Fairytales and comedy — Metro Elementary School to perform "Shrek the Musical JR"

Metro Elementary School of Design is set to perform it's largest production yet next week — "Shrek the Musical JR".

"I'm really excited, we've worked so hard on this production," fifth grader Maddox Cantu said. "We have such a great cast and everything."

Metro Elementary School of Design students will perform "Shrek the Musical JR" at 6 p.m. March 26-28 in the school auditorium. Donations are welcome at the door.

The musical is "very, very, very fairy-tale," according to Cantu.

Audiences can look forward to seeing Cantu in the role of Donkey.

"I wanted to be Donkey because my personality is basically energetic," Cantu said. "He's always energetic."

Fifth grader Mia Velazquez, who plays Fiona, said that audiences can look forward to seeing "historical creatures and fairy-tale creatures" that they know and recognize.

"They're going to expect a lot of funny things," Velazquez said.

This is the first play at school Velazquez has participated in.

"I've seen the plays here and they're really fun to watch and be in," Velazquez. "If you're in one of the plays, you just have a lot of fun with your character."

Singing, dancing and acting are her "top three things", Velazquez said.

The students have been preparing for the performances for months, including auditions for roles and multiple practices each week memorizing lines and songs.

"These kids are phenomenal," principal Justin Milner said.

The Shrek character has long been popular with students, teacher and director Desiree Cantu said, but since the announcement of the play, Shrek fever has hit new heights at Metro Elementary.

"A lot of people wanted to do this musical," fifth grader Jillian Omana said.

Omana plays Dragon and is also a dancer.

"There's a lot of comedy and funny things and goofiness," Omana said.

Members of the young cast have already developed a love for the stage.

"I've done at least nine or eight plays," student Maddox Cantu said. "You can be whoever you basically want to be on stage."

Last year, the students performed "Matilda JR." Ahead of this year's performances, the school upgraded its theater lighting and sound system.

Forty students were involved with the production. Several high school students from the district's stagecraft program are running lights and sound for the production.

"We're eager to see the kids be heard and be seen," Milner said. "This is going to be a show that blows everybody away."

The production includes dozens of props and over 100 costume pieces, teacher Desiree Cantu said.

Students have worked really hard to memorize their lines and choreography, Desiree Cantu said.

"But while they're doing all of that, they're also building really strong bonds with each other and they're also developing more self-confidence," she said.

Audiences will be able to see this hard work in action, she said.

"I also want them to come and celebrate what it is to be different, because that's really what this show is about," Desiree Cantu said.

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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: See Metro Elementary School students take on Shrek next week