Curtains are set to raise today for multiple matinee and evening performances, with the cast and crew excited to finally perform the show for an audience.

Marina Lee, who plays the lead character Elle Woods, said she and her castmates were thrilled to be showcasing their work.

"Definitely a bit anxious but mainly excited for a big week, it's been anticipated for a while now," she said.

"It's nice to see all the hard work we've put in really turn into something amazing.

"It's nice to have that audience reciprocation of emotion, and you get people there that will actually laugh at the jokes - all the actors and the teachers that continuously watch it, you almost get used to it so it's nice to have the audience experience that."

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Ms Lee's character Elle Woods is an inspiration to her - a role she is excited to finally portray.

"She is so positive with everything, she has such an optimistic outlook on life and it's nice to take some of that into my life and keep that positivity throughout everything, that's my favourite thing about her," she said.

"Absolutely a dream role - musical theatre in general is my dream and my passion, so it's amazing to be able to do it on stage in front of an audience, especially after COVID when everything was shut down, it's nice to know that's still going to happen."

Show director and Newstead College teacher Alarna Hingston said the atmosphere was growing ahead of the curtain raising.

"We auditioned at the end of February and started rehearsing at the end of March," she said.

"We've been rehearsing three times a week during our classes, and then after school on Tuesdays as well as a Saturday here and there, and we spent three days in our auditorium rehearsing in the school holidays as well just to really polish it up and finish some things off."

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The hard work and dedication has paid off - with the show proving popular with parents, friends and the wider community - tickets for the shows sold out within two weeks of release.

"We didn't release them until the start of the term and they were all sold out by the end of week two which was an awesome feeling," Ms Hingston said.

"Especially after last year when we could only have a really limited capacity, we increased our numbers this year and we still sold out - the kids are doing seven shows including four public shows and three school matinees so they're going to be exhausted by Saturday but also so rewarded."

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