Shrek The Musical Jr
WHO'S WHO
Sponsored by:
Thursday, June 22, 7pm, Friday, June 23, 10am, Saturday, June 24, 7pm
(go to Tower Cast)
Thank you for coming to see the show! The cast and crew has worked diligently to bring you a fun experience at the theatre. I hope you will be as impressed with the results of their efforts as I am.
First and foremost, I want to thank the crew. If you see and hear high caliber acting, dancing, singing, and if you are transported to our make-believe world, then we have accomplished our goal.
Creating the make-believe world requires a set for the world. Last year, we had the privilege of working with David Kaul, Theatre Professor at Grambling State University. We are so fortunate he was willing to come back this year to design and build our set. Being able to see the world requires lighting. David has spent numerous hours creating a lighting plot that he brings to fruition, and he has been in the booth for each performance. He has a wide skill set in theatre, and his advice and help has been unmeasurable.
In helping create our make-believe world, we are using digital drops. We would like to thank Riley Moegle for running our digital drops, as well as playing the music tracks. Riley has participated onstage in numerous youth musicals at RCT, and this year he will serve this vital crew role. A recent graduate of RHS, he will major in Physics at Tech this fall.
If you can hear the actors today, and if you hear any sound effects, you can thank Mr. Brent Gay. Brent is an expert at running sound for our shows, and he currently serves as the Dixie sound guru. We appreciate him donating so many hours to be sure each actor can be heard onstage. Sawyer Cunningham has also been our go-to assistant sound person. He will be running sound during at least two performances. We appreciate both of you!
If you are in our audience today, it is highly probable that you saw our show advertised. RCT has done a great job in helping to promote this show. MaryBelle Tuten wrote four different articles each for a different news agency. Dr. Johnathan Baines has promoted the show on social media; he continually finds creative ways to feature each actor. Dr. Baines is a primary care physician at Green Clinic. Neal Breeding of Donnie Bell Design setup the online playbill, created our poster, and the Shrek t-shirt, and he and Johnathan were invaluable helping with the numerous required online forms. RCT also appreciates Judith Roberts, on Tech faculty in Communications and Media Studies. She contacted local businesses and oversaw the library Shrek presentation. Thanks also to the local businesses that join in advertising our show by featuring dedicated treats and foods! These include Sweets by Sarah, Peach City Rolled Ice Cream, Staple Sandwich Company, Grown and Grazed, Utility Brewing, and more! RCT appreciates the support!
If you are swept away by the dancing onstage, our wonderful and talented choreographer, Megan Wilkins gets the credit. Dancing is an integral part of any musical as it helps tell the story, and it helps create bonds between the actors. Megan’s patience and encouragement with our young cast members is inspiring to watch. I so enjoyed working with Megan on Elf the Musical, and I am grateful she was willing to come back and work with our youth on Shrek!
If you see an actor carrying an object onstage, you can thank our property master, Mr. Forrest Moegle. Forrest created numerous items you will see today—the first love signs and the milk crate. He also gathered numerous other items for our actors to use onstage. In addition to being a local attorney, he is a full-time faculty member in the College of Business at Louisiana Tech.
If you know any of the youth in this show, yet you cannot quite identify them onstage, you can thank Karen Pittman, our costumer. She has worked tirelessly to create each different fairy- tale creature and design the Duloc costumes. Even more challenging: she has taken our leads and made them, respectively, ogres and a donkey. She is costuming a group of 44 actors, many with numerous costume changes. She estimates she has 75 different costumes. She always handles her job with aplomb! We appreciate her immensely, and I know you will be as impressed with the costumes as we are. We would also like to thank Kathy Shipp for her expert sewing—I know she is always a huge help to Karen. We appreciate both of you!
Running the entire show is the dedicated Rebekah Heiden. As stage manager, in addition to putting microphones on actors, Rebekah insures that: the props are set, the actors arrive to their scene, and that the scenery is correctly placed. On top of all of that, she calls the show which means she tells the crew when to begin the lighting, the music, and the drops. She really is the “show runner.” I so appreciate that she has been my right hand throughout this production. This is her second time to stage manage, and she has done such a super job. Stage managing is very difficult, but when you stage manage for a youth production, it is an even bigger task. I so appreciate her, and I truly could not do this project without her!
Ruston Community Theatre would like to express gratitude to District Attorney John Belton for sponsoring the Boys and Girls Club attending our Friday AM performance. Forrest Moegle is sponsoring tickets for People Centered Support Services to bring a few people as well. Thank you!
We would like to express gratitude to Cedar Creek School for the loan of several items. Beckie Huckaby and Mary Anne Hill have been very supportive of this production, and we appreciate them! Strauss Youth Academy for the Arts has also loaned us the wonderful Dulocian Guard helmets, as well as other items. We also appreciate the support of Louisiana Tech University’s School of Music.
If you see a youth onstage, that means a parent brought them to the auditions, to each rehearsal, and helped them acquire their theatre equipment. So not only do the actors have to be at rehearsals and give us their time and energy, the parents are an essential part of this process. If you see young actors onstage for their part, that also means we have parents backstage being sure all the kids are on track to make the show go. Thank you to the parents!
Last, but certainly not least, we would like to express our gratitude to our show sponsor: Jonesboro State Bank. Each year, they have dedicated money to fund our summer youth show. This support makes this show possible, and it helps us strive for the highest level of artistry that we can achieve. Thank you, JSB and Pledge 10!
ENJOY THE SHOW!!
Gabe Garcia is a junior at Cedar Creek School. He was in his first play when he was 11 years old. The most recent roles Gabe has played are Luke in The Lightning Thief at Louisiana Tech, Prince Topher in Cinderella at SYAA, White Rabbit in Alice In Wonderland at RCT. Gabe has enjoyed the role of Shrek. He is greatful for the opportunity. Gabe hopes you enjoy the show!
This is Natalie Story, She plays Princess Fiona in both casts of Shrek jr. She is 17 years old and going into her Senior Year at Ruston High School. She was previously Queen Elsa in Frozen jr., Ann Putnam in The Crucible, and apart of the ensemble in Mary Poppins! Outside of Theatre, Natalie sings in the Ruston High School Advanced Choir, enjoys painting, and plays guitar!
Caden has enjoyed every moment of playing Lord Farquaad and his other characters in Shrek jr. He is 16 and will be going into his junior year of high school at RHS, this will be his 9th production with RCT. He most recently played the roles of Michael in Matilda jr, and was in the ensemble for Mary Poppins. He hopes you enjoy the show. And feel free to laugh.
Cole has been looking forward to doing Shrek the Musical Jr with the Dixie ever since he did it with his school last year. Cole was excited to be chosen for the role of Donkey and loves preforming his part. He hopes the audience enjoys his role as much as he enjoys performing it
Teagan Elizabeth is a sophmore at Ruston High School. She is a member of the Bearcat Bells dance team. She is also a member of RHS advanced choir. Additionally, she is an 11 year veteran of the Missy Crain dance studio. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, baking, and is a Boba tea connoisseur. Shrek the Musical, Jr. is Teagan’s 7th RCT performance.
Jari Richardson is a twelve year old rising 8th grader at New Living Word School. This is her third RCT Production. She previously starred as the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland (2023) and as a Munchkin in Wizard of Oz (2019). Jari is also a member of the Act Up Theatre Drama Club.
Scout is a 7th grader, and this is her 4th production with RCT. She is so excited to be a part of both casts and can't wait for you all to see how much hard work everyone has put in. She hopes you love it!
Riley Morrow will be a Junior at MOCS this fall. She was a Queen Iduna in Frozen, Jr. She is a member of the National Honor Society, the MOCS drama team, and the City on a Hill Youth Choir. She is head cheerleader and on the varsity volleyball team. She loves doing musicals with RTC.
Wyatt is an incoming freshman at Ruston High. He has been in numerous Jr. productions ranging from most recently Westleton in Frozen Jr. to A Flying Monkey in Wizard of Oz. Wyatt enjoys providing entertainment for our community but most importantly loves the friends made through the years at RCT.
Evan is 12 years old and just completed the 6th grade. This is Evan's first show with RCT; however, Evan's grandmother, LaRue Sloan, is a former president of RCT and appeared in numerous RCT productions in the '80s and '90s. Evan is proud to carry on this family tradition. Evan loves the arts and enjoys drawing, reading, and playing video games.
Madison is a Freshman at Cedar Creek. She is a member of the varsity cross country and track teams. She enjoys any outdoor adventure, playing piano, singing, reading and drawing. Madison was recently in Cedar Creek's Moana production where she was encouraged to audition with Ruston Community Theatre. She is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of Shrek the Musical.
Landon is playing the role of Pinocchio, one of the fairy tale characters kicked out of Duloc. Landon is 12 years old, and this is his 6th show with RCT. Some of his previous roles include Olaf in Frozen Jr, Eric in Matilda, and Nikolas in A Christmas Carol. When he's not acting on stage, you can find Landon with his nose in a book.
Gage Doucet is a rising junior and has been in the Ruston Community Theatre’s productions of Alice in Wonderland Jr., Matilda Jr., Elf, and A Christmas Carol. They are a member of the Ruston High Band as a percussionist and enjoys playing DnD, practicing accordian, and pirating video games to put on their graphing calculator.
Nealy Clark just finished fourth grade at A.E. Phillips and will be playing Teen Fiona. Nealy has enjoyed the music and all of the encouragement she's received from her cast mates. This is a FUN show with upbeat music that matches Nealy's personality. She has played Young Elsa in Frozen, Jr. and a Bird Girl in the Seussical. Thank you to the directors for this opportunity!
Caroline will be in 5th grade at A.E. Phillips next year. She loves to sing, play basketball and softball, and watch Broadways. She is involved in her church and has been a part of choir, honor choir, and school plays. She enjoys reading, baking, and family movie nights. This is Caroline's first play with RCT, and she is so grateful for the opportunity.
Anna hopes you enjoy the show.
Lainey is VERY excited to be playing the wicked witch and she is looking forward to more future opportunities with RCT!! :)
Mia Le is 10 years old and attends A.E.Phillips Laboratory School. She loves to sing, dance, and draw. Mia will be playing Little Fiona and Peter Pan in Shrek Jr. This is her fourth show at the Dixie. Mia was Young Kangaroo in Suessical Jr, Little Kid 1 in Matilda Jr., and Young Anna in Frozen Jr. Mia welcomes you to the story of Shrek!
Emma Kate is going into the 8th grade at Quitman High School. She previously played in Frozen as Middle Anna. She is excited to debut in Shrek and can't wait for the show!
Lucas is a fourth-grader in Choudrant Elementary School. He plays piano, soccer and enjoys singing! This is his 1st RCT play. Hope you enjoy it!
Kaejha is a 6th grader at AE Phillips Lab School here in Ruston. This is her 10th show with RCT. Being on stage performing for the community brings her so much joy. She can't wait to play Gingy and she hopes you have the best time watching Shrek Jr- the musical.
Elijah has been involved with RCT since 2016 with his first debut in Beauty and the Beast. He has performed as Pabbie in Frozen Jr, as well as many other performances such as Mary Poppins, Elf, and as Oz in The Wizard of Oz. He recently graduated from Ruston High School. This will be his last junior show. He has loved the theater and the many friends he has made!
Coincidentally know as KareBear, Karigan happily accepted the role of Baby Bear in Shrek. She is 9 years old and attends Cedar Creek. She has been in multiple school plays over the years and most was recently in Alice in wonderland at the Dixie as a Heartchild. She looks forward to seeing everyone in the audience.
Portraying the Pied Piper(a role that, to everyone’s disappointment, has nothing to do with actual pies) will be just the most recent of dozens of roles that Madison has played on stage over the past several years. You would have seen her last as part of the cast of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief at Louisiana Tech’s Stone Theater!
Krystal, an 8-year-old third-grader who loves swimming and playing piano. She brings her energy and love for music to the role of Puss in Boots. Throughout the rehearsals Krystal has been a joy to work with always eager to learn and grow as a performer. Thank you to the Shrek The Musical Jr. Team for making this a wonderful experience.
Audrey is 8 years old and will be a third grader at Choudrant Elementary this fall. She is passionate about her family, friends, animals, and gymnastics! She has recently discovered a new found interest in theater, too! Shrek the Musical Jr. is her first theater performance but definitely not her last!
Annalyn Bishop attends Cedar Creek School where she is a member of the drama club. Previous roles include an alley cat (The Aristocats) and a honey bee (Winnie the Pooh). She studies dance under the Missy Crain School of Dance, and she takes music lessons with Aftyn Vermeer. She plans to continue acting and performing.
Vaida is an 8 year old arts enthusiast and this is her first performance with Ruston Community Theater. Along with acting, Vaida enjoys painting, ballet, softball, and baking. She is entering the 3rd grade at Cedar Creek School. Vaida is the daughter of Kelby Smith.
Chelsea is 12 years old and headed to the 7th grade at AEP. She loves participating in theater camps and shows. Chelsea has performed in Matilda, Jr, Frozen, Jr, and Alice. Aside from theater she also takes hip-hop and voice lessons.
Collins is excited to play the roles of Young Fiona and Peter Pan in the Tower Cast as well being a part of the ensemble in the Swamp Cast. She has previously played Young Anna in Frozen Jr. and was in the ensemble in ELF.
An upcoming 4th grader at AEP, Collins also enjoys playing the piano, singing, basketball, running, and art. She has enjoyed making new friends through theater.
Kate is a rising seventh grader at Cedar Creek School. She has recently become involved in theater and drama. Kate was cast as Rabbit in the 2022 Cedar Creek Elementary production of Winnie the Pooh. In addition, she was a crowd favorite as Hei Hei in the 2023 Cedar Creek High School production of Moana.
Molly is a lover of Jesus, books, animals, musical, video games, and coffee. Shrek JR. is her stage debut, and she is excited for this amazing opportunity.
This is Evelyn's first RCT production!! While she's danced on stage with LG Dance since she was 4, this is her 1st step into theater. Evelyn will be in 4th grade at AE Phillips next year. She enjoys dancing & drawing & being with her people.
This is Ava's 4th play with RCT, having also performed in Matilda, Frozen, and Alice in Wonderland. She has enjoyed learning the choreography and is excited to play several different ensemble parts in this production.
Olivia is really excited to be a part of this very funny show and hopes everyone enjoys watching it as much as she has enjoyed performing it! She has also appeared in RCT's junior productions of Matilda, Frozen, and Alice in Wonderland.
Brooklyn Jones is a student at Cedar Creek who just completed the 4th grade. This is her second show with RCT. She was Middle Anna in last year's production of Frozen Jr. She loves to sing, dance, act, play piano, and run cross country. She is excited to be back with her RCT friends this summer and can't wait for you all to see Shrek Jr!
Alexis is 12 years old, and an upcoming Eighth grader at Ruston Junior High. She previously played the Caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland. It's been a dream to be a part of Shrek Jr. and everything RCT has to offer.
Alice Roberts is 10 years old and a 5th grade student at Ruston Elementary. Alice plays piano and was previously cast as part of the ensemble in Matilda with RCT. She also participates in art and piano classes and this summer served as a Fleur de Lis princess for Miss Louisiana Tech, Chanley Patterson, for the Miss Louisiana pageant.
Savannah is 11 years old and is going into the 8th grade. She is homeschooled with her 6 sisters. Shrek will be her 3rd play. Savannah has also performed in Matilda and was a flower girl in Alice in Wonderland. In addition to acting, she enjoys playing piano, running cross country, swimming, soccer, and is an avid reader.
Audrey Stogner is over the moon about starring in her first show. After watching her parents perform on stage, she knew it was her time to shine. Audrey enjoys drawing and singing show tunes. Her favorite animal is her cat, Kitty Kitty Stogner, and she loves swimming at her Leigh Bo's house in the summer.
Harper Pilgreen is an outgoing and sassy actress. She loves to read and cuddle her pets❤️. She loves to sing, dance, and act. Harper is going into 5th grade at Ruston Elementary. She hopes you enjoy this comedic performance of Shrek!
Anniston is part of the fairy tale ensemble. She is 9 years old, and this is her fourth show with RCT. Previously, she has performed in Alice in Wonderland, Frozen Jr, and Matilda.
Steele Moegle is an Associate Professor of Music at Louisiana Tech University where she serves as head of piano and head of music history. She is married to Forrest Moegle, a local attorney, and they have two children, Alma and Riley Moegle. She most enjoys collaborating with musicians and directing shows for Ruston Community Theatre.
Megan recently choreographed Cinderella, Elf, Bright Star, Sister Act, Godspell, Mamma Mia, Peter Pan, and Willy Wonka. She recently directed Annie Get Your Gun and DISASTER at Strauss MainStage. Some of her on stage work includes CATS, Rumors, The Producers, Hairspray, and All Shook Up. She loves exploring life and making memories with her twin girls and twin babies.
Rebekah Heiden is a junior at Louisiana Tech majoring in music education. Rebekah has been very involved in Ruston Community Theatre for many years, and this is her second time to Stage Manage the Summer Youth Production. As a music major at Tech, she was recently inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, and the music faculty selected her as the Outstanding Music History Student and the School of Music Citizenship and Service Recipient. In addition to participating onstage in numerous productions, she has been a stalwart supporter of the youth program at RCT.
Katie Roberts has been an active member of RCT since 2018. In that time she has done over eleven shows and has served various roles, whether as an actor, stage manager, or director. Her most notable roles have been Mayzie La Bird (Suessical Jr), Miss Honey (Matilda Jr), and her most recent, June Sanders (Smoke on the Mountain). Katie is thrilled to be back on the stage again helping put on another great show with her RCT family.
Working backstage is a fun thing to do!
Forrest operates a law practice based in Ruston and is also a lecturer in the College of Business at Louisiana Tech. In addition to coaching the Mock Trial team at Tech, Forrest enjoys fishing and swapping stories with friends. He made his RCT debut in To Kill A Mockingbird and has enjoyed helping out again with Shrek Jr.
Riley Moegle, a recent graduate of Ruston High School, plans to attend Louisiana Tech as a Physics Major in the fall. Riley is an Eagle Scout who enjoys acting and singing. He is looking forward to participating in RCT’s Cinderella in July.
Anniston Walker, Audrey Boggs, Audrey Stogner, Alexis Phillips, Brooklyn Jones, Emma Kate Toms, Harper Pilgreen, Kate Enterkin, Madison Cunningham, Molly Foy, Savannah Scallan, Vaida Carroll
Annalyn Bishop, Ava Good, Brooklyn Jones, Chelsea DeForest, Collins Reigelman (Tower), Elijah Farris, Emma Kate Toms (Tower), Evelyn Fryer, Gage Doucet, Jari Richardson, Kate Enterkin, Lucas Chen, Madison Cunningham, Mia Le (Swamp), Nealy Clark (Swamp), Olivia Good, Riley Morrow, Teagan LeBlanc
Annalyn Bishop, Evelyn Fryer, Lucas Chen, Olivia Good
Chelsea DeForest, Gage Doucet, Riley Morrow
Caroline Heard, Kate Enterkin
Ava Good, Brooklyn Jones, Caden Breeding (Tower), Collins Reigelman (Tower), Elijah Farris (Swamp), Lainey Crawford, Mia Le (Swamp), Nealy Clark
Ava Good, Chelsea DeForest
Caden Breeding (Tower), Evan Sloan, Elijah Farris (Swamp), Scout Luse
Evan Sloan, Wyatt Terry
Alexis Phillips, Kate Enterkin, Madison Cunningham, Madison Moore, Molly Foy
Shrek The Musical JR. is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
