'Shrek Jr.' Coming To Downtown Woodstock

WOODSTOCK, GA — Elm Street Cultural Arts Village actors and production crews will soon bring "Shrek Jr." to Woodstock audiences. This ferociously funny and fresh musical based on the hit Dreamworks film and picture book of the same name will begin its run on Thursday, Jan. 31 at the Chambers at City Center Auditorium.

Shrek Jr. tells the story of an ogre who takes on a larger than life adventure to reclaim his swamp, meeting a fast-talking donkey, a fiery princess, and a slew of fairy tale creatures along the way.

“Shrek Jr. is not only a show designed for kids,” said Director Nick Morrett. “It’s a show designed for all. The themes of love, acceptance, and self-confidence are universal and tie in beautifully with this story.”

The musical features an electric score by Broadway veteran Jeanine Tesori, and a hilarious and witty script by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright and screenwriter David Lindsay-Abaire. The original Tony and Grammy nominated Broadway production opened in 2008 and ran for a little over a year. Since then, it has toured extensively and has been a popular choice for theaters across the country.

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“We challenge our young actors and actresses in every single spotlight production,” said Justin
Spainhour-Roth, Elm Street’s education and marketing coordinator. Spainhour-Roth is also
wearing the hat of assistant director/choreographer for this production. "With School of Rock it was learning how to play/perform instruments live and with Madagascar Jr. it was performing in a very ensemble-heavy musical. Shrek Jr. has both challenging choreography, including a tap number, and very tight, challenging vocal harmonies. It’s been such a great experience seeing them grow and I cannot wait to see people’s reactions to the fact that they’re so young."

The 22-member cast is made up of students in grades 5-12 from Cherokee and Cobb counties. While a good portion of students have been involved in previous programming, about one-third of the cast is new to Elm Street.

Shrek Jr. will run one weekend only, Jan. 31 through Sunday, Feb. 3. The show is rated PG for crude humor and some elements that may be frightening to young children. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, Friday, Feb. 1 and Saturday, Feb. 2 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3. The Chambers at City Center Auditorium is located at 8534 Main Street in Woodstock.

Tickets prices are $13.50 in advance and $15 at the door. You can buy your tickets on the Elm Street Arts website.

Image via Rebecca Blackwell