Robert C. Byrd High School Theatre Department will present Shrek, The Musical to the public on April 15th and 16th at 7:30pm and April 17th at 2:00pm in the RCB Auditorium. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased ahead by calling 304-326-7200 or at the door. The production is produced by Emily Moore and directed by David Cotton. Assisting is music director, Duretha Mayle, and choreographer, Kim Bell. The cast and crew consist of 74 RCB students, 8 WI Middle School students, 10 Nutter Fort Elementary students, and 1 Norwood student respectively, and is facilitated by Rebecca Mearns (play sponsor/prop master), Larry Zinn (set designer), Dave Yazvac (master carpenter), John Martin (sound designer), Karen Bisset (costuming/green room manager), James Fritz (student director), and Haley McElwain (head stage manager). “You will laugh until your sides hurt!” exclaims producer, Emily Moore. “Children will love seeing their favorite Shrek characters come to life along with all the classic fairytale creatures we know and love.” Shrek, The Musical is a feel-good children’s musical that takes its audiences on a whirlwind adventure following Shrek (junior, Anthony Hardy), Donkey (sophomore, Luke Elam), and Princess Fiona (senior, Olivia Insani). They encounter some obstacles along their way when Lord Farquaad (senior, Josh Longerbeam) decides to take over the kingdom of Duloc. But, with the help of Gingy (senior, Haley Thomas), Pinocchio (senior, Isaac Roby), and the other fairytale creatures, they discover that inner beauty and how we measure our own self-worth can be the most important thing in the world. Artistic Director David Cotton remarks, “With this being RCB Theatre’s 20th anniversary season, we couldn’t have chosen a show with a better message about what it means to be human in 2016. Like our show, this program celebrates diversity and inclusion of everyone. It gives over 100 students a place to not only fit in, but to shine!” Audiences can expect jaw-dropping talent, lavish and colorful costuming, detailed and inspiring sets, and some shocking surprises that will have you on the edge of your seat! Come out and enjoy this larger than life musical!