Preparing to present "The Sound of Music," cast members at Manheim Central High School dug deep into their characters and the show's storyline.

"As we've been rehearsing, the more complex the story becomes," said Ava Graff, a junior who plays Maria. "You think you know 'Sound of Music,' but there's so much to it. You feel the struggle of a family uprooting and having to leave. Having the presence of the war and all the darkness behind the loving songs we all know is a really interesting and difficult part of the show to portray."

Baron Stage will present "The Sound of Music" at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 21, through Saturday, March 23, as well as at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 24. It will be performed at Manheim Central Middle School, 261 White Oak Road, Manheim.

"The Sound of Music" tells the story of Maria, a young aspiring nun who is sent to be the governess of seven children in the von Trapp family. Set in Austria in 1938, the show follows the struggle of Maria to fit in with the family and with the widowed Captain von Trapp while World War II looms on the horizon.

"The hard bit about this show has been approaching the Nazi problem with the seriousness it deserves and being sure to display the gravity of the situation," said Andrew Stuart, a senior who plays Captain von Trapp. "There is a lot of beautiful music in the show, but there is a seriousness there as well."

One of the show-stopping numbers in the show is "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," sung by Mother Abbess, played by senior Alayna Stoltzfus.

"My character focuses on Maria and helping her become the person she is meant to be, even if that means doing things that are scary or things you didn't expect," Alayna shared. "It's about discovering who you are. Change is scary, but it's beautiful. ... Maria leaves the abbey, and she finds the life she is meant to live. Putting yourself out there and finding the life you're meant to live, that's just a really cool theme."

Although the themes of "The Sound of Music" focus on serious topics, there is a lot of happiness to be found on stage, Ava said.

"This is a well-loved, timeless story," she stated. "There are some songs in the musical that aren't in the movie, but there are songs that everyone knows and loves. For me, the biggest message in this show is family and finding out who you are and staying true to who you are."

Alayna agreed, adding that audiences can expect to see a heartwarming show.

"In the chaos of life, come see this pocket of joy that we've been able to build and work on together and make it fun," she said. "We've all put so much love into this, and that's going to show on stage. Sit for a couple of hours and immerse yourself into the story and feel the joy and the energy on stage."

Tickets for "The Sound of Music" are available by searching for "Manheim Central High School" at https://my.hometownticketing.com.