A cast of 100 young people ranging in age from 10 to 24 are criss-crossing the stage this week for the final rehearsals of the Butler Summer Dramatics presentation of "Oliver!"

The show opens Thursday at Butler County Community College's Succop Theater and concludes July 31 with a 2 p.m. matinee.

The musical "Oliver!" was adapted from the book "Oliver Twist" by Charles Dickens. The music, lyrics and book adaptation were written by Lionel Bart.

Set in the 1850s, this award-winning classic is the tale of the life of a young orphan boy named Oliver Twist.

The play opened June 30, 1960, at the New Theatre and netted 23 curtain calls. It ran for 2,618 performances in London.

With its successful run in London still going strong, it opened on Broadway in January of 1963 and ran for 774 performances and won several Tony Awards.

The story begins in an orphanage and depicts what life was like for orphan boys of the time and how being relieved of one enemy can land you in the lap of a different one.

Jonathan McCreary will portray Oliver. He was on vacation at press time.

Max McCurdy, who will be in 10th grade at Butler Intermediate High School in the fall, will play the Artful Dodger. This is his first experience with the Butler Summer Dramatics program as well as with acting in general.

"I always sang and have been in choir and choruses but I decided to try my hand at acting and auditioned with some of my friends," said McCurdy.

"Having to act older than I am is somewhat of a challenge in this entirely new process," he added. "Everyone here is great and I am learning a lot. I really didn't know what to expect, but I am glad that I tried out."

McCurdy's partner in crime, Bill Sykes, is played by Austin Stockard, who last took the stage during his high school musical. He decided he missed theater during his freshman year in college at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

"I enjoyed theater in high school and didn't do any of it in college this year so I wanted to be involved somehow with this show," Stockard said.

"Landing this role was great. It is the first role where I have had to use an accent. And the first role where I have to be aggressive and mean. He is a lot of fun to play," Stockard said of Sykes.Rachel Pesci, who will begin her junior year at St. Francis University in the fall, will play the ill-fated Nancy. She auditioned for the play to enjoy quality time with her brother."I wanted to spend time with my little brother, who plays Charley Bates, an orphan," Pesci said."With my physician assistant program at school, this is my last summer home so I wanted to have one last musical experience," she added about this much sought-after role."I wanted to play her," said Pesci who admits the role comes with its challenges."I have to speak and sing with a rough, brassy English accent, but I've trained my voice to sing as clearly as possible," she said.Michael Chiappini tackles the role of Mr. Bumble, the man who runs the workhouse."I am excited with the small character part. There is more freedom in a part like this, and I can do what I want with him," Chiappini said."It is hard to get humorous appeal while being mean at the same time," he added.Chiappini auditioned for the play to have something to do this summer and is thrilled."It is such a great experience and a really fantastic program for learning and experiencing theater," he said.For director Gordon Cavalero, this will be his third time leading a cast in "Oliver!""We've done it at the MTG (Musical Theatre Guild), but this will be the first time Summer Dramatics is doing it. It is hard to find shows that involve a bunch of kids, and this one includes about 100 on stage and behind the scenes," he said.Butler Summer Dramatics began nine years ago with a $5,000 grant from the city to supplement the project."We were delighted to be able to pay the city back the money they gave us to get started. It was great to be able to help them out and give back to the community," Cavalero said.The program is structured as a mentor program where seasoned veterans of the stage show the ropes to young people."It trains kids for roles on stage and backstage, behind the scenes. Hopefully some of these kids will carry on the legacy," Cavalero said.