"This show is about acceptance," said Landon Hunsicker, describing "Shrek The Musical." "Shrek is an ogre, and everyone assumes he's mean, but the show gives him the opportunity to show what's inside him and help him connect with the other characters."

"Shrek The Musical" will be performed by Encore! Home School Productions at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 2. It will be performed at The Junction Center, 1875 Junction Road, Manheim.

"The cast has worked really hard on this show," noted Landon, who portrays Donkey. "We started rehearsing in November. It's a really fun show, and it's different than the movie version of 'Shrek.' It adds to that original story."

"Shrek The Musical" tells the story of the title character, Shrek, portrayed by Seth Snyder, who becomes an unlikely hero as he takes a journey to rescue the feisty Princess Fiona, played by Emily Norcott as an adult, Grace Richey as a teen and Cambria Brinton as a young child. Full of fairy-tale characters, the show is a family-friendly story of friendship, love, community and uniqueness. As Pinocchio, played by Giselle Bartlett, says in the show, "What makes us special makes us strong."

The production will feature a cast of 40 students from across the central Pennsylvania region. Students live in the school districts of Hempfield, Elizabethtown Area, Penn Manor, Donegal, Lancaster, Susquenita, Bermudian Springs, Camp Hill, Annville-Cleona, Central Dauphin, Lower Dauphin, Cumberland Valley, West Shore, Derry Township, East Pennsboro, Susquehanna Township and Middletown Area.

"Community is a big theme of this show," said Callaghan Petrosky, who plays Lord Farquaad. "It's about being comfortable with who you are and having a place in a bigger community."

The large cast of actors don elaborate costumes, including fur suits and prosthetics, and for some of the actors, it's been a unique challenge. "I wear a fur suit and I have hooves on my hands, so I've been practicing with them," Landon stated. For Callaghan, his character is extremely short, requiring him to act on his knees. "I wear a long cape and have knee pads, and then I have fake legs attached to the pads," he said. Gingy, played by Ella McKell, works with a puppet throughout the show, and Dragon, portrayed by Lily Patota, wears a large headpiece and maneuvers the stage with a giant tail.

Costumes, props, sets, playbills, advertising, concessions and more are coordinated by families, who contribute their time and talents to the production, said Tammy Bartlett, public relations lead. "It takes a community to produce a show," she stated.

Encore! Home School Productions is a nonprofit organization that offers performing arts opportunities to homeschool and cyber school students in central Pennsylvania. A Christian organization, it focuses on providing students with a positive, challenging and educational experience, presenting high-quality live theater to the public. "Shrek The Musical" is directed by Dena McKell, with Coleen Steindel as the music director. The show is produced by Ann Snyder.

To purchase tickets for "Shrek The Musical," visit http://www.encorehsp.org or call 717-459-3701. Online sales will close three hours before show time. Tickets will be available at the door.