Seventh-grader, Grant N., is gearing up to play the lead role in the fall musical, “Oliver!” which opens Friday night in the school auditorium.

“It’s very stressful,” he said. “Because I haven’t been on the stage before, I don’t know where anything is. I’ve never done a performance with West Shore before.”

Grant said he has found it easy to work with high-schoolers “because my sister already has so many friends in high school, so I already know most of them.”

Another seventh-grader, Shane W. agreed that working with high-schoolers hasn’t been too difficult.

“Being around 16-year-olds isn’t really that nerve-racking,” he said. “You get to know these people and you really have these bonds and get to make friends with them. It’s really an amazing feeling, and I couldn’t describe it any other way except for amazing.”

While sharing the stage with high-schoolers can be fun, eighth-grader Tristan H. said the whole cast is feeling a bit of stress and unpreparedness with being ready for opening night.

“The way we put it together is a little messy, but I hope to have it all together by the time we present,” he said. “We aren’t rehearsed. Not all the principles have their lines memorized. It’s just a mess.”

“Oliver!” will run through the weekend with two shows on Saturday and a matinee on Sunday. 

By Jade Norton

Editor’s note: Brevard Public Schools policy prohibits the inclusion of middle-schoolers’ last names on district-sponsored websites.