Sing Hosanna! brings “Shrek the Musical” to life Nov. 14 for a four-day run.

Bringing his ogre to the stage in the title role will be Scott Shearer of Winfield Township.

He said he was excited to audition for this much coveted role.

“I am excited because it is new and so different. I laughed out loud reading it for the first time,” Shearer said.

“The Broadway show has some very challenging music for me. I have had to really condition my voice to broaden my range and that has probably been the biggest challenge,” he said.

The play follows pretty closely along with the movie and that can be both a benefit and a drawback.

“I think everyone knows Shrek and I only hope I can portray what the audience expects their image of Shrek to be,” he said.

Shearer said he is really enjoying the show and his interaction with the other characters, and he appreciates the uniqueness of this musical.

“This show is like no other fairy tale you've ever seen. It's got plenty of nuance, so much so that you might want to see it more than once, just to catch it all,” he said.

The show's love interest, Fiona, is being played by Carrie Persichini of Butler Township. She played Sister Margaretta in “The Sound of Music” at the Red Barn Theatre in July.

“Fiona is striving to be a perfect princess like the ones she has read about. She finds this challenging because her 'inner ogre' is keeping her fairy tale from coming true,” Persichini said.

She auditioned for the role and was hoping to have the opportunity to play it before she got too old for it.

“The transformation in Fiona is both above and below the surface as she realizes her 'happy ever after' will be unconventional but fantastic,” Persichini said.

“There are many new songs written for this show and they are fantastic. There is much more back-story involved in the musical; we get to find out Shrek, Fiona and Lord Farquaad's motivations,” she said about the differences between the play and the movie.

Her biggest challenge has been a crash course in tap dancing, she said. “Luckily, our choreographer has been quite patient with me.”

The “Shrek” story involves the quest for a princess so the evil Lord Farquaad can rule the kingdom.

Farquaad will be portrayed by Nathan Rockcastle of Butler Township.

“Although he is not the traditional 'villain,' he does represent the conflict in the show,” Rockcastle said.

“From my perspective, the character isn't so much evil as entitled. He feels as though life has given him nothing but lemons, and he doesn't know how to make lemonade,” he added.

For Rockcastle, it is the balance between representing villainy and being comical at the same time that proves challenging.

Also in the show will be Rachel Creaturo of Penn Township who is readying herself for her first stint as a dragon.

“I play the Dragon who has grown weary of guarding princesses and being overlooked,” she said.

“Most of my preparation involves the actual design and construction of the dragon puppet/costume. It is very large and time consuming,” she said.

She said moving the cumbersome costume can also be quite daunting, especially when she adds singing to the mix.

“I have begun to realize how much I depend on my facial expressions and hand movements while acting. Using this puppet has upended what I am used to,” she said.

The show is under the direction of Ralph Christy Jr. and also stars Matt Nocera as the donkey.

WHO: Sing Hosanna!WHAT: “Shrek the Musical”WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14, 15 and 16 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 17WHERE: Succop Theater at Butler County Community CollegeTICKETS: All seats are $15 and are not reserved. Tickets are available at May's Music Shoppe, 247 E. Jefferson St.INFO: 724-287-8362