For those of you who have seen and enjoyed the movie “Shrek” and for those who aren’t familiar with it, Springstead High School’s musical version is a delight. The dialogue and characterizations of these young actors are spot on, while the music and choreography puts it a step above the original animated film. The costumes and makeup are as good as I’ve seen at community theaters.
The show is directed by drama instructor Hilary Ure, who has been teaching theater for
nine years. She finds it rewarding to see the progress that students make through the process of putting on a show and everything they learn about themselves.
As any high school teacher knows, working with teenagers can be challenging, even in a fun activity, such as theater.
“One challenge is helping students understand the concept of teamwork and realizing that one actor does not make a whole show. This show is technically challenging, with lighting, sound, backdrops and special effects,” Ms. Ure remarks.
She overcame these challenges by discussing teamwork and what it looks like to support
your fellow cast members. For the technical aspects, she worked with the crew to develop creative solutions to these issues as they came up.
For any director, each play is like a child to them. They birth it, watch it stumble and grow, and finally see all the hard work come to fruition. It’s often difficult to pick favorites. However, for Ms. Ure, one of her favorites was “Anything Goes” because she was able to utilize her dance background throughout the show.
Twelfth grader Malachi Robertson, who portrays Shrek, has been in several plays at Springstead, including Disney’s “Moana,” “White Christmas,” and “The Wizard of Oz.” “In this show, I really enjoyed playing my role because it’s such a fun and larger-than-life character. The humor and depth in the play make it a great experience, and bringing that energy to the stage was a highlight for me.”
One challenge he faced was mastering Shrek’s Scottish accent, which he “nailed” masterfully. Close your eyes, and you can almost imagine Sean Connery speaking.
Although Malachi loves acting, he plans to pursue a career in law for very personal reasons. “This decision comes from my experience growing up with Erb’s Palsy, a condition caused by malpractice at birth. Erb’s Palsy affects the nerves in the arm, leading to weakness or limited movement, and it has shaped my passion for helping others who have gone through similar experiences.”
With his talent and passion, there’s little doubt that Malachi will probably work around a very demanding law career and find time to participate in community theater. “Twelve Angry Men” or “To Kill a Mockingbird” maybe?
Eleventh grader Grace Foley portrays Fiona as an adult cursed with the same green skin as Shrek. She, too, has had quite a bit of acting experience. Among her roles were the Ghost of Christmas Past in “A Christmas Carol” and Glinda in last year’s production of “The Wizard of Oz” at Springstead.
“What I like best about my role is that I get to be creative and play the outcast. My character goes through growth throughout the show and I love portraying Ogre Fiona and bringing the audience along with her journey of finding confidence,” Grace states.
“I definitely have challenges with the role. The songs in “Shrek” can be difficult vocally. I always go for the roles with sweet and gentle songs. The songs and dialogue in “Shrek” force me to get out of my comfort zone and work on my weaknesses, building me as a performer.”
Grace is thinking of going into some aspect of the performing arts−if not acting, then definitely music. “The environment at rehearsals and the talent that I surround myself with pushes me to be a better performer and encourages me to achieve my dreams. Mrs. Ure is more than supportive of her students and I really couldn’t do anything without her,” Grace concludes.
Santiago Pinkney is Donkey, Shrek’s sidekick. When I say “is,” I mean he really gets into the persona of this hilarious equine with his high-pitched, whiny voice and his expressive mannerisms.
This talented and multi-faceted actor and singer has been in twenty-five plays at various venues besides Springstead in his young career. Last year, he was in “Clue” and “The Wizard of Oz,” to name just two.
Santiago identifies with his character when he jokingly says, “Donkey is no different than Santiago. Donkey is charismatic, funny, outlandish, unstoppable, etc.”
As with many comedic characters, Donkey is clueless to the fact that what he says or does is funny. He takes himself seriously, so Santiago has to play him with a straight face.
“He is just so oblivious that he is un-ironically funny,” Santiago remarks.
After he graduates in June, Santiago will be attending Pace University’s musical theater program, one of the top-rated in the world. His dream is to be on Broadway, but he knows that’s not an easy path to follow. Therefore he plans to pursue Master’s degrees in both Fine Arts and Clinical Psychology.
Acting siblings Hayley and Tommy Cooper plays human Fiona and young Shrek, respectively. Tommy, a sixth grader, is one of the few actors in the show that are not Springstead students. The two have acted together in the past, most recently in “The Wizard of Oz.” In that play, Hayley played Dorothy and Tommy played the Tin Man.
Hayley, who’s a Senior this year, has been in many other plays, including “The Little Mermaid” and “Peter Pan.”
Her favorite part about being Fiona is that, “she is a character that you can have fun with. She has so much life and she is so interesting. I also enjoy that this role is out of my comfort zone. I was challenged to do things I have never done before, all while having the time of my life!”
As a seasoned actor, Hayley didn’t really have any challenges with the part. What was most challenging was balancing her demanding IB (International Baccalaureate) academic schedule with rehearsals.
“These are both things that mean a lot to me and I worked extra hard to maintain a balance with all my commitments,” she commented.
She is planning on a career in acting and has auditioned for a number of Bachelor of Fine Arts musical theater programs. “I am excited to start this new chapter of my life. I might not know where exactly I am going yet, but I do know that being onstage is a part of who I am.”
For Tommy Cooper, his biggest thrill is being a part of his sister’s final show at Springstead. He comments, “We have had so much fun together and I’m excited for the opportunity to be in another show and to make new memories.”
The part of young Shrek doesn’t have many lines. Therefore, Tommy has to use a lot of different expressions so the audience knows what his character is feeling.
Unlike, his sister, Tommy doesn’t plan on an acting career. He wants to perform on a different field of play. He would like to play soccer at the University of South Florida and then one day play professionally.
The unsung heroes and the “worker bees” in any play are the people behind the scenes and the stage crew of Shrek are top notch. From lighting, sound, props and special effects to costumes and makeup−these are the aspects that bring the show to life and transport you to a different place and time.
Heading up the crew as the director’s right-hand person is the stage manager, part Sergeant Major, part coach and counselor. Twelfth grader Hanah Dao considers herself a natural leader and having stage managed nine shows, she handles all these roles deftly. After meeting theater students from all around Florida at a statewide thespian competition, she plans to minor in Theater Management, while she majors in Business Marketing and Management.
“When you work with people you have to earn their respect. If they respect you, they’re going to listen to you. I really love all the people in the show and it’s enjoyable getting to collaborate with everyone,” Hanah remarks.
Grace Martinez, a Junior is the head costumer. Many of the costumes were purchased or rented; however she did sew some items by hand, such as the ears for Donkey. Grace also altered some of the costumes by adding decorations to them or hemming them.
Makeup artist Juliana Rivera graduated from Springstead last year but came back to work on “Shrek.” She utilizes SFX makeup and 2D Face paint which gives the illusion of prosthetics. Juliana wants to go to the University of Central Florida (UCF) and major in Theater Design, so she plans to use her work with makeup and wigs on this show as part of her portfolio when she applies to UCF. “Seeing people’s faces transform and the magic of theater is most enjoyable,” she comments enthusiastically.
As with other plays performed at Springstead, stage sets are replaced by images projected on a screen in the background, cutting down on cost and time. The lighting enhances the mood in many of the scenes. For example, a red filter is used to convey the spooky atmosphere in the dragon’s lair.
It’s refreshing to find entertainment that’s suitable for the whole family, affordable, and so polished. If you want to expose your children to live theater, you can’t pick a better play than this one.
Performances will take place at the F.W. Springstead High School Theatre – 3050 Landover Blvd. at the corner of Mariner Blvd. and Landover across from the school. Show times are April 3rd and 4th at 7 p.m., April 5th at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and April 6th at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for adults and can be purchased at www.shstickets.com.
