Shrek Jr.- The Musical

Behind the Curtain

Addison Ortiz (8)

One of the many song and dance numbers performed by “Fairytale Creatures.”

“That will do Donkey, that will do!” and something about, “A fresh stack of warm waffles in the middle of the forest,” are lines that we all know from one of our beloved Disney movies of Shrek. None of us ever imagined performing in Shrek Jr. the Musical!

Let’s travel back in time to the start of the musical… November. Yes, you read that correctly. Auditions date back to early November. The musical happened in April, but we started with auditions back in November trying out for our parts. With the directors also being the elective teachers, they had to fit in extra time for the musical.

Donkey, played by Dallas Toliver, “fighting” the dragon, played by Agata Martini, to help rescue the princess.

There are a lot of things to think about when planning a musical. They have to cast the best person for the part and the cast needs to learn their lines, songs, and staging. 

Then we have the dancing numbers, so there is the choreographing that Mrs. Hernandez had to do.  “I actually only had to choreograph 3 of the dances. The other dance moves came with the package when we bought the play.” Mrs. Hernandez stated. She had to think about the songs, the spacing, the timing, and the experience of the members dancing. There were a total of 7 dances to choreograph, then time for each of the dancers to learn their steps, and then finally, putting it all together and practicing on stage in full costume. When one person is off on the dance, it’s noticeable, so it’s important to have lots of time to practice. 

There were rehearsals for the songs, which were run by Mrs. Balmer, then rehearsals for dances, and rehearsals per scene. Some characters had more rolls or lines and were needed for specific rehearsals. 

6th grader, Annelise Litterio said, “It was very helpful being in theater because me and some of my fellow cast members were able to go through lines in our free time and help build props.” Being in theater class, Annelise was able to get added time rehearsing in class, but she still had to keep up with her theater assignments.  

The amount of time spent on the play was incredible. All teachers, students, stage managers, and sound and lighting technicians, spent endless hours to make sure everything was perfect on top of their regular school schedules. Choir, dance, and theater students also had their UIL performances, core class assignments, tests, and projects that they were responsible for, yet they still spent hours after school practicing.

Once performers were brought together and ran through the play from start to finish, actors and actresses had grown comfortable on stage. They practiced over and over, on the stage, while some people spoke over them and others moved around them adjusting the set. They’ve been interrupted, constructed, and directed to make sure they were the best they could be, the fears of being on stage were nearly gone. 6th grader Lola Rodriguez said, “I was comfortable because I knew that my fellow cast members were my friends and they were probably just as nervous as I was.”

Now it was opening night. Costumes, hair and makeup, and mics are on. Dress rehearsals were done and they were ready while a lot of family members and friends filled the cafeteria and the curtain call was made. Until… the storm of all storms hit San Antonio. Power flicked on and off, the sound and lighting equipment needed to be reset and hail rained down on the stage. But, the show must go on!

And it did. Parents, teachers, friends, and family sat in the audience enjoying the show as the actors showed no fear or even awareness of the storm. From an audience stand point, the show was phenomenal. As an actress on stage, we were getting hail and water droplets falling on us on stage and we were mopping up puddles between costume changes and scenes.

Moments before Fiona, played by Emilia Williamson, and Lord Farquuad, played by Josiah Bridges, say “I Do!”

One of the dancers and performers, 8th grader Addison Ortiz shared, “It was crazy! I was laying down on stage waiting for my part to stand up and I had water falling right onto my face. I couldn’t move; I just had to deal with it until I stood up to sing and dance.”

Although opening night might not have been all sunshine, the cast stuck together and poured their hearts and souls into their performances. Shrek Jr. the Musical was performed two more times, a mid-day showing for some of Jordan’s students, and again Friday night where they came together and gave their best performance for the grand finale! 

“One of the coolest things was seeing all the small kids and siblings run around after the show taking pictures and getting autographs from their favorite performers,” Mrs. Neal said, raving about how much she loved the performances.

Overall, the Shrek musical was a total success, with many new friendships and memories made that will last a lifetime. The cast members and directors both put on a great show. I wonder what musical they’ll do next year?

Behind the Scenes – Opening Night

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