Beginning Thursday, March 29 at 7 p.m., the Mineola High School Auditorium will go through a sort of transformation. It will be the early sixties and Conrad Birdie will be going off into the army. The music of the era will come to life and the audience will wait to see what lucky girl the heartthrob will kiss.

From March 29 through March 31, the Mineola School District Performing and Fine Arts Department will be producing the play Bye Bye Birdie at the high school auditorium.

The production is part of two major shows - a drama and a musical - the district puts on each school year. The first one, Alice in Wonderland took place in the fall.

Bye Bye Birdie, however, is unique in a sense that it takes many talented performers, from actors to singers to the orchestra, to put together.

With two weeks left before the show opens, Director Ed Murray and the cast and crew are in the final stages of their preparation. Set pieces are being finalized. The orchestra has gotten through the musical numbers for the first act and the cast and crew have immersed themselves in rehearsals.

For Murray, his colleagues and the students, the nerves, excitement, anticipation and hectic work schedule are all part of the theater experience. It is all worth it, though, because when opening night arrives, there is little doubt Bye Bye Birdie will live up to the same high standards Mineola has set for its productions.

Bye Bye Birdie will give Mineola a challenge in that it requires the direction of Murray and assistant director Maureen Connolly, the pit orchestra direction of Don Carreras and the vocal music direction of Vaughn Fritts. Actors will take the stage on a set created by Paul Sommer.

"There was a vocal music rehearsal while there was a dance rehearsal, while there was a staging and acting rehearsal and a pit orchestra rehearsal so there were four separate elements happening and now we're putting them all together," said Murray.

Students have the opportunity to learn from faculty members who have a vast knowledge of theater, said district director of performing and fine arts Rob Ratner. "My entire fine arts department is comprised of talented people," he said. "We really have an incredibly talented staff and incredibly talented students."

"For a small high school, we're very fortunate," Murray said.

Though musicals are a bit tougher to do than dramas because they have more elements, the students and the faculty working on the production are enjoying the theater experience. "They're definitely having a good time and I'm having a good time," Murray said. "This is definitely one show where I sit back and I'm laughing all the time, especially when the girls are doing the numbers where they have to scream over the idol Conrad."

The show takes place in the early sixties, a period that seems to be a popular setting for a performance. Conrad Birdie, a rock and roll singer who is likened to Elvis Presley, is about to be inducted into the Army. Before he goes, however, his manager's secretary comes up with a clever publicity stunt. Conrad will kiss one girl on television, symbolical of a gesture of appreciation for the adoration of his fans.

While the cast and crew works diligently, it will be the show that is the ultimate project. As usual with its productions, the performing and fine arts department is giving the students the responsibility of putting on the show. This way, the students learn the most about the theater.

Bye Bye Birdie is described as a show that appeals to audiences of all ages. The show will be performed on Thursday, March 29 at 7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, March 30 and March 31 at 8 p.m. in the Mineola High School Auditorium. It is anticipated that tickets will sell quickly. Tickets will be sold in advance for $5 and at the door for $6. Tickets are $4 each for senior citizens and children 12 and under. For more information on tickets, call the Mineola High School Performing and Fine Arts Department at 739-4179.