Director's Notes
There are few events in life as exciting as opening night of a production! Musicals are fun and they bring together all the performing arts in one program; which makes it ever harder and more exciting. And this musical is not a regular musical. It’s a story about transformation and change in ideas, paradigms and stereotypes.
In Shrek the prince isn't charming, the princess isn't a damsel in distress, the sidekick isn't wanted, and the hero is an ogre. At times, our ideas of beauty and worth are driven by how we imagine life would be in a fairy-tale. Shrek, thankfully, turns those ideas upside down and shakes us awake from our traditional make-believe dreams. Shrek is not a children's story either, it features many moral messages. The most obvious moral of the story is to not judge others solely by appearances. The story of Shrek is a prime example of how our preconceived notions of beauty and what should be socially acceptable can cause alienation, harm, and are often utterly wrong. Even the seemingly ugliest or oddest people can be those that have the most beautiful character within.
Shrek is our third musical and it is the perfect one to go along with the transformation we had from Virtuo Music & Performing Arts, to OC Performing Arts.Org. Where we not only make young professional theatre but we help special people who; like in our story, are different but have tremendous potential and impressive skills . In a musical, everyone’s contribution is very important. We all must work together for the greater good of the show. I feel like it was yesterday when we had the auditions and we are now here for the show.
Tonight we will show you all the wonders we can do together as a solid, magical team. It is next to impossible to put on a show without help and I owe a huge debt of gratitude to our producers Kal Paviolo and Dan Paviolo for being there every step on our way. Thank you for your support and trust. Thanks for dreaming big ! Wherever you are my team, Yazmin Gonzalez and Jessica Flores. In just a little contribution we became a great team again. Thanks for your choreographies and for being unconditional friends. You shine wherever you are!
To all our performer’s parents who give us all their patience, support and commitment. To our awesome performers who didn’t stop surprising us every rehearsal. Infinite thanks to God who put this melting pot together and made it work. And least but not last to my wonderful family. Joel I love you with all my heart and I cherish your support and unconditional love. You are an amazing husband and a wonderful musician. And Fernando… my life would be nothing without you. I love you to the infinity and beyond! And now… for all of you… This is our story
