2021-22: Shrek

My professional introduction to Theater and Set Design began in 2021 when we re-designed the set for the musical Shrek. We had initially started the production two years earlier but were forced to cancel due to the pandemic. Unfortunately, during the 14-month hiatus, all the original sets were destroyed, requiring us to rebuild everything from scratch in 2021.

My philosophy of "Go Big or Go Home" was on full display when I proposed the original designs for Fiona's Tower (seen above) and for the Dragon.

Not only was Shrek my first theatrical project, but we had to design and build everything under extreme conditions. We were still recovering from the pandemic, and were not even allowed to be in the theater to start building until December. Even after that, we still had numerous restrictions requiring distancing, number of people allowed to work in certain areas, etc.

Shrek was a tremendous success that solidified our Theater Program’s reputation for going above and beyond. By integrating core STEAM principles into the Theater & Set Design curriculum, we saw enthusiastic engagement from students, leading to a significant increase in participation and establishing one of the school’s top programs.

Reflecting on the sets we built, we often laugh and think about how we could have done things differently or better. However, Shrek demonstrated to the community the capabilities and creativity of our team.