WESTPORT — “The Prom,” a story of growth and acceptance set to music, will be staged by the Staples Players over two weekends in November.

The show, featuring a cast of 56, will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10, 11, 17 and 18, and at 3 p.m. Nov. 12 and 18, at the Staples High School auditorium, 70 North Ave.

The Nov. 12 show is an LGBTQ+ Pride performance planned in collaboration with Westport Pride and the Westport Public Schools Pride Coalition.

To purchase advance tickets online, click here.

“The Prom” chronicles a controversy that unfolds when the PTA at an Indiana high school objects to the prospect of two girls going to the prom as a couple.

When four down-on-their luck Broadway performers learn about the contention, they make it their business to right what they see as a wrong.

The show’s original Broadway production was nominated for the 2019 “Best Musical” Tony Award and won the “Outstanding Musical” Drama Desk Award that same year.

The show “has a little bit of everything — wonderful, broad characters; hysterical, topical jokes, and lots of heart. The music is fun and hummable, and we loved the story of growth and acceptance — of oneself and of others,” Kerry Long, who co-directs the production with David Roth, said in a publicity release.

“The Prom” also “tells an important story about a teenager’s experience not being accepted for who she is,” said Roth. “I think we can all learn something from it. At the same time, this is not a preachy show; it’s fun, very contemporary, relevant and hopeful.”

Among the featured performers are Josy Pitaro (SHS ’24) as Alyssa Greene, a 16-year-old student at Madison High School, who secretly is dating Emma Nolan, portrayed by fellow senior Imogen Medoff. “I’m extremely involved in school and on the cheerleading team,” Pitaro said. “I’m pretty much a perfect, well-rounded student, but my secret keeps me from being who I really am.”

Henry Carson (SHS ’24) plays Barry Glickman, one of the Broadway actors, who never went to prom and had a tough time growing up, but helping Emma helps him confront his own pain. The play’s message is “about moving past your assumptions and actually taking the time to understand someone else … practicing empathy and celebrating people’s stories, even if they’re different from your own — especially if they’re different from your own — is so extremely important,” he said.

Finley Chevrier (SHS ’24), who shares the role of Principal Hawkins with fellow senior Cameron Mann, said the character “wants to see his town become a better place … so when he finds out that the PTA is canceling the prom because of Emma, he knows he has to do something.” Chevrier hopes the show will help people who may be struggling “see they’re not alone. There is always someone going through a similar situation and people who will love and support you, no matter what …”

DeeDee Allen, a Broadway actress looking for a public relations stunt to revive her career, is played by Sorel Kennedy (SHS ’25). “Under the guise of helping a gay teenager attend the prom, she struggles on her own journey of coming to terms with her narcissistic tendencies and becoming a better, more compassionate person,” Kennedy said.

Because “The Prom” is considered controversial elsewhere, it has been has banned or cancelled by some schools.“We’re lucky to be in a place where all walks of life are embraced,” Kennedy said. “It’s eye-opening that other parts of the country experience discrimination for something we take for granted.”

The production team for “The Prom” includes choreographer Rachel MacIsaac, music director Don Rickenback, technical director Jeff Hauser and set designer Jordan Janota.