photo by: Debra Cole

Elizabeth Heinz as Princess Fiona performs during a rehearsal of Theatre Lawrence's Shrek the Musical Jr. Heinz is flanked by Avery Fox, and together they make up one of the artist-mentor pairs that performs in the theatre's Penguin Project productions each year.

When audiences attend Theatre Lawrence’s performance of “Shrek the Musical Jr.” this Friday and Saturday, they’ll notice that each actor on stage has a “buddy” in a similar costume standing by their side.

That’s because the show is the theater’s latest production as part of the Penguin Project, a nationwide theater program where youths with developmental disabilities play all of the acting roles. The cast members are called “artists,” and each one is matched with a volunteer peer mentor who takes the stage with them and helps them put on the performance.

“Shrek the Musical Jr.” has a cast of 24 artists and 35 mentors, ranging from 10 to 18 years old, and they’re all able to participate for free thanks to donations from community members. Many of the volunteer mentors have experience in youth theater productions, either with Theater Lawrence or elsewhere.

“We try our very best to make sure every kid’s got a buddy when they’re here,” said Emily Giles, Theatre Lawrence’s education director and the director of “Shrek the Musical Jr.”

photo by: Debra Cole

The cast of Shrek the Musical Jr. rehearses for their upcoming performance. The show opens at Theatre Lawrence this Friday at 7 p.m.

This is the third year that Theatre Lawrence has put on a Penguin Project show, and it’s Giles’ first time directing one. She joined Theatre Lawrence in February, and the process for putting together this year’s production started in March.

Right away, Giles said it was clear how important these productions are to the young people who participate. Soon after starting in her role, she met with two Free State High School students who were cast members in the last two Penguin Project shows.

“They just wanted me to know how important this was, how passionate they were about the program, how they wanted to make sure that I was going to continue that,” Giles said. “They gave me all kinds of good (information). I’ve directed youth theater for 20 years, but never a project exactly like this, so they were real helpful in learning things about what’s worked in the past or what didn’t work in the past.”

At the start of rehearsals, Giles said the focus was mostly on getting the artists and mentors comfortable with one another. She said it was important for each artist to find a mentor with whom they have things in common and who can ease any apprehension they might be feeling.

The show has a mentor coordinator, Debra Cole, to help with that process. Giles said Cole works closely with participants throughout the process to make sure everyone is comfortable in their pairs.

It’s a joy to watch the mentors and the performers build relationships, Giles said.

“In a way, while this is a program for empowering students with special needs through theater, I think it’s equally as important and valuable to the mentor kids who may not have much experience working with students with special needs,” Giles said.

While mentors are often paired with performers who are close to their own age, there are some exceptions. For instance, the title role in this year’s performance, Shrek, is played by Daniel Saripalli, who is 18 years old and works with 10-year-old mentor Charles Baker. This is Saripalli’s third Penguin Project production; he previously played Aladdin in the theater’s 2019 production of “Aladdin Jr.” and was Thomas O’Malley in “Disney’s The Aristocats Kids” last summer.

photo by: Debra Cole

Daniel Saripalli, left, and Charles Baker team up to play the titular Shrek in Theatre Lawrence’s Penguin Project production for this year.

Giles said Saripalli and Charles make a great team, and the difference in their age — and height — is even incorporated into the performance. The show opens with a scene of Shrek as a child, and Charles briefly switches to an acting role to play that younger, shorter Shrek.

The show is open to the public on Friday and Saturday, and there will also be a performance Thursday night just for the performers’ family and friends.

“These kids have worked really hard, and I can confidently say I think every one of them is excited and proud to share their work and this story with the community,” Giles said.

The show’s opening night is Friday, July 15, at 7 p.m., and a matinee performance is set for Saturday, July 16, at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and are available on Theatre Lawrence’s website. The show is approximately 75 minutes long with no intermission.