Angie Ussher, director of the show and president at Maitland Musical Society, said the show brings a lot of fun and energy, and stars local kids from Maitland and Cessnock from 8 to 18-years-old.

"It's a really energetic show, and is the same show as the High School Musical movie, but condensed into a junior version that goes for one hour," Ms Ussher said.

Maitland Musical Society haven't been able to put on any productions for two years because of COVID-19, with their last show being Wizard of Oz Retro in late 2019.

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"We're well and truly ready to be back," Ms Ussher said.

"We usually do about two shows a year, and this show itself has been put off twice so this is our third attempt to get this one on in the last 12 months."

Ms Ussher said she chose High School Musical Jr because it's a fun show that appeals to a lot of different ages.

"We've got people who grew up with the movie and parents as well, plus it's now coming through again [with the Disney+ series]. The kids still love the music even though it's nearly 20 years old," she said.

The entire cast and crew are really excited to perform, and have put in so much effort at every rehearsal, according to Ms Ussher.

"We ran it yesterday fully and it was just amazing," she said.

"People often ask me why I prefer to work with kids and it's because of their professional attitude, they just get into it and want to get it done.

"Their love of performing and being there takes over and they've become their own little family.

"We've got quite a few new cast members so it's been really good to see the ones who have done shows before with the new ones, we've got a really good mix."

The show runs from Friday, April 8 to Sunday, April 10 for four shows at Maitland Pro-Cathedral (2 Church Street.)

Tickets are $25 each and can be purchased online here.

Show times:

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