After 45 hours of rehearsals, more than 80 children will perform in the Primary Performer's Beauty and the Beast Junior at the Lighthouse Theatre.

Director Richard Ziegeler said that every Primary Performer who had played a show with the company remembed the fun, the friends and the finale.

"We chose Beauty and The Beast because this Disney version gives us a huge number of roles, some great music and many opportunities for us to invent roles and stage settings that will create wonderful memories for each member of the 80-strong cast," he said.

Zara Glenn,10, from Warrnambool, who plays Lumiere said it was her first year with Primary Performers.

"I'm so excited that I got a big role, I didn't expect that," she said. "I joined because I wanted to try theatre and it has been so much fun."

Lighthouse Theatre Service manager Xavier Dannock said that seeing the kids on stage grow their confidence and having a great time was the reason they had been running the program for more than 20 years.

"Many, many hours have gone into the making of the set, the costumes and props by a huge team of dedicated volunteers," he said.

More than 150 props and 100 costumes have been created for the production which will hold public performances on Friday at 6.30pm and Saturday at 2pm.

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