From February 26th – March 2nd the Southern Lehigh theater department performed “Shrek: The Musical.” Directed by music teacher Mr. Matthew Wehr, the spring play held captive audiences, and sold out a number of shows.

The premise of the show was adapted from the first “Shrek” movie, where Shrek, an ogre, attempts to regain control of his swamp. Along Shrek’s journey, he meets Donkey, and they exchange playful banter while traveling to Duloc. As the duo reaches Duloc, Lord Farquaad insists that Shrek rescues Princess Fiona, so Farquaad can take Fiona as his wife. Once that mission is complete Shrek will earn the rights to his swamp back.

The cast lineup featured students of varying grades, including seniors Alex Knapp and Phil Shaheen as Shrek and Donkey, sophomore Chris Smith as Lord Farquaad, and freshman Lexi Brown as Princess Fiona.

The show was unlike any show in the past, and featured songs and dances that appealed to all ages.

“Being the leading role, I thought the entire play as a whole was incredible and lots of fun,” Knapp said, “It was very endearing and I loved acting out the funny parts that Shrek had.”

In addition to the student cast, several teachers appeared in the play, including science teacher Mr. Colin Campbell who played Shrek’s father and French teacher, Mrs. Kaytlyn Byers, who portrayed Shrek’s mother. Science teacher Mr. Edward Sinkler and support teacher Mrs. Cherise Kocis also shared the stage with the cast.

“We put teachers in because it is a great way to add fun and characters to the show,” director Mr. Wehr said. “Students really liked seeing teachers in the performance, and it’s not the first time we’ve done it.”

Behind the scenes, the show was able to run smoothly thanks to the work of the stage crew. Senior Samantha Phillips helped with the stage crew and designing the make-up for the characters.

“We lost two weeks because of the snow,” Phillips said. “Besides that, we spent over seven hours making the trees for the stage alone.”

As the cast and crew and prepared for a weekend of multiple performances, they prepared a special presentation for senior citizens in the area. Key Club helped serve the senior citizens a dinner followed by a performance by the theatre department.

One of the senior citizens, Hilda Batarick, was very pleased with the dinner and the accompanying performance of the play.

“I always go to the shows the students put on. They do a beautiful job,” Batarick said. “I loved it!”

As surrounding school districts continue to perform their respective plays, all will be evaluated and nominated for the Freddy Awards. With a performance of “Shrek: The Musical” Southern Lehigh is in contention for numerous awards.