This year, Terra Linda’s drama department presents Shrek the Musical as its winter show. Mirroring the 2001 DreamWorks hit Shrek, the musical follows a grumpy green ogre on a journey to rescue a princess and reclaim his swamp. Though the musical differs slightly from the movie, including a few new characters and the overall order of events, the core story remains. Those familiar with the film will not be disappointed; they can look forward to a night of laughter, fun, and fairy-tale magic at Shrek the Musical. With just weeks until opening night, the cast and crew are hard at work bringing the production to life.
Ame McCoy ‘27, who plays the musical’s main antagonist, Lord Farquaad, has truly embraced her connection to her character. “I love being Farquaad. I’ve always been short, so this is just another way to be happy and proud of my shortness, even though he is the antagonist,” she shares. “It’s just super fun to be the evil guy.” However, McCoy has encountered an unusual challenge for her role: knee pain. “Because Farquaad is so short, I have to wear knee pads every single rehearsal,” she explains. “I have to do all my acting on my knees. I’m like two feet tall, which is painful.”
To memorize her songs and lines, McCoy uses a specific tactic: listening to the tracks while sleeping. “I’ll start it when I’m awake, and then I’ll just let it play the entire night so it’s in my head,” she says. For her lines, McCoy has found the task easier by envisioning Farquaad as a “certain political figure,” which has helped her master his specific characteristics.
Beyond the actors, the technical crew is working behind the scenes to create the props, costumes, hairstyles, and sets that build the show’s world. Penelope Carroll ‘26, head of costumes, faces the unique challenge of outfitting thirty to forty actors, a much larger number than the average for TL’s plays. “The sheer number of characters to costume has definitely been difficult. Most people have at least two roles. It’s not like ‘jeans and t-shirt,’ it’s a tap dancing rat,” she comments. In addition to the ensemble, nearly every character has their own unique costume—or three—for Carroll to create with help from her team, making it a massive endeavor.
On the props side of the production, the crew translates the script’s designs into reality. This involves a mix of sourcing items online and building pieces from scratch. For example, to create the torches carried around onstage, the props crew painted PVC pipes black and wrapped transparent red and yellow cellophane around the tops to mimic flames. These details, combined with the costumes and sets created by the technical crew for the show, set the stage for the actors’ portrayal of the story.
Between the countless hours put in by the cast and the crew’s tireless work, Shrek is sure to impress. “I think it’ll be really funny, both intentionally funny and like ‘Wow, this is ridiculous,’ but that’s also the point,” Carroll says. Audiences can catch Shrek the Musical during its two-weekend run in early February: Friday the 6th, Saturday the 7th, Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th. TL looks forward to seeing the world of Shrek come to life!
