Fair Grove Musical Delayed for the Second Time

After being prolonged to another school year and undergoing a major recasting, the Fair Grove Theater Program’s production of Shrek the Musical Jr. has been delayed again until the spring of 2021.

Following the announcement, members of the cast and crew quickly became polarized over the topic on whether or not they believe the postponement was a good decision. “I am torn,”  expressed Kristen Gayle, the vocal coach. “This delay was also necessary to ensure that our cast and crew stay as healthy as they can. This time was also difficult because there was a sense of healing in being able to come together as a community of artists and work on our craft,” she elaborated. Despite this, Gayle said, “There is something selfless in this, and the students should be commended for their commitment and positive attitude.” 

Despite concerns that Shrek could be delayed again in the spring, Theater President Alex Bates (11) stated, “We (the theater department) are very confident that Shrek the Musical will be performed.” Bates continued, “As COVID-19 decreases to a manageable level, and new ideas are being thought of daily to help us perform in these difficult times.” 

It’s common practice for the theater department to perform two shows a year, with one in the fall and the other in the spring; however, Bates stated that “With the uncertainty of our cast being able to be present during our performance, we won’t be able to perform a conventional show.” Despite the lack of a conventional show, the department is still planning on producing something in the spring. “We have come up with many exciting ideas to make up for our lack of fall production,” stated Bates. He then added “Nothing has been decided yet, but we will try our best to give our cast something to create and be proud of during our fall semester.”