RIPPLE/Jessica Pickens Forty Starmount Middle School seventh and eighth graders are participating in the play "Sleeping Beauty." Both understudies and leads have a chance to perform; alternating lead roles each night.

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RIPPLE/Jessica Pickens Cory Carson (right) plays Hero, who is a new comedic character and side kick to Prince Charming, played by Son-e Billips.

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RIPPLE/Jessica Pickens The evil witch Maleficent (left) ,seventh grader Savannah Putman, shows Sleeping Beauty (right), seventh grader Sarah Dowell, how to use her deadly spinning wheel.

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Starmount Middle School is putting a new spin on an old favorite.

This weekend students are performing “Sleeping Beauty.” But this adaptation of the play isn’t like the classic Disney film or the Brothers Grimm story.

“This particular version has a hero as well as a prince,” said Starmount Middle School teacher and director of the play Tonya Allison. “The hero is a sidekick to the prince and adds some comedic relief to the story.”

A total of 40 seventh and eighth grade students are involved in the play, including technicians, those working with props and those acting in the play.

Some of the main characters in the play such as Maleficent the witch, Flora the fairy and Sleeping Beauty have a student acting as a lead and an understudy. The lead will perform one night and the understudy on another, giving all the students the opportunity to act, Allison said.

“We have both leads and understudies. Leads are acting one night and the understudy is performing the other night,” she said. “This way they can share the spotlight. This normally wouldn’t happen, but I wanted to make sure everyone had the opportunity to perform.”

In the past three years, students have performed “The Wizard of Oz,” “American Idol: Murdering the Music” and will perform “Happily Ever After: The Musical” in May.

“Students signed up for drama class knowing that they audition in class and would have a part in the play,” Allison said. “Returning eighth grade students knew they would be successful at performing in this play.”

The Starmount Middle School drama department has no budget and has had to rely on items from home and the high school, she said.

“We have access to costumes at the high school. We’ve made some things and are also bringing items from home,” Allison said. “Forbush Middle School drama department is also helping us out.”

“Sleeping Beauty” will be performed at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13, and Saturday, Jan. 14, in the Starmount Middle School Cafeteria. Tickets are $5. The play will also be performed at 9 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 17, for Starmount students.