With mesmerizing lights, dynamic sound, a complex set, costumes that transport you away, and an experienced cast and crew, working with a new and challenging script, the Hawk Theatre Company will perform “Pinocchio,” the UIL One Act show,  March 7 at 4 p.m. in the auditorium.

This is not the traditional storybook Pinocchio. This new version of Pinocchio tells the story of Antonio Lorenzo Vannozzo and his traveling company, the Theatre Britannia. The company is said to perform “classic fare, with a scare,” in which Vannozzo recruits two members of the audience to become the stars of his company.

“Pinocchio is very different from what people think it is,” junior Joseph Hoffman, who plays Geppetto, said. “When people think of Pinocchio, they think [of a] Disney cartoon, but our show is everything against the children’s story. It’s about the relationship between Pinocchio and Geppetto and the relationships that the cast has on stage with each other.”

The company has been rehearsing since winter break. The actors began by doing background research about the themes of the show, breaking up the play into sections, assigning motives to each character and doing extensive research on character backgrounds. The tech crew designed, cut, and mixed sounds and lights to get the effects they wanted.

“I think this show has heart,” junior Caitlin Kresta, playing Meredith, said. “The show in its entirety is alive and breathing, always keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. I think our Pinocchio is magical in a way that no one has ever seen before, and that will definitely allow us to stand out.”

The cast rehearses after school almost every day for at least two hours.

“After we go through the script a couple times, we start improving in front of the whole class with moments,” senior Alexis Geddie, playing Leila, said. “Once we feel confident within the classroom, we move onto the stage and work on blocking.”

Last year, the Hawk Theatre Company went to the state level competition and this year, they are aiming to return.

“I believe that there’s a lot of pressure on the cast because we have to live up to this expectation that the seniors last year put on us,” senior Caleb Geddie, playing Antonio, said. “No matter how we do, we’re going to [perform] to the best of our abilities, but it would be great to go to [state].”