Fiona Tremblay – Contributor

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Little

Bishop’s University’s very own black box theatre did not see calm as the rest of Lennoxville did this summer. The swamp was very much alive in Turner Studio as Adam Laberee Productions (ALP) rehearsed Shrek the Musical Jr. as part of their summer camp program. ALP Drama was founded by Bishop’s alumni, Adam Laberee. “I started ALP to give kids an opportunity to explore their interest in drama and see if it becomes a passion. I want them to experience each element involved in theatre, from creative design all the way to the performance,” says Laberee of his vision. Alongside Laberee, this summer’s ALP team included Jennifer Little, ALP’s head of administration; Fiona Tremblay, lighting designer and director; and Laura Fernandez who took on costume design and direction and all members of the Bishop’s drama community. Current drama student Katie Dodd was also crucial to the success of the project, manning props, aiding in set design and assisting with technical aspects of the theatre.

The drama camp had just shy of five weeks to put on the production and saw a booming success along with it. The camp ran Monday through Thursday with week one being auditions and week five being the performance, giving the camp approximately 17 days of active rehearsal time. The cast composed of 26 kids between the ages of 8 and 15 performed to a sold-out audience on each of their scheduled nights. A third show was added due to popular demand – also sold out. The participants of the ALP summer program worked alongside their directors throughout every aspect of the production from lighting, painting, set design, and costume design. Even the official Shrek the Musical Jr. poster was designed by the show’s Donkey, Arielle-Bella Carolus Marois. 

The success of ALP’s first production leaves Laberee optimistic going forward into the school year with their first afterschool production – which, spoiler alert, is yet another blockbuster musical. The ALP team is expected to stick around on campus, hoping that their next production takes place on Centennial Stage. It would be a fantastic opportunity for kids and audiences alike to experience the magic of theatre, right at the heart of campus.