Director’s Note
Every year when I begin the school year, I spend a sleepless night before the first day with my students wondering if they will like the class - wondering if they will like me - hoping that they will be able to relate positively to each other. Usually more than one of my classes will be composed of students from extremely diverse backgrounds who have never met one another. When they walk into the classroom for the first time, each student will look for someone who they think they will be safe sitting next to. If you attend a school that has diversity, you can immediately visualize what that picture looks like in early September. A few weeks ago, my Acting 1 students met for the last time and performed their monologues for their classmates. After they were finished, I asked them to offer some thoughts about each person’s performance. About halfway through their critique, a freshman girl told her fellow actors that she didn’t like any of them on the first day of class, but now she thought they were all OK. Sometimes it takes a few months for my students to find enough courage to really begin to explore our art form - sometimes it takes longer.
I have worked for over 30 years as a public school teacher in Wisconsin, in schools with many levels of diversity. I have watched as countless students have tried on a daily basis to find their footing in a difficult and ever changing culture. I watched as my own daughter fought to define herself in a small rural K-8 grade school. I will never forget the moment during her 8th grade graduation where they sequenced her physical transition from kindergarten through 8th grade in a slide show. There was an audible response to the moment when she lost her braces and learned how to style her hair. For me, Shrek is a story that we all live on a daily basis. I am keenly aware that most of us, on some level, are Shrek. We all perceive ourselves as the “other “ at some point in our lives. How we choose to let our “freak flags fly” is the real story of our lives.
So I would like to dedicate this performance to those of us who find the courage to explore our inner Shreks! I would also like to take a moment to thank all of the people who helped to bring Shrek, the musical to the Lied stage. Dr. Michele Hancock, the KUSD school board, our administration, our teaching staff and our community at large have faced some nearly impossible financial decisions in the past two years, and yet we are still committed to the arts in Kenosha. Kenosha, with your support, our talented young artists have once again made their way to the International Thespian Festival. John Prignano and MTI, thank you for offering us such a wonderful story to bring to the stage. Dreamworks, we would not be here without your generous support. Thank you for your interest in our Kenosha youth. Remember ....
“We are different. And united.
You are us, and We are you ...
This is OUR story!”
