‘Seussical Jr.’ will be performed at 7 p.m. Nov. 14 and 15 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 16 at Centennial Auditorium at Sterling High School, 1608 Fourth Ave., Sterling.

Admission is $12 a person. Go to centennialauditorium.org or call the box office at 815-622-3248 to order tickets.

The show is presented by the Penguin Project of the Sauk Valley. The show’s director is Kalie Conklen.

“At Penguin Project of the Sauk Valley, we are dedicated to empowering and inspiring young adults with special needs through the transformative power of musical theater,” Conklen said. “By providing a platform for creativity, self-expression, and inclusion, we create a supportive and welcoming environment where every child can shine on stage. Our mission is to nurture confidence, foster community and celebrate diversity, ensuring that all participants, regardless of ability, have the opportunity to experience the joy and magic of live performance.”

Conklen said this is Penguin Project’s seventh season.

Past shows have included Annie, School House Rock, Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin and Willy Wonka.

“We have 27 actors this year and 27 mentors,” Conklen said. “Actors’ ages are from 10 to 23 years old. Mentors are local middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college level students aging from 13 to 25 years old.”

According to Conklen, the students begin practicing the second week of August every Tuesday and Thursday for 90 minutes each night until the beginning of November.

A week before the show hits the stage, the group practices 40 minutes every Monday through Thursday and then the three live performances on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The last week of practice, which is called tech week, adds another 10 hours of work for all involved, Conklen said.

Besides Conklen there are others that help guide the group. Grace Shoemaker Fenwick is the assistant director, Brandi Spreeman is the music director and Lisa Carlson is the assistant music director. Dawn Arndt is the program coordinator.

Conklen also designs and builds the set. Fenwick does the choreography and Arndt does all the costumes. They also have a team of eight board members: Jennifer Lang, Geoff Vanderlin, Natalie Gordon, John Stauter, Evelyn Young, Kalie Conklen, Dawn Arndt and Brandi Spreeman.