LEWISTON – One girl sang with her arms drooped at her sides, her fingernails picking at the threads of her skirt. Another sang with her chin resting on her chest, her voice never rising above a whisper. And one boy almost fell as he climbed the wooden steps to the Lewiston Middle School stage.

When the boy left the audition minutes later, director Richard Martin gave him a courteous, “Thank you.”

There was no applause. None was allowed.

“I try to have auditions go as they would beyond high school,” said Martin, a veteran of dozens of productions with Community Little Theatre. “You can’t show any favorites.”

Before the first teen walked the long aisle to the stage, Martin requested that the house lights be dimmed.

“Let’s do it very ‘Chorus Line’-ish,” he said.

Videotape rolled. The auditions began.

For this show – the Maine premiere of “High School Musical” – the pressure seemed to be especially high.

Besides the regular performances at Great Falls School, segments of the popular movie-turned-live-production are planned for performances at the Liberty Festival and the Auburn and Maine malls.

The reason: the iPod-MySpace-Heelys crowd loves it.

Twelve- to 17-year-olds might never have heard of “A Chorus Line” or any number of musicals set in high schools – “Grease” or “Fame” anyone? – but they love the story of star basketball player Troy and brainy-but-beautiful Gabriella and their fight to break down the shackles of their cliques.

Since it premiered on the Disney Channel in January 2006, more than 100 million people have seen the movie.

The soundtrack was the top-selling album last year, with more than 3.7 million copies sold. On the video side, people have bought more than 7.5 million copies of the DVD, according to Disney.

And, as with all things Disney, the products keep coming.

The “High School Musical” concert tour featuring nearly all of the movie’s principal cast was a top grosser for months. There was also “High School Musical: The Ice Tour.”

In August, “High School Musical 2” premieres on movie screens. And a third is in the works.

About 70 kids auditioned locally over a casting call that lasted two nights. Many had never auditioned for anything before.

Ruth Choate, 15, of Lewiston went with her mother, Karen, after attending a CLT-run audition workshop the previous weekend.

“She sings herself to sleep with the music,” said the mom.

The girl rolled her eyes. And she downplayed her chances of becoming Gabriella.

“There are so many people here, and they all seem so good,” she said.

She sang for only a minute or two before a voice said, “Thank you.”

Alex Jackman, a 14-year-old from Leeds, also received a polite-but-cold reception. He seemed to shrug it off, though.

The Leavitt Area High School freshman figured that working on the show would make for a fun summer. The music, which is unfailingly optimistic, would be a solid summer soundtrack.

“It’s young and fresh and not boring,” said Jackman, who tried out for the male lead. The songs tackle a variety of styles, from pop to Broadway-influenced numbers.

To prepare for the audition, he downloaded the sheet music from the Internet and borrowed his little sister’s DVD.

“I watched the movie about 10 times,” he said.

Zachary Littlefield, a graduating senior from Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, also watched the movie to prepare.

Littlefield figured the appeal of the musical comes from its setting and its music, which seems influenced as much by “American Idol” as it does by Broadway.

To those who love the movie, Martin’s production ought to look familiar. He plans to copy the movie as much as he can.

“It’s not a Shakespeare play that’s been done a million times,” he said. “We don’t have to find a new twist. Nobody’s going to be wearing Nazi uniforms.”