The two young stars of Shrek The Musical Jr will rely on their friendship and chemistry when they step out on stage for their performances at the Glasshouse.
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Evita Jamieson and Riley Cone first met in year 1 at St Columba Anglican School and ‘have been friends ever since’.
Now in year 5 and 11 years of age, the pair will join with almost 20 other young performers from across the Mid-North Coast to bring the musical to life on Friday and Saturday.
Having appeared together in Beauty and the Beast, Riley has studied at Theatre Oz while Evita has practiced at St Joseph’s Primary School.
Evita enjoys Shakespearean plays and Riley says musicals hold some appeal for him.
The pair say they are good friends and hang out together a lot. “A little too much, sometimes,” according to Riley.
Both enjoy performing and ‘we both like entertaining people at school’.
“We both really enjoy working with (Got Ya Back Productions director) Tim Maddren and Steph. This has been an amazing opportunity,” Evita said.
Tim said the production has cast about 21 children aged between seven years and 13 years – mostly from the Port Macquarie area although there is a presence from Taree too.
We both like entertaining people at school.
- Riley Cone and Evita Jamieson
Rehearsing started some three months ago at Theatre Oz Port Macquarie and The Conservatorium Mid North Coast.
“Shrek the Musical Jr is based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film and the book Shrek by William Steig,” Tim said.
“It is a family-friendly musical comedy that follows the adventures of an ogre named Shrek who sets off on a quest to save a beautiful princess from a fire-breathing dragon.
“However, it turns out that in order to ultimately succeed, Shrek must battle an even bigger obstacle: learning how to believe in himself and open his heart to others.
“There is an amazing pool of talented people in this performance and Got Ya Back Junior aims to inspire children into the world of the theatre.
“All participating performers have taken part in weekly performance-training workshops to prepare themselves for this production. Shrek gives every child the opportunity to showcase their skills in the top-class Ross Family Studio.”
Shrek The Musical Jr is at the Glasshouse on Friday November 17, 7pm and Saturday November 18, 3pm and 6pm.
The show runs for one hour and 15 minutes. Call 6581 8888 to buy tickets.