The laughter, the energy, and the amazing vocals from “Shrek: The Musical” created quite a buzz around Mayfield High School.

Audience members came from across Ohio to see the musical in the two weekends it was performed, sometimes more than once. But what did the actors have to say after the final curtain closed on the last night?

Freshman Allison Wank (who portrayed Shoemaker’s Elf) has been involved in theater for several years, but “Shrek” was her first Mayfield High School production. She said, “Tech Week was a lot. It did eat up a lot of my time and sleep, but I didn’t hate it. It was fun hanging backstage with my friends and it was a good place to get my work done when I wasn’t on stage.”

But even for those who have had experience with Mayfield High School theater productions, like sophomore Kyra Horvat (who played Baby Bear), Tech Week is still a little bit of a struggle. She said, “It made me have less time to hang out with friends and get school work done. It also affected my sleep schedule so I was always tired from getting home late.”

Senior Kylee Ley (who played Pig #1) felt that Tech Week would’ve been less stressful if it was drawn out over a couple more days, rather than packed into a few hours that often dragged into the late night. She said bluntly, “Tech Week totally screwed my schedule – no more sleep, no more family time, and no more home cooked meals. I think Tech Week is very necessary in having a high quality production, [but] I just wish it wasn’t so drastic in the amount of time we have to spend there.”

However, Wank feels all of the hard work paid off, and the performances really allowed the cast to show off what they had practiced to perfect in the past three months. She said, “I think it went great! I loved everything about it, and I wish there would have been one more weekend. I know that it was due to construction backstage, but I kind of wish we had a bit more time for rehearsals and working with the props/set.”

Similarly, Horvat felt that the musical went really well, although she wished the cast had more time to practice. She said, “The musical went amazing, we all worked really hard. The cast was really close, and I think we really connected as a family.”

For Ley, there were only small details about the actual performances that she wished could have been better, but it never really took away from the show. She said, “I think the musical was fantastic! I wish some of the set transitions were a little less obvious, but besides that, it was absolutely amazing!”

During the shows, however, the actors found their spotlight on stage and went all out in their performances. Wank found her time on stage to be exciting and became integrated into her role naturally. She said, “I had so much fun in all of my numbers, I wasn’t even nervous at all to be honest. The audiences were fun and I got to perform alongside some very talented people.”

For Horvat, the nerves of being on stage never took away from her performance. She said, “My experience on stage was honestly one of the best I’ve ever had, because I felt confident in my role, though it wasn’t a large one. But I definitely always think I could have improved, and sometimes the nerves makes the performance even better because it gives you more energy.”

However, for Ley, it was more of an emotional experience. Being a senior, Ley gave her all into her last musical at Mayfield High School. She said, “The cast is like my second family, so it feels wonderful to perform with them. I wasn’t nervous until the last show, as it was my final show on the Mayfield High School stage.”

So, what will the actors do now that the musical is over? For Wank, the whole experience was incredible and it’s almost weird to get back into a normal routine. She said, “It’s kind of sad that all of it is over. It was so much fun doing the show, that it’s kind of hard think it’s all done. But I have made some amazing friends that I probably would’ve never known if I hadn’t participated in the musical so I’m glad that I joined!”

Since the musical takes up a lot of time for students in the cast, Horvat wants to make the most of her newly open schedule. She said, “Now that the musical is over, I plan on catching up on school, prepare for finals, and getting my life back to normal before the school year ends. Having more time is nice but it definitely made me realize how much the musical became a big part of my life.”

And for Ley, it’s a sad end to a long journey. She said, “I have absolutely no clue how I plan on moving forward now that the musical is over. Every time I think about it I have to force myself not to cry. Honestly, I think I’m experiencing some post-show depression. I don’t know what to do with my life anymore. I like having more time, so I can be with my family, but I miss having daily interactions with my friends from the musical. It’s really hard to spend so much time with someone, and then in one day, be ripped away from them and shoved back into your normal schedule.”

Although the cast of Shrek have had to say their tearful goodbyes to both the production and to each other, they also look forward to trying out for next year’s production of “Beauty and the Beast” in 2020.