The Sing Hosanna! cast of “Shrek the Musical Jr.” will take the stage next week. The cast are, from left, standing, Isaac Hixon, Sadi Shearer and Jack Iole, and seated, Sam Smith. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Like everyone’s favorite ogre, the Sing Hosanna! cast of “Shrek the Musical Jr.” has layers of experience and hard work invested in their characters.

The show brings the popular animated DreamWorks cartoon to life with a collection of silly songs and memorable characters.

This production has been a long time coming, according to director and producer Ralph Christy Jr., and will be performed at 7:30 p.m. June 10 and at noon June 11.

“We were three weeks away from doing the full production when every thing was shut down for COVID,” Christy said. “After much prayer and research, we decided to make it the junior show so the kids could do it.”

The students involved in the production have been expertly exploring their characters, Christy said.

“The kids are just having a blast; they’ve really related to their characters,” he said.

One such performer is Jack Iole, a senior at Knoch High School who plays the title character.

“From childhood, (Shrek’s) parents told him people would hate him because of how he looked. That’s why he resists getting close to anyone,” he said. “Shrek is the opposite of me: I’m not mean, I’m not gross. But when you’re an actor you have to become someone else you’re not.”

Jack said playing Shrek has been a welcome challenge, and one he’s faced with a close friend.

“My best friend is playing Fiona,” he said of Sadi Shearer, who plays the love interest to his character. “I’ve also made new friends already, super close friends. I think that’s been my favorite part actually.”

Sam Smith, a ninth-grade home-school student, is playing Donkey. He said it’s been easy playing his character because of their similar energy levels.

“Donkey is very chatty; he loves making friends ... Having to bring that energy every day has been hard. He loves adventure. He’s willing to go through everything to make friends.”

What he loves most about Donkey, however, is his outlook on life.

“He has a clear opinion about accepting differences in people,” Sam said. “This show is very fun; it’s so hilarious. It’s very entertaining for the whole family. It has a great message about being who you are.”

The director as well as the leading man also said the message in “Shrek Jr.” is one people won’t want to miss.

“The lesson learned is no matter how different everyone is, everyone needs to be accepted,” Christy said. “Kids can relate to someone in the show; that’s why it’s so successful.”

“The main theme is ‘Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.’ My favorite line in the show is ‘Fairytales should be updated.’ I think that’s true. The world is changing and we need to accommodate for that,” Jack said. “One thing we all have in common is we share the earth and so we need to get along.”