During the orphans' second musical number, 11 girls stomp their feet, slam their buckets to the floor and lament the "hard knock life" so convincingly that one might never guess they are having the time of their lives.

"It's hard not to smile in that song because you're having so much fun doing the dance," said 12-year-old Marin Wilts, who plays the orphan Kate.

Twenty-five local kids ages 10 to 17 are spending their summer mornings and afternoons singing, dancing and living the young actor's dream in Stages Theatre Company's production of the musical "Annie Jr." After tryouts in early May and six weeks of rehearsal, they opened last weekend and will present the show 39 times during a five-week run.

"This musical has been around a long time, and to see the contemporary young people know it as well as they do really lets you know that it's quality material," director Sandy Boren-Barrett said. "It's stood the test of time."

The "Jr." version of "Annie" is shorter -- approximately 65 minutes in length -- to better fit the attention span of the small children for whom it is intended. But die-hard Annie fans need not worry: The story, the beloved characters and the hit songs are intact.

"I really like that it's so classic," said 14-year-old Tori Adams, who plays the spunky redheaded heroine.

"The character Annie is already basically set up for me. It's all there ... so instead of it being our job to introduce a story, it's our job to just show it to [the audience] again and make it better than the last one they saw."

Only two characters in the production are played by adults: Bruce Rowan plays the wealthy Warbucks while Jennifer Kirkeby portrays the frustrated Miss Hannigan.

Kirkeby said she enjoys working with children and has always wanted to play Miss Hannigan. "There are a couple roles of my life, and this is definitely one of them," she said.

Five sets of siblings are also among the cast.

Marin, for one, said that she couldn't imagine being in a show without her older sister Madison, who plays Lily. "She helps me memorize my lines, and I help her with hers," she said.

A rescued shelter dog named Ruby plays Annie's dog, Sandy.

"She was homeless just like Sandy, so she can really relate to the character," Ruby's owner and Stages costume designer Shannon O'Black said.

The actors are accompanied by a five-person orchestra -- something that many in the cast had never experienced before, Boren-Barrett said.

Marketing and public relations manager Danielle Ryan said that the last time Stages had a live orchestra was for "The Wizard of Oz" in 2009.

"I think a lot of people will find that very unique and interesting ... We really hope it does add something," she said.

Boren-Barrett said the rehearsal process was chaotic, fun, productive, exciting -- and a lot of work.

"I would venture to say these are some of the best kids I've worked with in a really long time," Boren-Barrett said.

"They're having a ball. Just a great group of kids."

Mara Van Ells is a Twin Cities freelance writer.