The
Whittier Miscellany
Fall Issue 2025 • Wilmington Friends School’s Community Newspaper • Wilmington, DE
Shrek the Musical Takes the Stage at WFS Victoria Gasta Domínguez ‘29 Staff Writter
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repare yourselves for ogres, donkeys, and plenty of laughter, because this year, our Upper School will perform and bring Shrek the Musical to life. Inspired by the beloved film, the musical tells the tale of a misunderstood ogre who becomes a hero when he rescues a princess from a tower. Throughout the tale, the audience follows Shrek’s adventure with fairy-tale creatures, a talkative donkey, and a Lord who struggles to measure up (literally). Margaret Anne Butterfield, the musical director, describes the production as “Absolutely hilarious, but empowering because the characters kind of own up to who they are.” Although there are vastly different opinions, many believe the musical was chosen for its impressive number of lead roles and important ensemble characters. Piper Roskovensky ‘26, playing the lead role of Fiona, says, “There are a lot of different characters for people to choose from, and in the ensemble, there are a lot of personalized characters that have a significant role in the musical.” This year’s cast list is full of variety, but it is not the first time Wilmington Friends School has done a production of Shrek. Back in 2019, the eighth graders brought the tale to life. Of course, a production this big requires just as much effort behind the curtain as on stage. So, what goes into creating a musical as complex as this? What are the tiny details that make the musical so interesting to the audience? Beyond the quick costume changes and intense choreography, there are small details that keep everything running smoothly. Ava Miller ‘26, the stage manager, has the complex task of keeping track of it all. Her job involves taking notes of the small moments that each character has on stage, props that each scene might need, and even filming videos of certain scenes so the cast can use them when practicing. When asked about what people might not realize about the process, she says, “A lot of organizing, tons of Google Docs and spreadsheets, and communicating with cast, lights, and sound.” The themes of the musical also carry a deeper message beyond the humor. Easton Martinenza ‘27, who plays the role of Pinocchio, says, “Humorous, but behind the humor it really talks about true beauty.” Piper Roskovensky ‘26 says that Shrek is fun and energetic, but also reflects “Our school values, like community.” The date for Shrek the Musical is getting closer and closer. Rehearsals run multiple times a week, often running late into the night. As mentioned before, the building of each scene, let alone an entire act, takes plenty of time to cover. Scenes become broken down into small chunks, with the leads repeating their lines over and over again until it is acted out perfectly. Besides acting, it takes a lot of time to process where and Wilmington Friends School Theater how a certain character should stand on stage. With small corrections, each scene shapes up exactly how it Photo: Morgan Kim should be. The audience can expect a performance full of laughter, energy, and plot twists. From the incredible and hilarious sound effects, to Donkey’s humorous jokes, every scene the viewers will see is nothing but entertaining and filled with talent. Once you add in the colorful, yet seemingly uncomfortable costumes, heartfelt moments, and a catchy final song titled “I’m a Believer”, the production will be an unforgettable and amusing night for everyone. With humor, love, and plenty of stinky swamps, Shrek the Musical promises to be one of the most memorable productions the Upper School has ever staged, and it certainly will not be the last.
AmeriStarRail is Coming to the United States
Henrik Maansson ‘29 Staff Writer High-speed rail is finally coming to the Northeast Corridor with a brand-new line starting in Alexandria, Virginia traveling to Washington, D.C., then to Philadelphia, and making its final stop in New York City. The record travel time from Washington, DC to New York City will be just 1 hour and 59 minutes, according to AmeriStarRail, with trains going every 30 minutes. The head of the entire operation is a company working with Amtrak named AmeriStarRail. AmeriStarRail is an innovative train company based in Delaware that plans to revolutionize the passenger rail industry in the Northeast corridor by making it more convenient to take a train than a car or plane. One of their projects will be the connection of the Alexander to New York City line, with the use of Libertyliner 250 trainset from AmeriStarRail, the train is able to hit speeds of up to 160 mph on 52 miles of track in New Jersey which makes it much better to travel on than a car or plane in terms of travel time, but what about cost? Well, in a recent interview Amtrak with the Chief Operating Officer of AmeriStarRail, Scott Spencer, he said Photo: Pixels that, “adding coaches to all high-speed Libertyliners is a major part of making Amtrak more competitive, affordable and family friendly,” as well as, “up to two kids under 18 will be able to travel for free with each Adult or Senior Citizen Coach ticket
fare. In addition, infants and toddlers can ride free in the laps of parents in the Family Coach.” AmeriStarRail will also set ticket prices “to be more competitive with the “out-of-pocket” costs of driving (gas, tolls, parking).” By taking down the cost of passenger rail travel, transportation by train has become more affordable. In addition to reducing transportation costs, AmeriStarRail is ensuring that its trains have priority on rail lines owned by freight companies. The issue of Amtrak trains not receiving priority on freight rail lines, which leads to hour-long delays, has plagued the company for decades. However, AmeriStarRail will pay freight companies to use their tracks and ensure that no delays occur during the operating service of passenger trains. The new passenger line from Alexandria to New York City will also be very climate-friendly, as only 1% of all global transportation emissions come from trains, compared to 70% from cars, according to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). AmeriStarRail is not only building new highspeed rail; it is also helping to save the planet.