MIDDLEBORO — It’s safe to say, with production weekend under wraps, that the performance of “Shrek Jr. The Musical” by summer students at the Burt Wood School of Performing Arts was a success, said the school’s director Lorna Brunelle. 

The packed production weekend kicked off Friday, July 12 and ran through Sunday, July 14, with a total of five performances at The Alley Theatre in Middleboro.

"Patrons walked out of every performance of Shrek Jr. smiling,” according to Brunelle, and were “inspired by the storyline, uplifting message, choreography, creative costumes, and phenomenal cast.” She noted that several people came to see the show more than once over the weekend.

And when members of the audience found out that the show’s director, Middleboro native Melissa Botelho, and cast pulled together the production in just three weeks, they were “amazed,” and “blown away by the level of talent,” Brunelle said. Almost the entire cast was from Middleboro. 

The show was the end result of a program supported through a grant from the Middleboro Cultural Council. “We are grateful to the Middleboro Cultural Council for helping us make this happen," said Brunelle. 

Shrek Jr. was performed in memory of Nichols Middle School student Jasmine Lane, who lost her life in a house fire in Middleboro last February. 

Through their spot-on impersonations, actors showed they were ready for performance weekend at the last dress rehearsal held Thursday, July 11. The dress rehearsal was performed in front of an audience of Parks Department summer campers at no cost. 

The cast is made up of kids and teenagers, hence the name “Shrek Jr.,” explained Brunelle during the rehearsal. 

They put on an abridged version of the early 2000s film that is suited for a young audience, she said. 

To make the show age-appropriate, the staff toned down the costumes and demeanors of the more intimidating characters in the play. 

“Here, we didn’t want Shrek or the Big Bad wolf to feel scary, we just wanted it to feel like a pleasant experience for everyone,” said Brunelle. 

This is the second time the Burt Wood School of Performing Arts has performed Shrek in the thirty years since the center opened. 

During that time, Brunelle has learned what shows win over the crowd. 

“If we want to have a big box office hit, we’ve got to pick something that’s relevant,” she said.  “When we announced it was Shrek, we had like 40 kids [audition].”

Shrek actor Will Donahue, who’s entering his senior year at Middleboro High School, said he likes being in a show that teaches kids a lesson.

Through the songs and dances, the show sends a kid-friendly message about the importance of being yourself. 

Being in a production like this, he said, is “more enjoyable” because “we can actually really engage with the audience and make them understand what we’re trying to convey.”

Parks Department summer camper Mikayla Kuszaj gave Thursday’s dress rehearsal a good review. “I liked the donkey, the actresses were good and the music was good,” she said.