Monsters, sword fights, royals. Enthusiastic energy and personal growth and youthful interpretation.

There will be plenty going on - both on stage and behind the scenes - when a group of Conestoga Valley School District (CVSD) middle-schoolers publicly explores all that theater and drama have to offer.

"It's a story about four girls in a fairy tale setting who are going to save themselves," said Dara Slater, the director of "The Epic Quest of the Damsel in Distress." "They're not waiting for some prince to come rescue them. It's a funny script. It's a positive script. There are a lot of catchy one-liners."

Students from CVSD's Gerald G. Huesken Middle School will perform their rendition of "The Epic Quest of the Damsel in Distress" on Friday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Leola Elementary School, 11 School Drive, Lancaster. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/83180 or at the auditorium the nights of the show.

A free showing of the play will be offered for senior citizens on Thursday, April 25, at 6:30 p.m. at Leola Elementary School.

"What I value most are the close bonds and the lasting friendships that are developed," said Slater. "Everyone goes through this process together. That's probably the most important thing to me, the personal connections. It's also important that (the students) learn to have patience and that gratification can be delayed. Sometimes we have to go back and do things again and again. But I want them to realize that it's worth it in the end and that it can result in a performance they can be proud of."

The staging of "The Epic Quest of the Damsel in Distress" involves 23 cast members and a 10-member stage crew. The cast stars seventh-grader Phillipa Shea as the storyteller, sixth-grader Jessika Fisher as Izzy, eighth-grader Logan Jack as Isadora, eighth-grader Alyse Biuckians as Beatrice, seventh-grader Brooke Siegrist as Winifred and eighth-grader Ilyana Neufeld as the Masked Maven.

"This show is what happens when you let mixed-up fairy tale characters run wild across an enchanted forest with a feminist twist," said Ilyana.

"Middle-schoolers can do amazing things," said Slater. "When you give them an opportunity, they will surprise you with the amazing things they can come up with. They have a lot of energy, which is both a positive and a negative. They bring a lot of enthusiasm to the process."

The middle-schoolers began their work on "The Epic Quest of the Damsel in Distress" with casting, script read-throughs and familiarization of the story lines in early February. Since then, they've been spending 90 minutes to two hours nearly every day rehearsing, memorizing their lines and honing their acting skills.

"It's a process. It's baby steps," said Slater. "The students have to get a feel for what their characters are all about, but a lot of this is trial and error. It's gone well because the kids are very dedicated to the production. They're willing to work outside of rehearsal. The kids are very dedicated to doing well, but it's a nice challenge for them."