Matilda is taking the stage next month Oct. 19, 21, and 22.

Playing the part of six-year-old schoolgirl  Matilda  Wormwood is junior Illy Okerson. This will be Okerson’s seventh musical.

“I’m super excited to have this lead role,” Okerson said.

The cast hasn’t seen the show  put together yet, but they are excited to see it all start coming together   soon.

“This is the first musical I’ve done with a lead role like Matilda,” Okerson said. “I’m excited to see the show all together with props and set changes.”

There are a lot of things that go on behind the scenes, people who are not seen during the show, but who make it all work together.

“I love being behind the scenes, because, though not actually in the show, I still play a huge role in helping out and making it look and run smoothly,” senior and lights crew member Jensen Naas said.

Though she isn’t on stage, Naas still feels greatly appreciated by her cast and crew for all of the hard work she and others do to make the show come together.

“Mrs. Drake and the rest of the cast don’t fail to show their appreciation to the people helping them backstage and even up in the light booth,”  Naas said.

Theater director Hannah Drake is the woman behind it all. She builds her musicals from nothing but a script and songs– teaching the choreography, ordering costumes, building and painting props, and on top of that being the fine arts teacher.

“The musical makes for incredibly long days,” Drake said.

Drake sees “Matilda” as unique from other shows they have performed.

“It has a different personality than most of our other shows, the style of this show is very quirky,” Drake said.

Drake is sure Matilda will live up to its expectations and deliver a comical show for the audience to enjoy.

“Have fun!” Drake said. “It’s not a serious show. Laugh with them; it’s okay to have big reactions. It’s a super silly show.”