the auditorium, although hot food and drinks are not allowed.

If you want to leave the auditorium at any time during the performance, there is chill-out area that you can visit. You can go to these areas to relax if you need a little break before going back in to watch the show. If you need to, you can ask the ushers where the chill-out area is and they will show you the way.

If you need the toilet take the stairs behind the bar to the first to the lower ground floor. You can also take the lift if you would like to avoid stairs.

There are separate male and female toilets.

! There is a large mirror just inside the door of the female toilets, which can give a bit of a fright if you're not expecting it.

There is also a unisex accessible toilet in the same area. You can ask the staff to help you find the way.

Useful information for the day

The musical is shown in two halves with a 15 minute break in the middle (called the 'interval'). The first part of the show (Act 1) is about 1 hour and ten minutes and the second part of the show (Act 2) is 55 minutes long.

Before the show there will be a brief introduction by the Director, Maree. She will tell you a bit about the show and introduce you to some of the main characters.

During the show, the lights in the auditorium will stay on, but they will be dimmed slightly to help you see the stage more clearly.

You are welcome to bring in and use stimming devices.

It's okay if you make noise or you have to move around a bit. We will also leave the auditorium doors open so you can come and go if you want to.

If you would like to have a booster seat for the performance to help you sit a little higher, you can ask one of the ushers to bring one to you.

If you think the show might be too loud, there will be some EMS headphones that you can borrow for the performance.

There will also be a small collection of other things that might help you feel more comfortable like tangles, weighted lap pads, move n sit cushions and ankle resistance bands. You can borrow these for the performance if you need to.

The paranaple arts centre has installed an induction (hearing) loop for this performance. Please let the box office know if you require a headset to access this facility.

If you want to leave the auditorium at any time during the performance, there is a chill-out area that you can visit. You can go to this area to relax if you need a little break before going back in to watch the show. If you need to, you can ask the ushers where the chill-out area is and they will show you the way.

Show notes

There are parts of this show that can be loud and characters might raise their voices or yell. All the performers are really good friends and they have practiced it just like that. No one is getting their feelings hurt.

There are a few sound effects used during the show. You will hear a school bell, magic sounds, and a grinder.

The audience might have loud reactions to some of the story (like when the wedding cake gets knock over) and sometimes the audience will want to clap and cheer, particularly after songs. These reactions are fine, but the space can become noisy. You may want to cover your ears or put on headphones in these noise moments.

There are times when the lighting on the stage will go a bit darker. This gives the stage crew the opportunity to move things around on stage so they can change for different scenes.

In some parts of the story, it might look like the performers are hurt, or angry, or fighting. Remember, this is all pretend and the performers are acting. No one is really hurt.

Theatre Guidelines

Photography and recording are not permitted during the performance. If you need to use a device (like and iPad) to assist with communication, please inform the ushers. It's always fine to use a device in the foyer or chill out area.

Stimming devices are welcome. We would appreciate it if they weren't too loud.

It's okay to eat and drink in the theatre.

If you need a break during the show, you are welcome to leave the auditorium and go into the foyer or the chill-out area.

If you aren't sure of something or need help, please talk to one of the ushers. They are there to help you.

Some of the characters in the show

This is Ellie. Ellie is a sixteen year old girl who is telling us the story about a crazy day when she and her mother magically swapped bodies.

Ellie and her mother don't understand each other very well.

Ellie is played by an actor called Natalie. Natalie is a maths teacher in her real life.

This is Katherine, Ellie's mum. In the story, Katherine is organising her own wedding and she is surrounded by busy people.

Katherine doesn't realise that Ellie has a lot going on in her life as well.

Katherine is played by Alana. Alana loves to be on stage.

This is Mike. He is going to marry Katherine. At the start of the story Ellie doesn't like Mike much because she misses her father. By the end of the story, Ellie and Mike are great friends.

The character of Mike is played by Billy. Billy loves to sing.

This is Fletcher. He is Ellie's little brother. Ellie thinks he's pretty annoying.

Fletcher loves to play with puppets. His favourite puppets are Angry Bob the purple hippo and Caspian the starfish.

In the show Fletcher runs away because he is feeling sad, but he's happy when he comes back home to his family.

The actor playing Fletcher is Zeb. He loves to dance.

Ellie

Katherine Mike

Fletcher

Torrey is Katherine's assistant. She is a very hard worker and always tries her best.

Adam is a school friend of Ellie's. Ellie likes him a lot. Every day Ellie gives Adam her lunch. Adam loves those sandwiches.

Savannah goes to school with Ellie, but they don't like each other much. Savannah is mean to Ellie.

In the show Ellie and Savannah fight with each other. Remember that they are just pretending fight. It isn't real.

Hannah is one of Ellie's best friends. They have an argument during the story, but they realise how much they care about each other and they make up and work together.

Gretchen is Ellie's other best friend. Gretchen and Hannah are always together. They both want to do a scavenger hunt with Ellie.

Torrey

Adam

Savannah

Hannah Gretchen

Grandpa and Grandpa are Katherine's parents. They have come for a visit and want to help Katherine get ready for the wedding.

Danielle works for a magazine and is writing an article about Katherine's wedding. A few things go wrong but Danielle helps to get things back on track.

Dr Ehrin is the school counsellor. She is worried that Ellie misses too much school.

Senor O'Brien and Mrs Luckenbill are Ellie's teachers. They come to a meeting with Katherine and Ellie because Ellie is not doing very well in school.

Dr Ehrin

Danielle

Ms Meyers

Grandpa Gordon and Grandma Helene

Senor O'Brien and Mrs Luckenbill

Ms Meyers is Ellie's gym teacher. She yells a lot.

What will happen in the show?

Freaky Friday is a musical, so there is lots of singing and dancing as well as acting. Quite a bit of the story is told through the songs. The story is broken up into a series of scenes.

Introduction

The Director Maree will talk about the show and introduce some of the characters. The band will get into place and make sure their instruments are ready to play.

Prologue

The prologue is an introduction to the story. In this show the story is told by sixteen year old Ellie, so she starts by telling the audience about the worst day of her life. Her mum Katherine tries to help, but that just annoys Ellie.

Act 1, Scene 1 - Just One Day

It's a very busy day at Ellie's house with lots of people busy getting ready for the big wedding.

We meet Katherine's assistant Torrey, the man Katherine is going to marry Mike and Ellie's little brother Fletcher, who is playing with an hourglass that is precious to Ellie.

Ellie's friends, Gretchen and Hannah, want her to join them in a scavenger hunt that involves traveling around the city all night. Katherine forbids it. This leads to a confrontation between Ellie and Katherine that ends with the hourglass being broken and the two switching bodies.

They try to switch back but the magic only works when the hourglass is whole. The two decide that they have to pretend to be one another until a second magical hourglass can be found. Both think that the other's life is easier and each one is confident she will do a better job.

Act 1, Scene 2 - I Got This

Katherine goes to school in Ellie's body. We meet some more of Ellie's friends at school and also some girls that don't like Ellie very much. Savannah is mean to her.

Adam tells everyone that they should be getting excited about the scavenger hunt. He is in charge of giving out all the clues.

Act 1, Scene 3 - What You Got

Meanwhile, Ellie is in Katherine's body and she has to meet with Danielle who is from Weddings Magazine. While they are taking photographs for the magazine article the wedding cake gets destroyed.

Act 1, Scene 4 - Oh Biology

Back at school Katherine (in Ellie's body) goes to biology class. While she is there she sings about how confusing it is to be in a teenager's body.

Act 1, Scene 5 - Vows

With the wedding cake destroyed, Torrey is upset.

Mike, who is supposed to be marrying Katherine the next day, brings Pastor Bruno in to talk about the wedding ceremony. While the Pastor is there Mike sings a song about the vows he has written for the wedding. This makes Ellie (in Katherine's body) feel very uncomfortable.

Act 1, Scene 6 - Busted

Katherine discovers that Ellie has a tattoo and Ekkie discovers that Katherine smokes cigarettes. Lots of character sing about how they are keeping secrets that they shouldn't.

Act 1, Scene 7 - Adam and the Sandwich Lady

In the school hallway Adam bumps into someone. He thinks it's Ellie's mother who makes the delicious sandwiches that he enjoys. He doesn't know that he is actually talking to Ellie. He tells her how lucky Ellie is to have such a wonderful mother.

Act 1, Scene 8 - Somebody Has got To Take The Blame

Katherine and Ellie go to a meeting with the school counsellor Dr Ehrin and Ellie's teaches Senor O'Brien and Mr Luckenbill. They talk about how Ellie is struggling at school and she misses a lot of classes. Mrs Luckenbill points out that Ellie is very smart, and that she only started to have trouble when her dad died.

Act 1, Scene 9 - Late For Gym Class

After the meeting with the teachers Ellie and Katherine are making a plan to get the hourglass. They are interrupted by the gym teacher, Ms Meyers. She tells Ellie that she is late for class and better hurry up.

Act 1, Scene 10 - Secondhand Mose

Ellie (in Katherine's body) takes Fletcher with her to look for the hourglass. They go to Secondhand Mose antique store. Unfortunately the store has closed down. Fletcher this they should go and hunt for the hourglass, which gives them the idea to get it on the scavenger hunt list.

Act 1, Scene 11 - Watch Your Back

Katherine (in Ellie's body) gets in trouble in gym class for having her mobile phone. She tries to make a deal with Savannah and then with Adam to try and get the hourglass on the list. Hannah and Gretchen are upset that "Ellie" is trying to do it without them. Ms Meyers makes "Ellie do her fitness challenge again.

! In this scene Ms Meyers yells and a lot of the kids are mean.

Act 1, Scene 12 - Parents Lie

While "Katherine" and Fletcher are driving around Fletcher find out that not everyone is telling him the truth. He gets upset and runs away.

Act 1, Scene 13 - Just One Day (reprise)

All the guests are waiting for Katherine and Ellie at the rehearsal dinner. Everyone is getting very stressed. When Katherine and Ellie finally arrive they both admit that they have had a very bad day. They are both angry with the other.

Everyone is very confused by what has been happening all day. Torrey quits her job and "Katherine tells Mike that she doesn't think it's good idea to get married. Everyone is worried when they realise that Fletcher has run away.

15 minute interval.

Time to go to the toilet, get something to eat or drink, go for a walk, or just relax.

Act 2, Scene 1 - I'm Not Myself Today

All the guests are out looking for Fletcher. People keep asking Katherine questions, but she doesn't know what to do because she is really Ellie. Ellie, who is really Katherine is trying to help, but everyone is ignoring her because they think she is just a kid.

Act 2, Scene 2 - Women and Sandwiches

Fletcher is waiting at the bus stop with his puppets. While he is waiting he meets Adam. Fletcher tells Adam why he is running away. Adam tells him that everything will be alright by telling him that women are like sandwiches ... they are all different and all special.

! During the song Savannah and her friends arrive and cut down the bus stop sign. There are controlled sparks and a sound effect of a grinder.

Act 2, Scene 3 - Bring My Baby Home

The police arrive to ask questions about Fletcher. They start making up stories about what might have happened to Fletcher. While they are singing, Fletcher is brought home by Adam and everyone is relieved.

Adam admits that he really like Ellie and wants to ask her out.

Hannah and Gretchen arrive because they have been worried about Fletcher. Now there is a new clue ... the hourglass, so they ask "Ellie" to help them with the scavenger hunt.

Act 2, Scene 4 - The Hunt

All the teens are out in the city on the scavenger hunt. They have lots of things to find and different challenges to do. Adam keeps giving out clues and encouraging everyone to do their best.

Meanwhile at the house, the rest of the family decide to make 7-Layer Bars to take the place of the ruined wedding cake. Torrey and "Katherine" make up and ask Danielle to help them cook. They have lots of fun cooking together.

"Ellie" along with Hannah and Gretchen keep searching for the hourglass in between doing all the challenges. One of the challenges is to take a swim in a fountain and take a picture of it.

Act 2, Scene 5 - After All of This and Everything

It's very late at night. Fletcher asks "Katherine" to read to him, but he falls asleep. "Katherine" and Mike have a talk about how Ellie is angry a lot of the time and she doesn't mean to take it out on Mike. She just misses her dad.

"Katherine" sings a song about how much she loves her family and how much she loves Fletcher.

! Some members of the cast strip down to their underwear in this scene.

Act 2, Scene 6 - Mrs Time and No More Fear

At last "Ellie" and her friends find the hourglass. It's in Mrs Time's Antique Shop. They talk Mrs Time into letting them borrow the hourglass. just the Savannah and her friends come in threaten Mrs Time, so she gives them the hourglass instead.

The girls wrestle over the hourglass and the two groups have a tug-of-war to try and get it back. Savannah gets hurt during the tussle and eventually "Ellie" manages to take the hourglass away from her.

Act 2, Scene 7 - The Hourglass

"Katherine" has been getting ready for the wedding while she has been waiting for "Ellie" to get back. Fletcher asks her when is she going to be ready.

When "Ellie" arrives and tells "Katherine that they wone The Hunt and they have the hourglass, they try to switch back. The magic doesn't work and they think they might be stuck in each other's bodies forever. They decide that they have to tell Mike what has happened and that they have to call the wedding off.

Act 2, Scene 8 - The Switch

As "Katherine" is telling Mike that they can't get married, she talks about how much she loves the family. The hourglass starts to glow. Something magical is happening. "Ellie " and "Katherine" try to switch again, singing about how much they love each other and how they understand each other a bit better now. The magic puts them back in their own bodies and Mike and Katherine get married!

Epilogue - It Starts Today

Finally, Katherine and Ellie are back in their own bodies, Fletcher is safe and sound and Mike and Katherine are married. Everyone tries to tell the audience about what has happened in their life since the story began.

Ellie finds out that she failed gym class and has to go to Summer school. Adam and Ellie have their first kiss. Fletcher has made a puppet for Adam to join his act.

Everyone is happy and looking forward to the rest of their story..

Bows

After the show has finished, the cast all come out on stage to take a bow.

How you can help

This is the first time that the Devonport Choral Society has done a Relaxed Performance. We still have a bit to learn to help people feel comfortable in the theatre.

If you have any suggestions or feedback, we'd love to hear from you.