Students rehearse for “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” Sydney Richelieu / Kennebunk Post

When Kennebunk High School theater director Dennis St Pierre was tasked with choosing this year’s fall musical, he knew exactly what he wanted to see on the stage.

“The Hunchback of Notre Dame has always been one of my favorite shows,” St. Pierre told the Post. “I’ve been wanting to do a bigger, full size musical with more political substance to it.”

The show is more dramatic and more impactful than shows that have been done in the past, which are normally on the comedic, light-hearted side, St Pierre said.

“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” takes place in 1400s Paris, and follows the story of Quasimodo, a disabled orphan living in a bell tower, and Esmeralda, a gypsy girl who finds and befriends him.

To St Pierre, the story is about an individual who has been abandoned and abused, and who ultimately becomes the greatest hero.

“It’s a tough piece,” St Pierre said. “The students have been doing exceptionally well.”

This year’s show also has a new element to it: a choir of community members and faculty.

With only 17 students auditioning for the musical, St Pierre decided to look outside the theater for extra voices. He found them, primarily, in teachers.

Music director Jesse Wakeman guides actors through a scene.

“It’s pretty cool to see students and faculty work as equals,” St Pierre said.

In the past, there has been a resistance to bringing faculty into the musicals, which St Pierre said he thinks of as an attempt to make sure the musical is student-focused.

“I think, no matter what, it’s going to be student-focused,” he said.

The addition of a faculty choir actually makes students feel more confident on stage, St Pierre said, because they know they have support behind them if they need it.

After months of rehearsal, the production is finally in “tech week,” or, the last week before opening night.

Students have been working hard and staying late, sometimes until 10 or 11 p.m.

Despite the talent and intense dedication of the students involved in the show, St Pierre is worried the musical won’t have a large turnout.

Years ago, turnout was regularly high for high school productions. Opening night, and Saturday nights following, would often sell out.

Over the last few years, however, St Pierre has seen the turnout dwindle.

It’s unfortunate, he said, because the students work incredibly hard to produce a high quality show. It also means fewer ticket sales, which means less money for the department to produce shows in the future.

“We’ve built a really good program,” St Pierre said. “But for the program to survive, we need to start filling the seats.

As he watched the student actors rehearse the same scene again and again to get it just perfect, St Pierre urged the community to come see the show.

“Come and see these kids. For them, this is their championship,” he said. “The arts matter.”

“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” will open Thursday, Nov. 7 with a performance at 7 p.m. Performances are also scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9 and a matinee on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $15 for adults, and $10 for students and seniors. They can be purchased online or at the door.