What happens when high school students really want to dance, even though dancing is outlawed in their town? Find out when Susquehanna Stage presents "Footloose." The musical, which is part of the theater's youth and teen production series, will be performed on select dates from Friday, May 9, through Sunday, May 18, at the theater, 133 W. Market St., Marietta.

Based on the 1984 movie of the same name, "Footloose" focuses on Ren McCormack, a boy who recently moved from the big city to the fictional small town of Bomont.

"Ren was a partier, and he finds out that dancing and parties are banned in Bomont," explained Landon Hunsicker, a high school senior who plays the character. "He bands together with other kids to try to lift the ban because they all want to be free to enjoy their lives."

While that sounds like a lighthearted plot, the show explores deeper emotions, said junior Mia LaFontaine, who plays Ariel Moore, the daughter of the town reverend.

"One of the big overall messages in this show is that change can be good and change can be necessary," she said, explaining that audiences will learn the reason for the dancing ban. "There's a lot of grief in this show, and teaching you to move past your grief and to accept it and acknowledge that you can grieve for someone that you've lost. It's really important."

The show also explores the relationships between teens and their parents, she said.

"The show emphasizes that listening to youth is so important, because they are the next generation coming up," Mia noted. "They have to learn to make their own decisions."

For Deaglan Benson, a high school junior who plays the Rev. Shaw Moore, portraying the character has been a fun challenge.

"I've been looking at sermons online and learning more about religion," he said. "The hardest part has been changing myself from teenager me to having to be a 50-something man who is stoic. I like to show emotion a lot, and this character doesn't."

His wife in the show is played by junior Riley Fidler, and while she also acknowledged that being a teen playing a middle-aged mom has been challenging, she said it's been a little easier to relate to her character.

"She's a complicated character," she said of playing Vi Moore. "In some ways, I want to bring out that she's kind of a cool mom and a little less uptight than the reverend, so I can add a little bit of myself into the character while still acting older. She's trying to hold her family together."

"Footloose" features a wide range of musical styles along with show-stopping dance numbers, Landon said.

"The stage show takes songs from the original movie and brings them in for characters to sing," he said, noting that the soundtrack includes pop hits such as "Almost Paradise," "Holding Out for a Hero" and the title track. "There are songs people will recognize, but there are also original songs people might not know."

Dance numbers take the show and give it a modern edge, said stage manager Karey Getz, who noted that she portrayed Vi in a production last year.

"The choreography in this show is very fresh," she said. "It's not tired. It's not something you've seen in other 'Footloose' products. Our choreographer is young, and she brought a fresh spin to it."

And although the musical is set in the 1980s, it's still relevant today, Riley said.

"I think there are a lot of parts of the show that can be relatable to a lot of people," she explained. "It's kind of an emotional roller coaster. ... There are parts that are relatable for teenagers, parts for parents. Even though it's set in the '80s, there's a lot of stuff that's very relevant for today, like abusive relationships, family conflict and adults not listening to the youth."

"Footloose" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, May 9, 10, 16 and 17, and at 2 p.m. on Sundays, May 11 and 18, with an additional 2 p.m. performance on May 17. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.susquehannastage.com.