In this pre-Thanksgiving rehearsal at Mount Si High School, the cast and crew of “Footloose” have their moves down. They are not just ready for opening night, 7 p.m. this Thursday at the school auditorium, they are itching for it.

Maybe it’s the music—“The music is awesome,” says senior Natalie Werner, who plays Ariel, or maybe it’s the material—“they’re playing characters pretty close to their own age,” says Dwight Smith a parent volunteering as acting coach for the show —but the appeal of this production is high, for all involved.

“It’s a good feeling to have a bunch of people coming together, working on a show,” says Alex Kilian, playing Ren McCormack. A sophomore, Kilian is already a veteran of another high school musical, last year’s “Fiddler on the Roof,” and a seasoned co-star with Werner.

“We’ve been acting together since he was in sixth grade and I was in eighth grade,” said Werner. They started in middle school, she said, and always seemed to end up playing opposite each other, including last year, when they each were understudies for the lead actors in “Fiddler.”

“It’s easier to connect with a friend on stage,” she added.

This is Werner’s fourth and final musical at Mount Si, and despite all the hard work that they require—auditions in late September and hours of rehearsals four times a week, plus a few Saturdays, ever since, she says it’s “very worth it! Everyone’s working hard and there’s no competition. Everybody wants to be better, and to help you be better. That’s the great thing about musicals.”

Director Haley Isaacs, eating a quick meal between scenes and before going back to parent conferences at the end of rehearsal, is gratified to hear students talk about how different this show is from last year’s. That  diversity was her goal in choosing “Footloose,” she said. Also, while most people are probably familiar with the movies, “the musical is really different,” she said.

Her challenge with this show was not a worry about comparison’s with the Hollywood versions, or even what to do with the nearly 60 students who auditioned. It was that “a lot of these kids were under the impression that they can’t dance!”

Dancing is a central element of the story, about city kid Ren McCormack moving to the small town of Bomont and finding Ariel Moore, the girl of his dreams, and fighting a law against dancing in the city, along with several obstacles to overcome.

“Bomont is kind of a religious, old-fashioned town,” says Kaitlyn Rogers, who plays one of Ren’s friends. It’s a small part, but “Everyone has a good role,” she said.

Isaacs made sure of that, in choosing the script. “It’s important to me that we have great ensemble parts,” she said.

All the hit songs are part of it, of course, played by a pit orchestra, including students and professional musicians.

There’s plenty of comedy, Rogers promises, as well as a few emotional scenes. The show is rated PG-13 for some language and sexual overtones, drug and alcohol use and scenes of domestic violence. For full details, visit http://mshsdrama.weebly.com/promotional-information.html.

Advance tickets are on sale at the Mount Si High School office. Admission is $10, or $7 for students and staff of the school district.

“Footloose” debuts at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11 at the Mount Si High School auditorium.

Additional showtimes are 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13.

Footloose cast

• Alex Killian, as Ren McCormack
• Natalie Werner, as Ariel Moore
• Jonica Beatie, as Rusty
• Micah Smith, as Willard Hewitt
• Cole Van Gerpen, as the Rev. Shaw Moore
• Hannah Rovito, as Vi Moore
• Morgan Myers, as Ethel McCormack
• Jake Gardner, as Chuck Cranston
• Anastasia Bruckner, as Urleen
• Allyson Conlon, as Wendy Jo
• Kennedy Stinson, as Cowgirl Bobette/Betty Blast
• Riley Harrington, as Lyle
• Jacob Bradburn, as Travis
• Brenna Quinton, as Ren’s aunt, Lulu Warnicker
• Josiah Shreve, as Wes Warnicker
• Dylan Johnson, as Coach Roger Dunbar
• Maddie Rotolo, as Eleanor Dunbar
• Claire Olde Loohuis, as Principal Harriet Clark
• Whitney Blomquist, as Cop
• Kaitlyn Rogers, as Jeter
• Madeline Weinstein, as Bickle
• Lindsey Cassidy, as Garvin

Alex Kilian, right, as Ren McCormack, tells his friends, played by Kaitlyn Rogers, Madeline Weinstein and Lindsey Cassidy, about the small town he’s moving to, in the opening scene of “Footloose,” playing this week at Mount Si High School. Carol Ladwig/Staff Photos

Ren McCormack, played by Alex Kilian and Ariel Moore, played by Natalie Werner share their stories.

Alex Kilian plays the lead role of Ren McCormack, fighting a law against dancing in his new town.

Cast members rehearse a cafe scene in Footloose. From left, are Alex Kilian, Natalie Werner (standing), Jonica Beatie, Anastasia Bruckner and Allyson Conlon, who is also the assistant student choreographer for the production.

Director Haley Isaacs walks through a scene with Cole Van Gerpen, singing solo, for Mount Si High School’s upcoming production of Footloose.

Ariel and friends line up for a song and dance routine. From left, they are Natalie Werner, Allyson Conlon, Anastasia Bruckner, and Jonica Beatie, singing “Holding out for a Hero.”

When Ariel (Natalie Werner, right) introduces her new friend Ren (Alex Kilian, left), her father, the Rev. Shaw Moore, played by Cole Van Gerpen, does not approve.