The Chandler High School Performing Arts Center is about to get a whole lot greener.
The school is putting on a production of “Shrek the Musical” this weekend, based on the popular movie. It is one of the school’s largest productions -- if not the largest -- with roughly 70 cast and crew, including help from the community.
Everything is bigger, from the sets and costumes (which were mostly made in-house) to what goes on on stage.
“This is one of the first… shows we’ve had that’s got big dance numbers. Like we’ve had dance numbers before, but not ever to this degree,” said senior Weston Miller, who plays Farquaad.
Miller continued that they have a student choreographer -- Reagan Moehle -- who has put together all the dances and hosted rehearsals during lunch and after school. It’s also a show where everyone wanted to join in.
Unlike past productions, there was no pulling in kids to fill out the cast. They all showed up at auditions ready to go, according to Miller and castmate senior Bethany Descher, who plays Fiona.
“I mean, Adams family, we had… multiple parents and teachers in the musical because we just didn’t have enough. We didn’t have enough students. We just didn’t have a lot of traction yet,” she said.
However, with big production comes big challenges. Both seniors said the elaborate set 4.96” x 10” pieces and technical requirements make things tricky.
Bethany said the tech side didn’t grow as quickly as those who want to be on stage. Their stage manager, Ash Herndon, has been hard at work making everything from Farquaad’s legs, the Gingi puppet, and even working on their dragon.
“She’s in, like every tech student gets multiple projects that they have to do and I feel like that’s been the most difficult part because like you’ll find if you come into the PAC at any moment in the day you’ll find speech kids, flex class, stage tech stuff, all working on like 3 Col x 10' props and backgrounds and all the stuff and even Mr. Conway is putting in his hours to help build, like, all of the set,” she said.
Additionally, nearly every scene requires some kind of set change, which is a big change from the mostly stationary sets of the past.
That’s not including the many costume changes some of which are quick -- and, well, going green. Bethany said she’s been preparing herself and that they’ve found creative ways to make Fiona’s transformations easier.
Another aspect of the show is the large amount of source material to pull from. The original show debuted on Broadway in 2008 with Brian d’Arcy James as Shrek, Sutton Foster as Fiona, Daniel Breaker as Donkey and Christopher Seiber as Farquaad. And then, there’s the move from 2001 starring Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and John Lithgow.
“I feel like one of the things that the main cast, not struggles with but, like, one of the roadblocks is that the original Broadway cast is so hilarious,” Bethany said. “You’re not gonna take a role, and just, I’m Sutton Foster’s Fiona. I’m trying to be Bethany’s Fiona.”
She added that there are some things Foster did with the role that she just can’t do or don’t translate, but she’s gotten to a place where she’s finally her Fiona.
Weston went in the complete opposite direction.
“I feel like I stole everything,” he joked. “It was just because I watched that, and I was so enthralled with how he did it.’” This is also the first time the high school is taking part in the Discovery Awards. It’s a program that embraces the importance of arts and theatre education in schools. Adjudicators will attend high school performances and nominate the top two performers from each production. They can then attend a master class workshop in Tulsa, according to the awards’ website.
The top two performers overall will win an all-expense paid trip to represent Eastern Oklahoma in New York City and compete nationally on a Broadway stage for the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as the Jimmy Awards.
“Shrek the Musical” will be performed at the Chandler High School Performing Arts Center on Friday, March 6, and Saturday, March 7 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 8 at 2 p.m.