In high school, musical productions are a massive deal to many students and teachers. This year, the Blackman High School theatre program chose to put on Shrek the Musical. In 2020, the theater attempted to put on Shrek but was prevented from doing so because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, they took it as a second chance to make up for what they lost. Many students and teachers have put in a lot of time and effort to perfect the performance.  

The leads in the musical were mainly seniors, as this will be their last performance before they graduate. Everyone stayed committed and put in a lot of effort in their performances. 

The performance meant a lot to the cast and ultimately brought a whole new group of people together, forming friendships that otherwise may not have been formed. 

“I loved getting to sing a song with my best friend but working as a dance captain to help my friends and encourage them meant so much to me as well,” stated Micki Temple, senior. 

Having a cast that truly cares about each other and has a genuine connection creates more fun memories. The theater group is like a family, and getting along with cast members is an important part of putting on a show. 

“There is just such a genuine love that most of us share with each other. Everyone is there for each other for the most part, and there was never a dull moment with anyone,” said Zander Newsome, junior. 

Being able to connect with the character you are portraying has made a huge difference in their performance and has taught them lessons as a person off the stage. 

“My favorite thing about being Fiona is that I resonate well with her. Being able to play a character who has waited so long for someone to sweep her off her feet but then finds out more about herself in the process was fitting. I feel as if Fiona taught me so many things about love and friendship,” stated Olivia Suggs, senior. 

The cast of Shrek was massive, and there were a lot of new people. Though everyone in the cast clicked, not everyone got to meet each other and form a relationship, solely for the fact that there were so many people. 

“It was a lot of new people, and I didn’t get to meet all of them, but everyone is so supportive, and they all seemed like they really wanted to be there,” said Luke Gentry, senior.  

Many of the people who participated wished that they would have been able to talk to more people in the show and form more friendships with their fellow cast members. 

“We have a lot of people who are new to theatre this year and I wish we could’ve worked with everyone on stage presence a little more,” stated Jarret Royer, senior. 

After all the hard work everyone put in the show and the late-night rehearsals, the cast put on something they were proud of. 

“While we all had our struggles independently and as a cast, I wouldn’t change a thing about this production,” said Temple. 

The Blackman theater program puts a lot of thought and effort into putting on the show, and a lot of people came to support it. Though they faced their own set of hardships, they managed to overcome them, and put on an enjoyable show for the audience, and the cast members themselves.