Musical theatre is like an onion, it has layers of people working hard to produce the best show possible. The Broke Thespians Theatre company spent many months working magic to bring “Shrek the Musical” to life. From casting, rehearsals, costume and prop making, set design and building, the theatre company relied on its cast members and crew to produce a Broadway-quality show. The musical ran weekends in July at Plaza Park and was free and open to the public.
“Shrek the Musical” is a Tony-award-winning stage adaptation of the Oscar-winning 2002 animated feature, Shrek. The musical follows the outline of the original movie with new songs and a theme of acceptance, belonging and overcoming prejudice.
The San Marcos community embraced the ogre, with over 600 in attendance on opening night and hundreds in attendance for each show.
“The crew members are all amazing, my crew leads, stage managers, my master carpenter have all brought in great ideas and on top of that just brought it with positivity,” Broke Thespians President and Shrek director Tommie Jackson said.
He has been a part of the Broke Thespians Summer Musical programing since the beginning, writing the grant for the first summer musical in 2019.
“The first show was pretty small, cast-wise and crew-wise and we were still learning how to do this in the park for the first time,” Jackson said.
He reflected on how this year felt solid, like the production company had a firm grasp on what they were doing and how they were now being sought after.
“We had 103 people audition for the show,” Jackson said.
Around 40 people were cast to play the roles of citizens of Far Far Away.
Jackson, head of theatre department at San Marcos High School, had many of his students in the cast and crew.
“Because of our own histories and theater makers, it led to a full cast that is comfortable just speaking their mind,” Jackson said.
“Everyone takes care of each other so well, loves each other and cheers on each other. That is what we’ve always wanted theatre to feel like, so it’s been cool to see it happen in front of us everyday in this process.”
Jackson has been a part of many theatrical productions, from his time at Texas State University, to productions through SMCISD and Broke Thespians.
“This is the calmest process I’ve ever had, and I’ve been working for a long time,” Jackson said. “It’s just been amazing. This is an amazing cast and crew, and the [Broke Thespian] board members are amazing. [They] work very hard to make sure that everyone is taken care of.”
This production was made with the support of the city of San Marcos Arts Commission, who help support and contribute to the local art scene.
Jackson is thankful for the recognition Broke Thespians has received from the community, including a feature on the city’s tourism page.
“The city is loving on us in a really cool way,” Jackson said. “We got featured on the tourism account and that was a big goal. As someone who’s in the inner workings [of the production] and doing the admin that was huge for me. ... The city believes in us.”
Broke Thespians Board Member Grace Lassetter said that pubic reaction has been very positive.
“People have said that this is the best show that they have seen us do in this park, which is awesome to hear that feedback, to know that we’re continuing to get better,” “Shrek the Musical” is the fourth summer musical by the theatre company, with past shows including the “Wizard of Oz,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “SpongeBob the Musical.”
Emily Rohrman, the Tech Director for San Marcos High School, starred as Princess Fiona. She reflected on how free community theatre is a valuable resource for the community.
“I think that’s providing a lot of first-time experiences for young minds who don’t get that kind of exposure anywhere else,” Rohrman said.
Dietrich Calhoun played the lovable sidekick Donkey.
“It’s really heartwarming to see how the community has welcomed us,” Calhoun said. “I remember being a kid who saw theatre and was so inspired.”
Luis Parra starred as the green ogre himself, bringing Shrek to life on the stage.
“At some point in my life I saw something like this, probably at Zilker, and that made me want to do this,” Parra said. “If a single child sees what we do and is inspired even remotely then we won.”
He reflected on the message of the musical, which revolves around self acceptance.
“There are kids who do feel like Shrek, and they see that they can be whatever they want to be and that’s the point of the show.”
The Broke Thespians Theatre Company is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the San Marcos community with performance and visual arts. They produce four shows every year with open auditions where they accept directors, performers and technicians of all experience levels, emphasizing their commitment to community theatre.
The Broke Thespians next show is The Outsiders directed by Katie Henderson which runs Oct. 17 through 26. For tickets and more information visit brokethespianstheatrecompany.org.
