“Once upon a time, there was a little ogre named Shrek …” And thus begins the tale of an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking donkey and a feisty princess who resists her rescue. Throw in more than a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you’ve got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero.

Waterworks Players has announced Zachary Glasscock, in his directorial debut, will direct the “Shrek the Musical” and will be assisted by Carole Harper (music director) and Laura Millon (choral director).

“Auditions for ‘Shrek the Musical’ will be held at Waterworks Players on Aug. 20 and 21 at 7 p.m. and are open to actors of all ages. Those who audition will be asked to prepare a song from the show (16-32 bars) and perform cold readings from the script. There are both male and female singing lead parts, in addition to many chorus roles.”

According to the press release, the “five principal roles include: Shrek … a big, green, terrifying ogre who lives alone in a swamp. Princess Fiona is a beautiful princess of Far-Far-Away, (who) transforms into an ogre every night when the sun sets. Donkey (is) a talking donkey who joins Shrek on the run from Farquaad’s guards. Quite the chatterbox, he is not deterred by Shrek’s looks and practically forces himself into his good graces. Lord Farquaad (is) the comically short, ruthless ruler of Duloc. He is in search of a princess to marry so that he can become king. Has an intensely unfair bias against fairytale creatures that stems from a resentment of his father. (He’s) self-absorbed, lonely and cruel.”

The show runs in October.

For more information or to volunteer, contact the Waterworks Players at (434) 392-3452 or email info@waterworksplayers.org.