Acting is the art of taking on a role or portraying a character other than oneself. It can be an especially challenging task for young people just beginning to understand themselves.

The fine and performing arts department at Lancaster Catholic High School (LCHS) will present the art of acting and what it means to the youthful performers exploring it during its upcoming staging of the musical "The Addams Family."

"Acting is almost like an out-of-body experience," said Michael Adams, the director of "The Addams Family." "You're not that character, but you're being that character. You have to talk like them. You have to move like them. Then it becomes about connecting each individual character and bringing 35 students all together. When you do that, it becomes a show."

Lancaster Catholic will perform "The Addams Family" on Thursday, April 25; Friday, April 26; and Saturday, April 27, all at 7 p.m. at Old Main Auditorium on the campus of LCHS, 650 Juliette Ave., Lancaster. Tickets can be purchased at the door on the nights of show.

"I don't want to think about how many hours we've put into this," said Adams. "You've really got to pace yourself. If you go full tilt from the beginning to the end, you're not going to make it. It's all about stamina. It's knowing when to take breaks and take time off. I think it helps us in the long run."

There are 54 LCHS students involved in the production of "The Addams Family" - 35 cast members, nine members of the orchestra and 10 students in the stage and lighting crew. Included in the cast are senior Isaac Lin as Gomez Addams, senior Hadley Davies as Morticia Addams, senior Julianne Leonard as Wednesday Addams, freshman Piper Davidson as Pugsley Addams, senior Murphy McCormick as Grandma Addams, junior Tre Hockley as Uncle Fester, senior Frank Essis as Lurch, senior Sydney Dissinger as Alice Beineke, senior Collin Stritch as Mal Beineke and junior Drew Olsen as Lucas Beineke.

"I especially enjoy the process of growing into my character, not only by memorizing my lines and lyrics and delivering them well, but also by accentuating my character's distinct personality," said Isaac. "I play Gomez Addams, a proud father, devoted husband and comical family man who treasures his ancestry and only wants to do what is best for his family. He does his best to guide his family on the right path, but he is often held back by indecisiveness, weakness of character and hesitancy. Eventually, he overcomes these obstacles to bring his family back together. I have absolutely enjoyed playing the part of Gomez these last few months."

The cast and crew of "The Addams Family" began their work on the production in the early days of December. After the holidays, they hit the ground running before ramping up their rehearsal intensity during March and April.

"That week of the shows is really surreal," said Adams. "(The students) have been doing this for five months. Now they're getting a chance to tell the story to people who have never heard it before. It's like, 'Wow, it's really happening.'"