Disney favourite High School Musical is coming to the Illawarra and the team behind the local production believe their leads put the film's stars, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, to shame.
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"I definitely think our leads are a lot better than the movie," producer-choreographer Kelly Duroy laughed.
"I'm putting it out there and standing by it - I think they're great."
Duroy is part of the Illawarra Youth Arts Project (IYAP), a burgeoning youth arts organisation, aimed at creating artistic opportunities for the region's young performers.
The group is staging the Illawarra's first ever production of the hit musical, which attracted a slew of performers from as far as Austinmer and Gerroa.
"We had so many people who wanted to audition, the demand was just huge," Duroy said.
"We had heaps of good auditions, we had a really hard time casting the show. But we're really happy with the people we've got. We've had people travelling 45 minutes just to be in it - it's fantastic."
The musical features a cast and crew of more than 70 people - a logistical nightmare for any production team let alone one staging its first large-scale show.
"Managing that many people has definitely been hard but we're working with kids who love to be at rehearsals so it's made it a really pleasurable rehearsal season," Duroy said.
"Most of the production team had experience in theatre and staging shows, so it made it easier. But it's a learning curve to get on top of all the processes you have to undertake to make a show successful."
IYAP was the brainchild of Duroy and fellow Illawarra performer Adam Fisher, who created the group last year after seeing a similar concept in the Southern Highlands.
They initially plunged their own funds into the project, Duroy said. But the organisation quickly grew to a nine-strong committee with plans for the future.
"We're now having monthly meetings and really talking about what we want to do next," she said.
"When we were attending the project in the Highlands, we would drive back to Wollongong from rehearsals and think, 'We need something like this in the Illawarra.'
"We wouldn't have created it if we didn't think there was enough opportunities already out there - this is just about giving young people more chances to entertain audiences.
"It [High School Musical] is just a fun show and it's perfect for young people."
High School Musical is at Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts from September 30 to October 5.
