The Main Stage Musical has been a tradition at Léman since 2015, with a production of Oliver!. Since then, students have been excited about watching and performing in the musicals. This year will be the tenth Léman Main Stage production.
Since the beginning, there have been many wonderful performances. Mr. John, one of the faculty leaders of the Main Stage musicals, says he and the rest of the production team have worked, “to elevate at least one major aspect of each production.”
This included bringing in professional lighting designers for Fiddler on the Roof, improving costume designs for Hello, Dolly!, and making the choreography more complex, including through tap dancing, in Anything Goes.
Mr. John emphasized that the Léman Main Stage program was founded, “to provide students with the closest experience to a professional production as possible”. For Léman’s production of Shrek the Musical, Mr. John’s aim is to let the actors focus on their character development, and to potentially include lower school students in the musical.
Michael Douglas, who plays Donkey, says that he believes it is important for the Léman community to see Shrek the Musical because it teaches the moral that, “no matter what you look like, it’s always what’s inside that matters. Never judge anyone by their cover.”
Caelyn Osbern, who plays Fiona, says that a huge theme of Shrek the Musical is “hiding one’s identity, and being ashamed of it.” She says that as we exist in a school and society, we sometimes try to “dim ourselves down for fear that other people might see our flaws.” She thinks putting on the show Shrek will help show the community that we care, and see those who are feeling this way.
Michael and Caelyn both believe that the tenth anniversary of Main Stage is very important. Michael says that he loves “seeing Main Stage grow more and more each year,” and “it really feels like being a part of a family.”
Caelyn highlighted that the tenth anniversary means that “this year is a huge year to connect with our community through this show.”
Caelyn and Michael both brought up the idea of community, and how the cast and crew feel like a family. Mr. John also mentioned the familial feeling, saying that the term family feels very accurate. He says, “There are often challenges to work through, but there is a devotion and dedication among the cast and crew that is very inspiring to see as it forms during each production.”
We look forward to seeing the Léman Main Stage’s production of Shrek the Musical this Spring!