Elburn's Clay Nott isn't afraid to show Shrek's softer side

Clay Nott, 17, of Elburn, stars as the lovable ogre in Spotlight Youth Theater DuPage's production of "Shrek: The Musical." This is his 25th production with Spotlight.

Q. Tell us about your background in theater. What are your aspirations?

A. I've been doing theater since I was about 8 years old. I don't plan to pursue theater as a career, but I love it to death!

Q. How did you get involved with Spotlight Youth Theater?

A. I got involved because my mom had started vocal directing in Spotlight and then I decided I wanted to do it myself.

Q. What do you like about your character? What do you think audiences will like?

A. I like that he's not afraid of anyone, yet he has a soft side and I connect with that a lot.

I feel the audience will enjoy the humor and different styles of dancing in this show.

Q. What's challenging about your role? How have you overcome that challenge?

A. Probably the most challenging aspect is how vocally diverse the role of Shrek is. I've overcome that with many hours of repetition and practice to kind of train my voice for this role.

Q. Are you a fan of the "Shrek" movies? Did you incorporate bits of the movie version into your performance?

A. I'm a huge fan of the "Shrek" movies! Yes, I tried to incorporate many bits from the show while also putting my own spin on it.

Q. What will surprise audiences about the production?

A. I think the audience will be pleasantly surprised at the talent of this cast as a whole. Not only are our lead roles amazing, but the ensemble is incredible as well.