SUWANEE - Green ogres and meddling kids will take to the Town Center stage when Suwanee Performing Arts presents Shrek The Musical and Shooby Doo, an original music mystery, on Friday, July 26, and Saturday, July 27. These Broadway in the Park performances will begin at 7:00 each evening.<br />
<br />
The Suwanee performances mark the first amateur production of Shrek The Musical in Georgia.<br />
<br />
"We always try to pick something that will appeal to audiences of all ages," says Director Patty Etherton. "The writing for Shrek is so fresh and wonderful. I laughed out loud and smiled all the way through it."<br />
<br />
The performances are free and open to the public, but the event is Suwanee Performing Arts' largest fundraiser so donations will be requested. In addition, a variety of audience-participation items (such as Shrek ears and a dragon call) will be available for purchase. Children also are invited to sit in "The Swamp" area close to the stage where they will better be able to interact with performers; "Swamp" tickets are $10 and available at Town Center Park beginning at 4 p.m. on performance dates.<br />
<br />
The 2013 show is the seventh Broadway in the Park performance produced by Suwanee Performing Arts. The production will include about 75 mostly high school and middle school cast members, a stage crew of about a dozen, and volunteers. "It takes a village," says Etherton.<br />
<br />
"There's something really magical about opening your heart as a performer and allowing the audience in," says Artistic Director Bernie Davis. "This is a lot of fun for these kids. How many kids can say that they've performed in front of 5,000 of their friends and community members?"<br />
