Tech Theatre class has been hard at work on a new audio series, set to debut its first episode soon. The series blends supernatural mystery with comedy, following a group of students as they investigate a potential paranormal situation at a boarding school. The project showcases the students’ creativity and teamwork as they bring this unique story to life through sound and voice.

The series was written, voiced, and assembled by six students: myself, junior Sai Basava, and seniors Ian Rafalo, Landen Langhammer, Charlotte Johnston, and Will Schade, who have all been involved in almost every aspect of the project. With its mix of eerie suspense and comedic moments, the series keeps the listener on the edge of their seat with laughs and comedic bits along the way. Through nine episodes, listeners will witness the characters working together to unravel a mystery that grows more bizarre with each passing clue.

Schade, who has played a central role in both writing and producing the series, shared the excitement surrounding the project: “We wanted to create something that was both funny and engaging. The goal is to make it funny, but also build real stakes so they care about what’s happening; Balancing that blend of comedy and mystery has been a fun challenge.”

The series is best described as a campy, comedic mystery. While it isn’t intended to be scary, there’s just enough eerie elements to keep listeners curious, with comedic bits woven throughout. The story focuses on a group of students who are convinced their history teacher is more than meets the eye. As the students dive deeper into their investigation, they uncover a series of strange events that only seem to confirm their suspicions—but nothing is ever quite as it seems.

Schade said, “We didn’t want it to be a ‘scary’ show exactly…It’s more about the quirky dynamic between the characters and the mystery they’re trying to solve. It’s important that while the stakes are real, we still keep the comedy flowing. The challenge is figuring out how to make something funny but still maintain tension.”

One of the most exciting aspects of this project is its reliance on sound to tell the story. Without visuals, the students have had to be creative in finding ways to convey mood, setting, and even character development through sound alone. The team is still in the process of finalizing sound effects, using a range of techniques to bring the story to life.

Langhammer said, “There are a lot of spooky soundscapes, sewer pipes, forests at night, etc., which need to be conveyed in order to properly place the listeners in the right setting. Creeping music, too, is used to ramp up tension in what is essentially a vampire story.”

The absence of visuals also means that the writing has to carry more weight, as the dialogue is key in moving the story forward and providing essential information without sounding forced.

Langhammer said, “You have to rely on some clever sound design and writing in order to bypass the lack of visuals. You still have to do ‘show don’t tell’ but it’s almost all through audio clues, artificial distance and reverberation to show space, etc. The voice actors also have to be clued into the emotion and physical position of their characters, otherwise their characters will end up sounding flat.”

Like any team project, creating this audio series has had its share of challenges, especially with a group of six people each contributing their own ideas. Getting everyone’s creative vision aligned hasn’t always been easy, but the process has helped them refine the story and make it stronger.

Johnston said, “There were a lot of group discussions and ideas written on the white board. We went through a lot of different ideas by talking about things we were interested in, answering developing different ideas before deciding on one we liked: A lot of group work.”

The team has been working closely together, with everyone taking on multiple roles. In addition to writing and voice acting, some students are responsible for mixing sound effects and editing.

Langhammer said, “Well, a lot of the technical aspects of sound design are things that I learned in the class. The shaping and carving of the audio frequencies in order to make the desired effects in the recording is more nuanced than I thought going into it.”

With the first episode set to release soon, the goal is to create a story and a cast of characters that will not only entertain but also keep listeners hooked for the duration of the series.

Johnston said, “Our main characters are kind of like the people that you see in coming of age movies. We decided to go with a sort of dynamic duo that wants to gain popularity and prove themselves. We also developed the personalities to be a bit like the people voicing them to make the scenes more believable.”

As we continue to work on releasing the first episode, My Teacher Sucks is shaping up to be one of the most exciting and original projects of the semester. Whether you’re into mysteries or comedies, this audio drama hopes to offer something for everyone.

Be sure to check out the first episode, dropping soon, somewhere, and find out what’s going on in the strange world of Riverden Prep.