Lights shining up on stage. A full house. A curtain opens, revealing the opening number. Many students in FMS have experienced this incredible event. Every year, there is a new and exciting show that FMS middle schoolers produce with the help of high school students, parents, and of course, our teacher directors. This musical is a crucial part of FMS culture, and many students have found a community within it over the years. Some of those students have shared some of their incredible experiences being part of the FMS musicals!
Before we hear from the students and directors who participated in the musical, you may be wondering how the musical works and the work put into it. Well, FMS’s production of Shrek the Musical was indeed a success. With rehearsals starting from late December up until the beginning of March, the musical is a big commitment. FMS students participated in Cast, Crew, and Pit, with FMS teachers Mrs. Stevenson, Ms. Strang, Ms. Ferrer, Ms. Diatta, Ms. Solorzano, and Mr. Gallagher as directors. In addition, high school students also played in the pit and helped the crew and cast with microphones and sound.
The FMS students worked very hard on this show, from rehearsals after school until 4:00 to rehearsals until 5:00, as well as long Saturday and tech rehearsals taking up an entire day! All of their hard work wasn’t for nothing, though, because the show was sold out both nights.
This year’s show featured Ethan Danysh as Shrek, Layna Arvanites as Fiona, and Alexa Cologna as Donkey, as well as Brooke Davis and Savannah Paul as stage managers. Each year, the show is an exciting part of the FMS community! Many FMS students have found a community in theatre, and they would like to share some of their experiences in participating in the spring musicals over the years.
Each student that we interviewed had incredible things to say about their experience in the musical! Starting with our cast, we interviewed Ethan Danysh starring as Shrek, and Ari Fineman as a member of the Happy People. Ethan shares bits of his experience with the FMS musical first.
Falcon Press: What was it like playing the star of the show?
Ethan Danysh: “This was my first main lead role, so it was a blast getting to be the star. When I found out that I got the role of Shrek, I was beyond excited! I was a little nervous, though, because everyone would be watching me, and I didn’t want to make any mistakes. However, I was able to be successful in my time during the play!”
FP: Was it hard memorizing all of your lines and cues?
ED: “At first, I thought it was going to be very difficult. However, I encouraged myself to start practicing very often once I received my script. With lots of practice, I was able to memorize all of my lines by the time we started rehearsals. This was a huge benefit because I didn’t have to use my script during rehearsals, making it easier for me to focus on my acting skills.”
FP: Any advice for future theater kids?
ED: “If you feel discouraged, keep pushing through and try your best! With enough practice and effort, you can be a great actor and singer! Practice makes perfect!”
Next, our amazing stage managers, Brooke Davis and Savannah Paul, also have amazing remarks about being in the FMS musical and Shrek throughout the years. Here are some remarks that they had about being in Shrek!
Falcon Press: How was your experience with the musical?
Savannah Paul: “This year’s musical was very fun, especially working with new directors and people. I had lots of fun creating sets and being a stage manager with Brooke!”
Brooke Davis: “…I enjoyed meeting new people and growing closer with my friends!…”
FP: What was your favorite and most challenging part of managing the crew in the play this year?
SP: “My favorite part was working together to create sets and the most challenging part was probably moving Fiona’s tower since it would always be so loud backstage.”
BD: “My favorite part would have been the songs and dancing to them, most known dancing backstage for “Don’t let me go,” and “Forever.” My most challenging would be large set changes like Duloc and the Wedding…”
FP: What is a quote/piece of inspiration that you lived by during the musical or would tell people interested in the musical?
SP: “Just have fun!! The play is a great way to have fun and make new friends.”
BD: “‘It won’t be long now, I guarantee!’ This quote from the show pushes me to give it my all until the end, and stay persistent. It helped me stay determined, like Fiona all those days!”
Besides the cast and crew, our show was taken to the next level by our amazing pit musicians, some of them in FMS! Steven Quad has been playing in the pit since 7th grade, and now as an 8th grader, he has shared some of his experiences being in the production.
Falcon Press: What was your favorite part of being in the pit?
Steven Quad: “My favorite experience from the musical was the sitzprobe, it was very fun to hear the live music for the first time.”
FP: What was the most challenging part of being in the pit?
SQ: “I would say the most challenging part of being in the musical was playing soft enough for the cast to be heard throughout the auditorium because at the end of the day we need to make sure that the cast was heard over the pit.”
FP: What’s a quote/piece of inspiration that you lived by during the play and would tell students interested in it?
SQ: “A quote that I definitely used during the musical is when playing the music we needed a ‘quiet determination’ which was key because we needed the excitement you get in loud music,…but it needed to be quiet.”
In addition to our amazing crew, cast, and pit, there are some more people that were vital to make our show a success. Our directors! All of this couldn’t have been possible without our amazing directors. Each director has worked so hard to make this show come to life, and they would also like to share some of their triumphs and tribulations with directing Shrek the Musical this year. Starting with our amazing lead director, Mrs. Stevenson!
Falcon Press: How was your experience with being the lead director for the musical for the first time?
Mrs. Stevenson: “I knew since seeing Peter Pan in March 2023 that I wanted to be involved with the incredible FMS theatre program. I was lucky enough to spend a year working with Mrs. Montague, Mrs. Bozza, and Mrs. Molinaro who shared all they knew and taught me so much! I was very worried about taking over as lead director this year. It was a TON of work, but just as much fun! Directing the FMS musical is my favorite thing at FMS! I hope to be back next year!
FP: What was your favorite and most challenging part of directing the play this year?
MS: “The people are by far the best part of the experience. That includes the middle schoolers first and foremost, but also the much broader community of parents, teachers, former students, custodians, administrators, board members, and our school secretaries! The theater family runs deep!”
FP: What is a quote/inspiration that you lived by during the play or would tell students in it or interested in it?
MS: “I was inspired by the fall MHS drama “Shakespeare in Love” in which everyone keeps asking how the play can possibly come together under the constant barrage of problems and setbacks. When asked how it will all work, the character, Henslowe, continually repeats the phrase, “I don’t know. It’s a mystery.” Whenever things seemed like they might not come together with Shrek, I remembered that it’s all a part of the magic of theater. And it turns out Henslowe was right! It all came together in the end! The show was fantastic!
I’d also remind anyone interested that the FMS Drama Club truly is a family! All are welcome and of course ‘what makes us special, makes us strong!’ I can’t wait until next season!”
Up next we have an interview with Ms. Strang, one of the amazing assistant directors!
Falcon Press: What made you decide to work on the FMS musical?
Ms. Strang: “I wanted to work on the musical because I love the theater. I used to perform since 4th grade and I started building sets and being on stage crew in high school. This was an opportunity to be a part of that again and help students learn to love theater like I do.”
FP: What was your favorite moment from rehearsals?
MS: “I have so many! But one that sticks out was when the cast practiced “Freak Flag” fully for the first time on stage. When everyone was singing, there was a line that was sung, ‘And treated like a freak!’ I don’t remember any of the directors saying to emphasize the word freak, but everyone on the stage did. It was almost like the students felt that it was the right thing to do. It gave me chills!”
FP: What is a quote or inspirational saying that you lived by during the play or wish to tell students?
MS: “You’ll never know unless you try! It’s easy to say something won’t work, like a prop or a cue. Or that you can’t do a dance because you don’t know how to dance. Or even figuring out how to say your lines. All of these things require the courage to try new things, and think outside the box. And that’s what theater is all about. So, you’ll never know unless you try!”
Ms. Ferrer, our fantastic crew supervisor, has also shared with us pieces of her experience in the musical.
Falcon Press: How was your first experience directing the crew?
Ms. Ferrer: “My first experience directing the crew at the middle school level was overall amazing. There were many emotions I felt considering this was my first experience working with middle school students. My theater experience as a director was mostly at an elementary level. I was so nervous, overwhelmed, but so excited to be part of what I knew would be an incredible experience with amazing people. Learning how to effectively manage the amount of work while establishing connections, building good rapport and working with students who quickly became part of my ‘school family’ became the new norm.”
FP: What was the most challenging part of directing the crew?
MF: “I was blown away by the experience some of the students had in regards to being part of crew and taking responsibility for what they needed to do whether they be backstage crew or part of the props team. I would say the most challenging part was working with all the different personalities and making sure everyone felt included and that they were an essential part of crew throughout all the planning stages. Once we got to know each other, things ran more smoothly. Another challenge was making sure members were tasked with something that was going to be beneficial to the production.”
FP: What is a quote or inspirational saying that you lived by during the play or wish to tell students?
MF: “I would say that the following are what we lived by as we prepared for the show: ‘The crew is the heart of the show.’ What you don’t see (what goes on backstage), is what makes it all come together and work.”
Our amazing pit/assistant director, Mr. Gallagher, also has some amazing experiences with directing the pit and helping the entire cast, crew, and pit of the musical.
Falcon Press: How was your experience in general with the musical?
Mr. Gallagher: “My experience with the musical was absolutely wonderful this year! I am so proud of all the hard work the students put in and it was so much fun working with a new directing team. The new teacher directors did an incredible job and I am so happy to see the legacy of FMS theatre living on.”
FP: What was your favorite and most challenging part of directing the musical this year?
MG: “The pit lost a few rehearsals due to snow and illness, so we had less time than usual. This made putting the music together trickier than some years. My favorite part is still the first time we get to play the music for the cast. I also loved conducting ‘Freak Flag and Finale.’”
FP: What is a quote/inspiration that you lived by during the musical or would tell students in it or interested in it?
MG: “Theatre and music are so fun, but also so challenging. I would encourage everyone to keep chasing their dreams and working as hard as they can no matter what. ‘Always proud, never satisfied.’”
Overall, through hard work and determination, the cast, crew, pit, directors, and everyone else involved managed to pull off a wonderful show! The Frelinghuysen productions are truly special, and become unforgettable experiences for many. The curtain for Shrek: the Musical has closed; we are patiently awaiting next year’s show. Will you join our community next year?
