Meet the Muffin Man and More at ACE's 'Shrek'

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 10, 2016) — Bluegrass audiences can meet the Muffin Man and more as a cast of over 80 children and youth from the University of Kentucky’s Academy for Creative Excellence (ACE), a preparatory academy for students in first through 12-grade, present "Shrek the Musical, Jr." later this week. ACE will bring the friendly ogre and his sidekicks to town in a production based on the beloved Broadway musical and animated movie, May 13-15, at the Guignol Theatre, located in the UK Fine Arts Building.

The family-friendly musical comedy follows the adventures of an ogre named Shrek,

who sets off on a quest to save Princess Fiona from a dragon. In order to succeed,

Shrek must learn how to believe in himself and open his heart to others.

With music by Jeanine Tesori, and book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, "Shrek the Musical, Jr." is based on the Oscar Award-winning DreamWorks animation film and the book "Shrek" by William Steig. The original Broadway production, starring Brian d'Arcy James as Shrek and Sutton Foster as Fiona, also racked up awards and acclaim running 12 months and receiving a total of 12 Drama Desk Awards and eight Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical.

The musical was adapted for school-age students by educational musical theatre consultancy firm iTheatrics, under the supervision of Timothy Allen McDonald.

Jeni Benavides is directing the Lexington production, with Ashley Jackson as

choreographer and Vanessa Davis as musical director. Local preparations began with

auditions in early February and continued with several rehearsals each week up to the

show. ACE student performers range in age from 6-17 and hail from a number of

regional schools.

In addition to the public performances, ACE will also present a special private showing to residents of Greenhouse 17 this week. The cast got to tour the facility and see the work being done by the local advocacy agency. GreenHouse17, formerly Bluegrass Domestic Violence Program, is committed to ending intimate partner abuse in families and the community. The program's specially trained crisis counselors are available to help people harmed by intimate partner abuse at a 40-acre property in rural Fayette County. From that location and three other offices in the service area, Greenhouse 17 provides an array of crisis intervention and stabilization services.

Prior to this week's performances, ACE earned some acclaim for this production. Earlier this year, ACE students joined more than 100 musical theater groups from 28 states and four countries at the Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta, Georgia. Each group prepared a 15-minute version of a Broadway musical and presented it in front of a panel of three industry adjudicators. ACE performed a condensed version of "Shrek the Musical, Jr.," and were commended for their characterization, vocal harmonization and ensemble work.

"Shrek the Musical, Jr." will take the Guignol stage 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 13 and 14, and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 14 and 15. Tickets are $14 for general admission and $12 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available via the Singletary Center box office. To purchase tickets, contact the box office at 859-257-4929, visit online at www.scfatickets.com, or purchase in person during operating hours. A processing fee will be added upon completion of transaction.

Created in 2009, ACE is a preparatory performing arts program for young students in Lexington and the surrounding communities. The academy, a department of UK Opera Theatre, provides training and instruction in performing arts and encourages excellence, enthusiasm, professionalism and passion among its students.

UK Opera Theatre is part of the UK School of Music at the UK College of Fine Arts. The School of Music has garnered national recognition for high-caliber education in opera, choral and instrumental music performance, as well as music education, composition, and theory and music history.

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu