STEP VA Cast Spotlight: Mackenzie Walker & Gavin Marchand
- Apr 14
- 2 min read
by Brigid O'Leary
FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA—There will be a number of familiar faces at Courtland High School later this month when STEP VA Inc., the local 501(c)3 nonprofit that empowers people with disabilities and their families through creative expression and sensory exploration brings “Shrek the Musical JR” to the stage. Audience members who have attended previous Spring Musical Experience shows will recognize Tinkerbelle and Captain Hook, played by Mackenzie Walker and Gavin Marchand respectively.
Walker has been a staple in all of the licensed musicals STEP VA has hosted as part of the Spring Musical Experience, going from a baby giraffe in Disney's “The Lion King, Kids!” to pulling double duty as both Peggy Jean and the voice of the teacher in “You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” In “Seussical, Jr.” she was the Purple Bird Girl, and she followed that up by playing one of the “Reef Parents” in Disney/Pixar's “Finding Nemo Jr.” This year she'll bring Peter Pan's fairy friend Tinkerbelle to life.
As it is, Walker returns each year because musicals offer several things she enjoys all in one go.
“I wanted to be in the musical because I like to dress up in costumes, dance, and sing,” she explained.
Her favorite aspect of the show this year is Farquaad's character being a “bad king.” And while she loves the dancing, she admitted that sometimes the choreography can be challenging.
And while Walker joined the cast, in part, to build her confidence, having several years of experience under her belt, she also knows what to expect.
“I like to show my fans how to be great and show them my acting,” she said when asked what she was most looking forward to with the show, adding that, “We practice hard.”
Gavin Marchand is part of that hard-working cast. Returning audience members will remember him from his role as a Wickersham Brother in “Seussical, Jr.” and both as a Moonfish and a featured dancer in “Finding Nemo, Jr.” This year, he's donning the coat and pants and hat that will turn him into Captain Hook.
He returned this year, he said, because he “watched Shrek when I was a kid.”
While he knows the show—more or less—and he enjoys being on stage, when asked earlier in the season what he was most looking forward to with the show reflects not only a general subplot but a common feeling among the cast: “Hanging out with my friends,” he said.
Come by Courtland High School on April 18 (6 p.m.) or April 19 (3 p.m.) to see Gavin and his friends—including Mackenzie—sing and dance their way through the swamp—in “Shrek the Musical JR.”
Tickets on sale now at www.stepva.org.
