ELK POINT - Shrek The Musical Jr. hit the stage at the Elk Point Allied Arts Centre for a second weekend on May 3 and 4.
The show offered a fun-filled evening on Saturday, with lots of work and effort put into costumes, the on-stage set, lights, music, and all the other details that brought the musical together.
Youth with the Elk Point Theatre Project (EPTP) have been practicing their parts for months and were rewarded with sold-out shows on their last day, Sunday.
"We had record ticket sales with sold out seats on the last show day. We are very excited to bring this well-loved family classic to the arts-loving community here," said Lynda Young, director and choreographer.
"The students of the EPTP started with auditions and casting in September, and rehearsals began in October. The talented youth participants come from St Paul, Elk Point and Saddle Lake," explained Young. "The parent volunteers come out in full force to support the production, whether it is fundraising, set building, costumes designing, prop making and even helping the cast members rehearse their lines. Some siblings of the cast members also regularly attend rehearsals to lend a hand. This truly feels like a family."
The EPTP was founded in 2015 by Elk Point resident LoAnne Shiers. Since then, the group has entranced audience with crowd pleasers like Suessical Jr., The Little Mermaid and Matilda the Musical Jr. which was performed in 2024.
Led by Producer Stephanie Earle and directed by Young, EPTP's cast is also fortunate to receive training by music director, Kelsey Taylor, who is a longtime dinner theatre performer in Elk Point.
This year's production of Shrek The Musical Jr. featured a long list of cast members and a similarly long list of production team members.
The production stayed true to the storyline of Shrek, which feature an ogre who is on a mission to get his swamp back after a group of fairytale creatures were banished from the kingdom and sent to live in the swamp by Lord Farquaad. While on the quest, Shrek saves Princess Fiona from a tower guarded by a dragon, and eventually discovers she has a dark secret.
