When I was given Shrek to direct, I knew it would be a big show. Shrek has become the largest cast I have ever directed. And while sometimes my team members look at me like I’m nuts for not cutting it down, I can’t imagine this show without every single one of these performers. They have dedicated their summer to making this a truly magical show, and they have done that with love and joy and friendship and energy. To all my wonderful performers, thank you for everything you have brought to this show!
Shrek is nothing if not a gigantic fairy tale, and what is a fairy tale without timeless, iconic costumes? I can’t thank Kris Juve and Rachel Moore enough for taking on the truly massive job of costuming this show. Creating the costumes for this show requires not only a lot of creativity, but also a huge amount of technical know-how. The costumes were truly a collaborative effort between Kris and Rachel, but they also had a cadre of costume technicians to sew costumes and make special projects. A special shout out goes to O.C. Stephens IV, who created many of the special elements we needed for this show, such as ogre ears, donkey hooves, and armor. The makeup crew, led by Alex Lah, is a also a huge undertaking, and I can’t thank this group enough for their time and efforts throughout the show. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the unique, beautiful, and amazing costumes and makeup that bring this fairy tale to life!
I have an amazing Production Team for this show. Nelly Ford took on the job of Music Director and Tech Guru, and she has done both with so much patience and love. People may think the music for this show is easy because it “sounds” simple, but in reality, it is incredibly complex, sometimes having as many as six or seven lines of harmony at the same time. Nelly has worked incredibly hard to bring all these voices together into one beautiful whole. Cassady Hitt is both my choreographer and my assistant director. She has always handled teaching a lot of people some very complex choreography with grace, humor, and patience. Not only has Cass been teaching during the rehearsal process, but she has been learning and performing at the same time. The thing I love about Cass is how she always sets such big goals for herself in any production. Thank you both, ladies. I truly could not have done Shrek without you. Thanks also go to Aslan Smith for taking on the job of handling the money for the production, which isn’t the most fun thing to do but is extremely important.
Finally, I need to thank my construction, stage, and tech guys. On the stage, many of the piece you see were built by Mike McMillian, Bob Jarvis, and Pete Pollard. The set art was done by Hannah Summers, Cassady Hitt, and my enthusiastic and talented cast! Tony Toler, my Stage Manager, has pulled together a crew that keeps a thousand pieces moving smoothly. On the tech side, Bob also helped personalize the projections for our production. Thor Knutson and Bob designed and hung the lights, and Thor figured out how to make all our special effects work. My husband Pete, when he wasn’t rehearsing and singing for his part in the show, designed the sound and acted as my Tech Director. That means he coordinated all the technical elements and kept everything on schedule and moving forward, which was no small task.
Thank you all for your time and contributions to Shrek. You have no idea how much I appreciate you all!
Tammie Pollard
