Students at Batavia High School will perform Shrek the Musical on Nov 14, 15, and 16 in the Batavia Fine Arts Center at the high school. That’s a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
According to the group’s Facebook page, 11 parents helped build sets for the musical yesterday. The construction will continue for parents—no students allowed—every Wednesday from 6 to 9 PM and every Saturday from 9 AM to 3 PM until it’s ready to go.
Last year’s fall musical at Batavia, 9 to 5: The Musical, ran from Nov 8 to 10. Times aren’t yet posted for this year’s musical, but last year, the times were all 7:30.
As far as we know, no Illinois high school performed Shrek the Musical during the 2012-13 school year or during the 2010-11 school year, and our collection of information for this year’s musicals has just begun. Our data is, however, limited to those schools that complied with our Freedom of Information Act request.
But given that this musical is brand new, it’s possible that Batavia will be one of the first high schools in Illinois to perform it during the school year. Productions of Shrek the Musical did occur over the summer, though, at Nazareth Academy in LaGrange Park, at Mother McAuley High School in Evergreen Park, and at Sterling High School. Although the performances were at the high schools and high school students likely took part, it’s unclear exactly how closely tied the summer productions were to the high schools.
As for performances during the school year, it looks like Shrek is going to pick up this year in Illinois. High schools expected to perform the musical during the 2013-14 school year, based on purchasing of the rights from the license holder, include:
- Illini Bluffs in Glasford, Oct 19-20, 2013
- Lincoln-Way East in Frankfort, Jan 3-5, 2014 (?)
- Naperville Central, Jan 17-26
- Downers Grove North, March 14-16
- Pinckneyville Community, March 20-22
- Nazareth Academy, April 3-6
- Anna-Jonesboro, April 4-6
- Chrisman, April 26-27
- Round Lake, May 1-3
(Dates above weren’t obtained from the high schools or from an official request. Our source is the production company that rents the musical for performances at high school and community theaters, here.)
The story is based on the 2001 Dreamworks movie Shrek and William Steig’s 1990 book Shrek! The musical first opened on Broadway in December 2008 and closed in January 2010. A DVD recording of the original cast is scheduled for release on Oct 15.
In Batavia, some questions about the musical and marching band
Meanwhile, at the Aug 19 board of education meeting, some parents noted a concern about the high school’s treatment of extracurricular activities, saying students couldn’t fit all the activities they wanted into their schedules since all activities were immediately after school and not in the evening. For example, one student had to choose between marching band and the fall musical because the rehearsal schedule wouldn’t allow him to participate in both activities, the Daily Herald reported.
The district is considering a $13 million plan to install new turf on the existing football field and install a few new fields in the future. Although no precise plans have been made and the district is still in sort of an exploratory phase, board members acknowledged that participation in sports was a good team-building exercise for students.
