High school theatrical performances demand a bunch of hard work. They require a huge commitment of time, energy and effort.

A group of Lancaster Country Day School (LCDS) students has been diligently working hard on its interpretation of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." The finished product is now about 10 days away from being ready to present to the public.

"One of the challenges with this production is that we've had five weeks to prepare (as of early April)," said Steffan Bomberger, the director of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." "It's a much more intensive experience. It's similar to a working experience for the students. This plot is also an opportunity for kids with a passion for theater to show what they can do, which I really love to see."

"(The students are) putting in above and beyond the typical workload," he added. "They're spending a whole amount of their own time drilling their lines. It's a lot; there's no doubt about it. But there's a really huge payoff."

That payoff will come on Saturday, April 26, in the form of a pair of public performances of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," one at 2 p.m. and one at 7 p.m. in LCDS' 580-seat Gardner Theatre, 725 Hamilton Road, Lancaster. Tickets for the show can be purchased at https://lcds.simpletix.com or at the door prior to each performance.

"It's light-hearted because it's geared toward a younger audience," said Bomberger. "Charles Shulz wrote it, and his message is, 'Sometimes it's OK for kids not to have OK feelings.' Throughout, Charlie Brown is asking himself, 'Am I a good person? Am I doing the right thing?' It's a personal question we should all be asking ourselves: 'Are we being kind to those around us?'"

More than 40 LCDS students in grades seven through 12 are involved with the production, 12 actors and actresses and about 30 stage crew members. The show's double cast features high-schoolers Michael Collins and Jason Micciche as Charlie Brown, Amanda Biscoe and Julia Davis as Sally Brown, Jane Zobian and Linn Rosener as Snoopy, Abby Liu and August Gallo as Lucy Van Pelt, Ryan Kong and Assata Flowers as Linus Van Pelt and Nate Weiss and Emmie Achorn as Schroeder.

"These kids love context. These kids love meaning," said Bomberger. "These kids are looking for greater meaning at their school and in life. These are introspective kids, and they're my favorite students to work with."

"Through our tight-knit, high-effort casts and diverse array of shows, from tackling real-world subjects like in our fall show 'Radium Girls' to the whimsical fun of the winter musical 'Tuck Everlasting,' it helps bring the students of otherwise separate circles together into a fun and fulfilling experience," said Nate. "All the things I've learned about others and myself in the past year could never be replaced. Our spring show, 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown,' is a perfect example. The small group cast allows everyone to have their own moments on and off the stage. The potential of the program continues to grow, and I can't wait to see where we're heading."

Work on "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," began with auditions on March 3. Since the first rehearsal on March 17, the cast and crew have been rehearsing about 22 hours a week to get ready for the shows.

"We are constantly redefining (the students') expectations and their definitions of what excellence means," said Bomberger. "Excellence is a wonderful thing, and striving for excellence helps us become better people. I'm in the business of teaching students to pursue excellence in all they do."

"In a scholastic setting, there's regular turnover," continued Bomberger. "What happens in that turnover is new leadership emerges. You get to see these students grow into leadership skills that they didn't ever know they could develop."