STEP VA Cast Spotlight: Presley Levasseur &Ryan O'Meara
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
by Brigid O'Leary
FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA—There's no hiding in the bushes for two of the cast in “Shrek the Musical JR,” on stage soon at Courtland High School. Brought to you by STEP VA Inc., the local 501(c)3 nonprofit that “empowers people with disabilities and their families through creative expression and sensory exploration,” the show will feature Ryan O'Meara as Captain of the Guard, and Presley Levasseur as Red Riding Hood, and both in the red and blue outfits of Duloc citizens.
They are each returning for their fifth appearances the STEP VA Spring Musical Experience, having been involved in every musical since 2022, when STEP VA began hosting licensed musicals with Disney's “The Lion King, Kids!"
Levasseur started off that first show in the animal chorus as a dancing leopard. She was the dance captain in “You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” in which she bridged the gap between actors and staff; and she followed that up by playing Thing 2 in “Seussical, Jr.” Last year, she pulled triple duty, first as as the seahorse Sheldon (Nemo's seahorse friend from school who's allergic to water), taking a turn as one of the vacationers terrorized by the seagulls, as well as as one of the Moonfish, the featured dancers. This year, she gets to scale it down a little bit and only play the two roles: Red Riding Hood and a Duloc citizen.
She returns each year, she says, because of the “connections with my STEP VA friends.” And she is one of those friends who truly roots for all of her cast mates. Her favorite scene in the show is one she's not even on stage for: when Fiona turns into an ogre.
Carrying two roles that require a very quick quick change should be a daunting prospect, but having already done them last year, they are hardly a problem for Levasseur. Rather, the one thing that she's having to work harder to manage is doing two things at once—at speed in an already energetic performance.
“The most challenging aspect this year is singing the right lyrics while dancing,” she explains.
For Levasseur, the STEP VA Spring Musical Experience is more about the process than anything. When asked, earlier in the season, what she was most looking forward to with the show, her answer was simple: “Just seeing everyone connect with their characters.”
One of those cast mates who always seems to connect quickly to his character and bring them to life is O'Meara. First cast as Ed the Hyena when STEP VA staged Disney's “The Lion King, Kids!,” he followed up that role with a turn as Snoopy's pal Woodstock in “You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” The following year, he was the face of the show when he played The Cat in the Hat for “Seussical, Jr.” Last year, he, too, was tasked with three roles, when STEP VA put on Disney/Pixar's “Finding Nemo, Jr.” Like Levasseur, he was one of the vacationers who was harassed by the seagulls; he was the “masked dancer” (the physical embodiment of the fallen scuba diver’s mask that directs Marlin and Dory to where Nemo was taken); and he finished off the run as one of the Moonfish featured dancers. Now he's back as the Captain of the Guards for Lord Farquaad—and a singing Duloc Citizen as well.
He came back this year, in part because of the show itself, as he's a fan of Shrek and likes the portrayal of friendships within the show. Earlier in the season, when asked, O'Meara said he was most excited about the dance sequences in the show.
Asked about his favorite song in the show, O'Meara can't decide. He likes both “Freak Flag” and “Big Beautiful World,” but admits that they can be difficult.
“While my dance moves are good, memorizing all the words to the songs is challenging,” he said.
Years of experience is clear, though: both Levasseur and O'Meara will overcome the challenges they are currently facing in rehearsals and nail their performances on stage, April 18 (6 p.m.) and April 19 (3 p.m.) at Courtland High School. Come see the whole cast in STEP VA's staging of “Shrek the Musical JR”.
Tickets are on sale now at stepva.org.
