A fairytale comes to life as the students of BSPA take to the stage

Following the storyline of the beloved animated film, Shrek the musical follows the adventures of the loveable ogre and his talking Donkey as they fight to reclaim their swamp and maybe even win over the heart of Princess Fiona, who has been impatiently waiting for her Prince Charming to appear.

The cast of 78 young performers filled the stage with colour, music, and dance, as they brought the story to life.

Nicole Craigan, aged just 14, took on the titular role of Shrek and despite the challenges she faced playing a male role, she was fantastic as the grumpy ogre, bringing humour and a tender heart to the role.

The role of Shrek’s love interest, Princess Fiona, was taken on by Daisy Hamilton. With a stunning voice and acting talents to match, these two made a perfect on stage coupling.

Meghan McSorley, 15, who hopes to turn her passion for the stage into a career, absolutely stole the show as the brilliantly funny Donkey. With talent like this, there is little doubt that she will forge a career in performing arts.

Special mention must also go to Aaron Fisher as Lord Farquard, who deserves praise not only for his sense of humour but also for his ability to perform the entire show on his knees!

The cast of fairytale characters were wonderful throughout and the talent on stage belies the ages of the performers.

Some of the standouts included Pinocchio, the Ugly Duckling, The Three Little Pigs, The Three Blind Mice, and Mummy Bear, not to forget the love of Donkey’s life, the Dragon, played by Ruby Donaldson from the Lisburn school.

Kudos to Lisburn man Nik Parks for pulling the whole show together as the director.

No doubt there were will many more treats to come from this talented cast.

There will be more talent on display when students from BSPA take to the stage of the Mac in Belfast for Les Miserables, under the guidance of Peter Corry. The show will run from August 24-26 and tickets are on sale now.