Princess Fiona, the fiery royal, has had 8,423 days to imagine what it looks like when her brave knight (and true love) rescues her from her tower. Given that she learned her expectations from stories like “Cinderella” and “Snow White,” the arrival of Shrek, the prickly and independent ogre, is startling and unanticipated. He wasn’t what she had imagined. 

Neither was COVID-19 disrupting the 2020 Shrek performances what the talented cast and crew had imagined. 

Initially scheduled for opening March 27, 2020, EMU’s Shrek, directed by experienced theater professor Justin Poole, opened April 9, 2021– about 54 weeks after originally planned. The world has changed in unimaginable ways since Shrek was first delayed. The New York Times reported that as of Sunday, March 14, Harrisonburg is at a “very high risk level for COVID-19 infections,” making the feat of pulling off the show even more ambitious. Though there were hiccups, uncertainties, and moments of doubt, the resilient cast and crew found a way to bring the show back. The new version of the performance will be a unique promise of resilience; the show must go on. 

About a year ago, COVID-19 crashed into the scene just as the cast geared up to perform. On March 13, just two weeks before the originally scheduled opening night, Poole was planning to bring in a birthday cake for his birthday the next day when he received communication from EMU higher-ups. They asked him not to bring food to practice. It was the beginning of the end.

He told students they would perform the following month (April 2020) but the show was delayed until September, and then again until April 2021. “And I didn’t lie, did I?” he laughed. “We’re still doing it in April.” 

The delays and uncertainty left actors with lots to wrestle with. Lead actor Isaac Longacre, playing the titular character of Shrek, recalled feeling grateful for the worthwhile experience when it was first postponed, as opposed to the frustration and disappointment of many fellow actors. Originally, he wasn’t excited to come back and perform the show, especially with additional postponement. Eventually, however, he got more and more excited the more he practiced and prepared. 

Fortunately, Longacre didn’t have to do as much practicing as he thought. He looked at the script once, before the first rehearsal post-break, and estimates that 85-90% of the material came back to him. During the uncertainty, many cast members stopped practicing actively, but the hard work they put in before paid off and they retained a considerable amount of blocking (planned physical movement/spatial relationships of actors), lines, and choreography. 

The blocking, lines, and choreography presented one of the main challenges for the 12 new faces that joined the cast. Newcomer Greta Schrag noted that “everyone else already knew the show” so the process, from auditions to intensive rehearsals, had been streamlined. As they learned, the new cast members are fully welcomed into the cast. 

“They fit right in,” Longacre said. “It almost feels like they’ve all been there.” Longacre particularly noted their fantastic talent and how quickly they were picking things up, making them perfect additions to the dynamic show. 

Though a couple people left the cast due to COVID-19 or other pressure, the new members brought the number of performers higher than the original. In order to learn all of the material, cast members are putting in significant hours. Not every production member is called to rehearsal every day, but the commitment often manifests itself as three hours, six days a week. They’ll keep doing this until the performances. “I can feel the lack of sleep a bit,” Schrag laughed. 

Though those involved have tried to keep the piece as close to the original as possible, the new faces bring different skills and are fitting into different roles, changing the developing show. Casting is not the only facet where changes have been made. According to the CDC, performing outdoors decreases the likelihood of exposure to COVID-19, so Shrek will be performed outside on Thomas Plaza instead of in the main stage space in University Commons. Thomas Plaza is bigger, taller, and lacking in built-in backstage space, affecting closely tuned features of performances such as blocking, choreography, audibility, visibility, and more. 

In order to help the actors be heard, a professional sound system will be utilized. “Even highly trained actors get swallowed,” Poole remarked of the acoustics in Thomas Plaza. Longacre noted, “Sound just gets utterly destroyed out here.” The cast will vocalize to pre-recorded tracks played in the outdoor space. Pre-recorded tracks lack in the malleability and flexibility of a live orchestra — a live orchestra has “give and take,” Longacre explained– but the tracks will aid in discerning vocals. That personal amplification system becomes increasingly important when considered in tandem with masks; mandated by the university, mask-wearing by cast and crew alike is required. Mic-ing each actor will help them be heard, but many times performances rely on facial expressions to help convey the story they’re telling. Masks conceal these expressions, forcing actors to make big physical choices that in Schrag’s words, still “read to the audience,” who will be seated in accordance with COVID-19 regulations. COVID-19 distancing on the actors’ end changes spacing in choreography and physical contact, including (SPOILER ALERT!) the gratifying, satisfying kiss between Shrek and Princess Fiona at the end of the story. 

With all these restrictions, Schrag notes that “we still have the story and great music, we’ll still do the scenes, we just have to be a little more creative about how we show the interaction.” Part of the ingenuity of this performance is that it doesn’t promise realism, a challenge that would be next to impossible given the fantastical nature of the show and the COVID-19 restrictions. “It’s really … insincere and dramatic,” Schrag said. “It’s not trying to be something it isn’t.” 

What it is trying to be is as safe as possible. Shrek will be following guidelines to keep the risk of infection as low as possible. A study from University of Colorado Boulder reported on the infection from the S.V.C. rehearsal that infected an estimated 86% of members. The authors shared that “the rate of aerosol emission during vocal activities increases with voice loudness. A study of respiratory emissions also found higher emission rates of respiratory droplets to be associated with more extensive vocalization.” Using individual amplification for each actor will decrease the need for increased sound, and masks will help prevent spread of respiratory emissions. 

With its entrance in March and roller-coaster developments since then, COVID-19 will likely not be exiting the stage anytime soon. Ingenuity, creativity, and resilience were the key factors allowing the accomplished, skilled group of cast and crew to bring Shrek back to be performed — and they’ve found a way to bring us the heart-warming story of acceptance and friendship without sharing the spotlight. 

Students, faculty, and community members look forward to seeing this highly anticipated show April 16 and 17.