When students at Dominican High School in Whitefish Bay, Wis., auditioned for the spring musical production of "Cats," they donned masks and made up cat-like names for themselves. Names such as Cherry Pie, Friskis and Spunkerella.

David Herzfeld, student stage manager for the musical, explains that "we wanted that feeling from the beginning of stepping outside of yourself, of stepping outside the role of a normal high school (student)."

Indeed, "Cats" isn't exactly your normal high school spring musical.

High schools across the country are flocking to "Cats," the long-running Broadway hit that was just released for amateur groups to perform. The movement points to the growing ambitions of high school theater groups, particularly at private or suburban schools, some of which are tackling more challenging productions — ones that also can challenge budgets.

To put on the production, Dominican, a Catholic school, tripled its typical lighting budget to rent so-called "intelligent" lights — ones that spin and move and change to all different colors, like those found on Broadway. The theater department quadrupled its standard makeup budget to transform high school students by day into, well, cats by night.

All told, it spent $30,000 to put on the production in March, about double what the school usually spends. Pius XI High School in Milwaukee, which is also putting on "Cats," is spending $50,000 and charging up to $15 a ticket.

"Shows are more expensive, licensing fees are higher, equipment for sound and lighting has doubled or tripled what it used to be," said Kevin Schwartz, who is directing the Pius production of "Cats." "High schools across the country are doing these big-budget musicals."

Fueling the momentum is the popularity of Broadway musicals such as "Cats" and "Les Miserables," which can have more sophisticated and extensive sets, costumes and special effects than some of the more old-fashioned musicals.

Schools eager for a new challenge, and tired of more hackneyed productions such as "The Music Man" or "South Pacific," are quick to jump when musicals such as "Cats" become available. But it also puts pressure on the schools to fill in the financial gaps through higher ticket prices, increased fundraising or creative marketing and can make it tougher for more cash-strapped schools to compete.

"As schools cut music programs, their ability to do these big shows, I think, is threatened," said Greg Chelcun, a math teacher and director of musicals at the Stevens Point Area Senior High School in Stevens Point, Wis. Stevens Point put on a production of "Cats" in February, making it one of the first schools in the nation to do so. Like Dominican, Stevens Point spent double the typical cost of a spring musical.

When Jeff Schaetzke, who directed the musical at Dominican, pitched "Cats," his first problem wasn't money.

"For girls who want to look pretty all the time, this was a very different experience," he said, recalling the feline wigs and makeup. "For boys who aren't used to wearing unitards, this was a very, very different experience. I remember getting e-mails saying, `Thanks, Mr. Schaetzke, but I think I've done my last show because there's no way I'm going to get caught dead in a unitard."'

But Margaret Cope, an 18-year-old senior who played the cat Carbuckety, said wearing a cat mask and adopting a cat name made the auditions easier because it was a leveling experience. "Everyone looks ridiculous," she said.

The biggest challenge for her was the acting. "This was the first part I've played where I haven't been a human," she said. "It's hard to always stay like a cat."

The musical is loosely based on the poetry of T.S. Eliot. It tells the story of a group of cats that gathers each year and trades stories to determine which one will have the honor of being reborn. With no strong political overtones, raunchy sex scenes or clear cast leads, the musical has a natural appeal for school directors hoping to avoid controversy.

But it's expensive. For Dominican, one of the biggest costs came from building costumes from scratch. Each actor had his or her own unitard decorated with fabric paint, arm and leg warmers, and wigs. Costumes added up to about $7,000; musicians, upward of $5,000; the licensing fee, about $4,000; the sound equipment, $2,400; and the set materials, marketing and lighting, about $4,000 apiece.

Schaetzke said that the show was "worth every penny" and that because of the donations from parents and alumni, Dominican was able to recoup all the costs. While the school won't be able to afford a play like "Cats" every year, Schaetzke said, "with Broadway tours becoming more popular, kids can go to New York and see people flying around the stage and belting their brains out."

"They are used to a little different style, and we've got to match that and be ready for it."

Just for comparison, Dominican spends $90,000 annually on sports, not counting the $100,000 it spends on coaches.

Herzfeld, the Dominican student stage manager, said that despite the initial reluctance of some students to don a leotard and tail, the "end product turned out to be spectacular."

It "shows like professional theater," he said. "It's kind of like a cake. It's a tiered process."

Herzfeld also was co-lighting director and observed that with 816 lighting cues, "Cats" had "three or four times" as many lighting cues as any previous Dominican show.

Pius is spending a lot on "Cats," but it spent $80,000 to put on "Les Miserables" a couple of years ago. "Cats is much less expensive," Schwartz said. "No muskets."

Times have changed. Schwartz remembers that when the school spent $17,000 on a musical in 1994, it was a big deal. Ticket prices have gone up, too, making high school theater a more high-stakes business proposition.

"If your shows are big-budget, but no one is coming, you won't get to do it for long," Schwartz said.

To help its musical be more profitable, Dominican plans to rent out its homemade cat suits to other high schools interested in putting on the production. Schaetzke estimates that they'll charge between $30 and $50 a costume. The wigs might go for another $10 apiece. But they'll have some competition from the Stevens Point, Wis., school, which also is looking to sell its fancy feline apparel.

"We have $2,500 in costumes to sell to someone," said Chelcun, who notes that artists airbrushed each body suit, and students and parents sewed on the fur. "So if you know anyone looking ..."

<b>Costumes </b>$7,000<b>Musicians</b> $5,000<b>Licensing fee </b>$4,000<b>Sound equipment</b> $2,400<b>Set materials </b>$4,000<b>Marketing</b> $4,000<b>Lighting</b> $4,000