Darlington’s fine arts department will present “Shrek The Musical” Feb. 14-16 at the Rome City Auditorium. Doors will open Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., with showtime at 7:30 p.m. The Sunday matinee begins at 2:30 p.m., after doors open at 2 p.m.
Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film, “Shrek The Musical” is a Tony Award-nominated fairy tale adventure, bringing all the beloved characters from the film and the book by William Stieg to life on stage.
“It has been a wonderful journey this year, working on a historical drama in the fall with Arthur Miller's ‘The Crucible’, and now creating a big, bright, contemporary musical comedy in the winter with Shrek,” said Shelley Daniel, Darlington’s theatre director. “The music, story, and choreography is incredibly fun, with all of the dark wit audiences expect.”
The technical and design elements of the show are wonderfully complex and challenging with a wide variety of puppets, robotics, prosthetics, and special effects.
“I believe this show has the most costumes I have ever managed in a production,” said Daniel. “Among many other surprises we will be bringing you elaborate dance numbers, a 30-foot dragon puppeteered by six students, and eight different professional backdrops that transport you from the swamp to Duloc, and back again.”
The show has a company of 62 Upper School students, with 27 actors on the stage, 12 student musicians playing in the pit, and 23 techies serving in various roles as costume and set crew members, spotlight operators, stage managers, assistant directors, puppeteers and extras.
“Most of our actors are performing anywhere from three to four roles each and it has been a fun experience for them to implement a whirlwind rotation of characters and dialects with careful precision,” Daniel continued. “So many of our audience members will come to the theatre with personal affection for the beloved Shrek characters, and we don't want to disappoint. Producing iconic roles is always fun. We want to satisfy our audiences’ hunger to experience characters they already know, and to present their story with emotional depth and care.”
With a beautiful message, explosions of color, a parade of quirky comic characters, special effects, puppets, big dance numbers, and a book and score that isn’t for the faint of heart, the company has a recipe for a really exciting and challenging experience for everyone to celebrate.
“We hope to tickle your funny bone, and touch your heart as well. At the core of outrageous show, there is a very important lesson about love, and the beauty of authenticity,” said Daniel. “We hope our audiences will enjoy the ride as much as we have.”
Tickets for the event can be purchased in advance online at www.darlingtonschool.org/musical, or at the door on the day of the show. General admission tickets are $10. Tiger Booster Club members and current Darlington families may request reserved seating for no additional cost. The general public can purchase tickets in the reserved section for $15 each. All reserved tickets are offered online only and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that online ticket sales will close two hours before showtime. After that time, general admission tickets may be purchased only with cash or check at the ticket table in the lobby before each performance. On Friday and Saturday, the ticket table will open at 6:45 p.m. and doors will open for seating at 7:00 p.m. On Sunday the ticket table will open at 1:45 p.m. and doors will open for seating at 2:00 p.m.
For more information about Darlington's production of “Shrek The Musical,” contact the box office at 706-368-5256, or by email at boxoffice@darlingtonschool.org.
Owen Payne.....Shrek
Leelee Barnes.....Princess Fiona
Nick Powell.....Lord Farquaad
Siji Soetan.....Donkey
Neal Yin.....Pinocchio, Guard, Dulocian, Skeleton
Ellie Allen.....Dragon, Bishop, Bluebird Vocals, Angry Mob
Rhema Onyia.....Gingy, Sugar Plum Fairy, 3 Blind Mice, Dragonette, Dulocian, Lion King Vocals
Michael Hall.....Papa Bear, Guard, Pied Piper, Angry Mob, Dulocian, Knight
Caleb Baldwin.....Mad Hatter, Guard, Dulocian, Skeleton, Deer
Amber Fields.....Wicked Witch, Dulocian, Dragonette, Dish Vocals
Alfred Dai.....Peter Pan, Guard, Dulocian, Skeleton
Chloe Duck.....Cheshire Cat, Rat Tapper, Dulocian, Puppeteer
Abby Burris.....Fairy Godmother, Dulocian, Dragonette, Cow Vocals
Daria Black.....Queen of Hearts, Dulocian, Dragonette, Police Siren
Madison Rogers.....Ugly Duckling, Dulocian, Dragonette, Spoon Vocals
Elliot Luitwieler.....Big Bad Wolf, Papa Ogre, Guard, Dulocian, Bighead, Walter, Knight, Sprinkles
Kathryn Davidson.....Shoemaker's Elf, Teen Fiona, Rat Tapper, 3 Blind Mice
Mason Zanone.....White Rabbit, King Harold, Guard, Dulocian, Knight, Buttercup, Bunny Vocals
Grace Ann Lundy.....Baby Bear, Queen Lillian, Dulocian, Rat Tapper
Grayson Davis.....Little Pig, Guard, Dulocian, Knight
Trey Chupp.....Little Pig, Guard, Dulocian, Skeleton
Ian Hankinson.....Captain of the Guard, Angry Mob, Dulocian, Puppeteer
Audrey Montgomery.....Mama Bear, Mama Ogre, Dulocian, 3 Blind Mice
Elizabeth Warden.....Humpty Dumpty, Child Fiona, Rat Tapper
Parker Scott.....Little Pig, Child Shrek, Dulocian Announcer
Mollie Sabourin.....Rat Tapper, Angry Mob, Grumpy
Mulan Duan.....Dragonette, Angry Mob, Dulocian, Wedding Guest
William Feng.....Thelonius, Assistant Stage Manager, Puppeteer
Mary Prusakowski.....Stage Manager
Sharon Sun.....Stage Manager
Gracie Willerson.....Assistant Director
Alanna Brown-Meier.....Assistant Director
Samuel Fricks.....Lead Puppeteer, Stage Crew
Mary Mac Pittman.....Puppeteer, Stage Crew
Wesley Inman.....Puppeteer, Stage Crew, Wedding Guard
Alexander Greene.....Puppeteer, Stage Crew, Wedding Guard
Annika Patel.....Stage Crew
Madigan Flournoy.....Spotlight
Ruby Zhang.....Spotlight
Dani Sims.....Costume Manager
Virginia Olivera.....Assistant Costume Manager
Lucy Aultman.....Costume Crew
Makiya Mayes.....Costume Crew
Emma Sklar.....Costume Crew
Sia Patel.....Costume Crew
Lila Smith.....Costume Crew
Lexie Lowe.....Costume Crew
Claire Smith.....Costume Crew
Olivia Laughridge.....Costume Crew
Stephanie Hughes.....Costume Crew
Sophie Jin.....Cello
Charlotte Conrads.....Cello
Percy Baumann.....Alto Saxophone
Leah Houser.....Alto Saxophone
Jennifer Martinez.....Tenor and Baritone Saxophone
Hamilton Shamblin.....Clarinet
Elva Wang.....Clarinet
Ziyi Yang.....Flute, Piccolo
Doris Kang.....Violin
Steven Yan.....Trumpet
Ben Scarbrough.....Euphonium
William Wang.....Drum Set
