A GROUP of 28 young people are joining each other onstage to perform this year's Why Not? production '13'.

The musical theatre group will perform their first show tomorrow night (Wednesday, April 5) after six months of weekly rehearsals and a lot of hard work and enthusiasm.

Graeme Melvin, the founder and director of Why Not? Musical Theatre Company, told the Press: "They've worked so hard for this show, they really have. The young people started rehearsing for this show in September, so just after the summer holidays. It's not been a hugely long rehearsal period for us this time but they've absolutely risen to the challenge!"

The company was set up 21 years ago and has seen hundreds of kids on their stage. They rehearse every Wednesday during term time so that they are ready to put on the performance of a lifetime at their annual show.

Graeme continued: "We set up in 2002, and our main goal at that time was to educate and inspire the youth of Fife and its surrounding areas in the art of musical theatre, and I think that's something that we have been able to do in those years.

"We must have had probably 700-800 different young people in that time coming through our doors and the scary thing for us now is that some of the cast members from those first few shows now have kids who are on our waiting list. It's wonderful to see the next generation coming through."

The cast, all aged between nine and 17, will be performing 13, a musical that follows the trials and tribulations of a young boy as he moves from New York City and navigates the halls of a new school, new friends and a first kiss.

He said: "There is something here that everybody would relate to. We've all had our first kiss, we've all dreaded our first kiss! There might be a few comedic moments or a few cringes from audience members but the show is all done in good taste and it's set from the point of view of a young person."

The show will run at Dunfermline's Carnegie Hall until this Saturday, April 8, with shows starting at 7.30pm. Tickets are priced at £16 per person (£14 concessions).

Graeme added: "Come along and support your community, support our young people. All too often we are quick to judge and make assumptions about young people and anti-social behaviour but these young people, they're just wonderful. They're up there, giving their all, working really hard.

"The show is 96 minutes long and they don't stop! They keep going all the way through – there's no interval. It's just straight through for them. That's hard work for professionals, so it would be absolutely wonderful for people to come along, support them, and give something back to the community."

To purchase tickets, call 01383 602302 or visit the OnFife website.