A grumpy green giant awaits you at the Lafon Center this weekend.
Destrehan High School Talented Theatre presents Shrek the Musical for three performances in Luling: Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
In this tale, a grumpy ogre embarks on a quest to rescue Princess Fiona. Along the way, he teams up with a talkative donkey, faces the villainous Lord Farquaad, learns a magical secret and finds feelings he didn’t plan on. Through it all, Shrek learns being different might just be his greatest strength.
Bethany Ayuso, DHS talented theatre teacher, said excitement is high as the students make their final preparations for the show.
“Our students have been preparing for this since December,” said Ayuso, who co-directs the production with Cristina Rivas. “They began vocal rehearsals then, and then we began our choreography rehearsals in January. You start putting it all together in February, and we’re getting our costumes and sets ready to go this week. It’s been a four-month journey.
“It’s so hectic, but also so much fun. The kids bond while we’re putting together the sets. We build them from the ground up.”
It’s DHS’ second main stage production of the school year – the first was Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the fall.
Coby Trosclair will star as Shrek in the production, while Abbigail Rodriguez Del Rey stars as Fiona.
The high school cast will share the stage with some younger counterparts as well, depicting Shrek and Fiona’s backstory. Playing young Shrek will be Trosclair’s younger brother Case, who attends Norco Elementary School, while young Fiona will be played by Stella Vial, who attends Ethel Schoeffner Elementary School.
“The young ones have loved being able to work with these older kids, and our high schoolers have loved being able to show them what rehearsal looks like and giving them dancing and acting pointers. They’re getting a full, well-rounded experience with the high school kids,” Ayuso said.
Trosclair, a senior at Destrehan, said he’s especially excited for this weekend as it’s his final performance on stage at DHS.
“We’re going out with a bang, a big ensemble show,” said Trosclair. “We have a really great cast of people and a lot of us are really close friends. We’ve been doing this since elementary school. We’ve got great directors and a great support system here, and we just can’t wait to get on stage Friday.”
For Del Rey, meanwhile, it’s the junior’s first lead role at Destrehan.
“I’m very pumped about that … very excited to work with this amazing cast and amazing crew,” Del Rey said.
She said that Fiona has long been one of her dream roles.
“It has been for a very long time … Fiona is very much my personality, so (playing the role) came pretty naturally. And it’s so much fun to play somebody that’s basically you. Acting with Coby is so much fun, too,” Del Rey said.
Trosclair said working with his brother has been a very fun way to bring his DHS acting run to a close.
“With both of the young ones, they’re not new to theater – both of them have been in it for a couple of years or so. But they’re seeing the high school production and how different it is for the first time,” said Trosclair. “So being able to see them learn these new techniques and things we do to prepare, you’re seeing them each almost becoming one of us, and that’s been really fun to see.”
Tickets can be purchased at the Lafon Performing Arts Center website for $20, or on site at the Lafon Center one hour before showtime.
