This year's Butler Summer Dramatics production of "Grease" is nothing like the directors have experienced before.

With more than 200 auditions and a slew of talented performers, director Gordon Cavalero was forced to make a decision.

"We had enough talented performers to actually form two separate casts and that is what we did," Cavalero said.

He said he tried to keep the children from the same families together when he separated the large group into two casts, one the Pink Cast and one the Black Cast. Each cast will perform the show three times during the run which opens Wednesday at the Succop Theater at Butler County Community College.

Cavalero's partner in the Summer Dramatics program, Kenny Schreffler Jr., said the show itself was requested by the kids.

"The young actors have requested the show over the years and it is a good one because it can use a big cast. But I never expected the number of auditions that we got," Schreffler said. "We did auditions for two nights and it took us three hours to go through the more than 90 kids that auditioned each night."

The decision to use two casts has had its challenges, from the paper pushers behind the scenes to the choreographer even to the cast members who are practicing two nights per week instead of three.

"Losing the rehearsal time makes it crunch time every time we get a chance to work," said Kelsey Kobil, who plays Sandy in the Black Cast.

"I am really surprised though how fast it has all come together," she said.

With dual leads in the roles there is a hidden bonus. "It is like having a built in understudy program, the casts are really interchangeable," Cavalero said. "If anyone got sick or couldn't perform, there is a person who would be more than capable of filling in."

Choreographer Connie Rodgers said the double cast makes it hard to remember who has learned what. "I still haven't figured out who is in what cast," she said. "I've said, 'Which Sandy are you?' a hundred times."

With only two rehearsals per week, some of the cast come in on their off night to learn a dance or a song and try to make up for the evenings when they have to work or be somewhere else.

"The challenge every year is the schedule," Cavalero said. "These are busy kids, they are not just into theater, we are competing with camps, mission trips, vacations and the like, and it is almost impossible to have everyone in one cast present at the same time."

Kobil, a senior at Butler High School, and James Long of North Huntingdon portray Sandy and Danny in the Black Cast. "I was so excited to get this role," Kobil said. "I was a little leery when I got assigned to this cast as I really didn't know anyone in it, but I've made so many new friends."

Kobil said she didn't watch the movie because she wanted to bring some of herself to Sandy. "She is naïve and sweet and wants to be liked and wants to have fun. I am just enjoying playing this role as it is my biggest so far," she said.

Majoring in musical theater at Clarion University, Long is studying to be a professional actor. H was gunning for the role of Danny or Kenickie when he auditioned.

"This is really my first leading role and it can be overwhelming at times but it's really a lot of fun," Long said.

"Putting all the singing and dancing together is amazing."

Long said his favorite song is "Summer Nights." "I enjoy the interaction with all the other cast members in that number," he said.

His biggest fan and the person who was happiest about his role was his mom. "This is my mom's favorite movie. I watched it with her once and she is so excited for me to be in the show, especially as Danny," he said.

The stage version is different from the movie, and the characters want the audience to realize that fact so they aren't expecting something else.

"The end is perhaps the biggest difference," said Long, who noted that cars don't fly on stage.

Several songs were added to the movie that are not in the stage version and can't be performed in it, but basically the story remains true. "The plot and characters are pretty much the same as in the movie," Cavalero said.

Three more shows were added to accommodate the dual casts.

The show opens Wednesday and runs through Aug. 3 with shows every night and matinees on Aug. 2 and 3. Tickets are available at May's Music Shoppe, 247 E. Jefferson St.

<B>WHO: </B>Butler Summer Dramatics<B>WHAT: </B>"Grease"<B>WHEN: </B>7:30 p.m. July 30 through Aug. 2 and 2 p.m. Aug. 2 and 3<B>WHERE: </B>Succop Theater on the Butler County Community College campus<B>TICKETS: </B>$12 for center seats and $10 for seats on the sides, available at May's Music Shoppe, 247 E. Jefferson St.