Forty-nine Renton Christian School students will take to Renton Civic Theatre’s stage to put on J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan,” May 14 to 16.

It is the 20th production for the school’s drama director and musical program teacher, Laura McGinnis.

“I like doing the classic tale of “Peter Pan,” but we try to add a lot of quirkiness and quirky characters and make it fun and funny for the audience,” she said.

McGinnis chooses musicals based on the talent she sees in her class. Everyone in the class is guaranteed a part, but students do get the audition experience preparing a song and monologue for the role they want.

For this “Peter Pan” the cast of main characters includes seventh-grader Regan Joy Bennett as Peter, eighth-grader Jaydon Beleford as Hook and seventh-grader Maddie Welch as Wendy.

For Bennett the role is a dream fulfilled as she’s always wanted to be a main character.

“I’ve been doing drama with Mrs. McGinnis for, geez, as long as I can remember,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to be a main; that’s been my dream.”

Beleford likes playing a villain in Capt. Hook because those types of characters have more depth than other roles, he said.

“In my opinion, they’re the best parts in most of the plays I’ve seen, musicals or movies,” he said.

Beleford wants to pursue acting as a career, go to The Juilliard School and dreams of making it on Broadway.

Seventh-grader Welch also has dreams of acting in the future and her rendition of Wendy is a new, fun challenge for her.

“I think it’s just a really fun character for me because the last few plays I’ve been playing somebody pretty quirky,” she said. “So I like that I get to be kind of like a mother and still a child at the same time.”

McGinnis calls Renton Christian School’s musical theater program a safer introduction to drama than most schools because all the students get to play a role and the school encourages participation in the arts.

Tickets are $10 at Renton Civic Theatre, 507 S. Third St., Renton. For more information, visit rentoncivictheatre.org.