Making it through high school usually means you have to traverse some tricky terrain. You've got to deal with peer pressure, cliques, social awkwardness and identity issues. But most of those downsides and challenges get a lighter touch once Disney gets its hands on them.

Case in point: "High School Musical," the Disney Channel original film that glorified the positivity of high school with song and dance, became a tween franchise and made Zac Efron a household name. In addition to spawning a theatrical release, a reality show, ice tours and concerts, it also made the jump to an actual musical built for the stage. And Robidoux Resident Theatre plans to rally the Wildcats when it presents "High School Musical" at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 22, 23 and 2 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Missouri Theater.

For those not familiar with the story, it centers on students at East High School in Albuquerque, N.M., where basketball star Troy Bolton (Jonathan McClain) and bookworm Gabriella Montez (Jessica Love) reconnect after developing chemistry over Christmas break singing karaoke at a New Year's Eve party. The two decide to try out for the school play so they can sing together again, but have to deal with overcoming obligations to extracurricular activities and the social pressures to conform to their respective cliques to pursue their passion for theater and their feelings for each other.

Elements of the musical's plot should sound familiar, as RRT business manager Jeff Haney points out.

"It's kind of the G-rated version of 'Grease,'" he says. "It's just positive and it's fun and it gives them the chance to do some great dancing."

After Haney saw a stage production of the musical, he thought it would be a great addition to RRT's 2009-10 season. "High School Musical's" commercial appeal is obvious, along with its ability to draw in a younger audience. But mostly, it's a chance to have fun.

"Sometimes, we take ourselves too seriously when it comes to the arts," Haney says. "Sometimes, you just want to have a great time."

But for "High School Musical," RRT didn't go through its usual casting process. The team traveled to hold auditions at Benton, Lafayette and Central high schools to recruit all the kids they needed for the parts. Of course, some high school students thought it might be a bit uncool to audition for the Disney tween staple. It was on director Carol Myers' mind. She gets plenty of exposure to the popularity of the production among young kids through the "High School Musical" lunchboxes and bookbags she sees as a second-grade teacher.

"I thought that might be the case, but when we had over 200 kids show up, I was like, oh, I guess not," Myers says. "People want to be a part of good shows."

The hundreds of high schoolers were narrowed down the current cast of 57, the largest cast for any RRT production. One of those people is 17-year-old Jessica Love of Central High School. She fell in love with "High School Musical" in eighth grade and got her customary school-girl crush on Zac Efron. And even though its image of high school life may be a bit more sugary sweet than the real thing, she and others her age can still relate.

"I think the cool thing about 'High School Musical' is that even though it does kind of exaggerate things about high school musicals, it's definitely fun," she says. "You can definitely connect to it in high school."

The musical might be fun, but every kid had their work cut out for them.

They worked extensively on choreography with Marla Heeler of the Dance Arts Center, and they learned plenty of cool steps when Heeler recruited three Kansas City hip-hop dancers to help get the energetic dance moves down.

"We don't have hip-hoppers coming in. We are the hip-hoppers," Myers says.

From a musical standpoint, the cast also is required to flawlessly execute "High School Musical's" most well-known songs, like "We're All In This Together," "Get'cha Head in the Game" and "Bop to the Top." And Haney says what the cast has been able to pull off is incredible, considering it's being done without Disney's production magic.

"People really sing in this one. They're not dubbed and you can't fake the dancing because you can't just break away to a shot of your feet," he says. "You don't get 60 takes to get it right."

Kids and adults familiarity with "High School Musical" will also come with a few extra additions. Myers got a drum corps from Mid-Buchanan High School to kick off the show with a blast. They rented a specially-designed lighting rig to feature effects you've probably never seen in previous RRT productions. And stage designer Frank Pollack constructed a unique configuration, which Myers won't speak too much about except to say it is a thorough "breaking of the fourth wall."

It's all meant to convey a certain youthful spirit and the excessive energy that "High School Musical" embodies, which Myers says audiences should appreciate.

"You're going to have a good time and feel refreshed about life, and that's a good thing to have these days," she says.

Tickets for "High School Musical" are $16 for adults and $9 for children. For more information, call 232-1778 or go to www.rrtstjoe.org.