In Ledyard, it happens every two years.

In the first part of the year, students in Ledyard Middle School’s Dramatic Arts Club take part in theatrical games, familiarizing themselves with choreography and practicing on-stage songs and dialog.

Then, not too long after winter break, gears shift. About a month after February’s auditions for the biennial musical, rehearsal begins, consuming students’ afternoons and Saturday mornings for eight to nine weeks.

It’s a lot of work, director Dan Reilly said, but it’s always worth it in the end.

On Friday and Saturday, the cycle will reach that end with two performances of “Seussical Jr.,” a G-rated adaptation of the show that debuted on Broadway in 2000. Merging characters and storylines from multiple Dr. Seuss books into one tale, Seussical Jr. is “fun and light.”

Reilly, who’s directed three musicals at Ledyard Middle School prior to this one, chose it for three main reasons.

First, without “requiring a specific amazing leading man or woman,” the show spreads the spotlight among the 32 cast members.

And, second, it’s “whimsical artwork” allowed Reilly to take advantage of the school’s “excellent” art teacher, Kelly Dahl, who works with students to design the shows’ sets.

The final reason?

“Everyone loves Dr. Seuss,” Reilly said.

No matter what the production, though, Reilly said he always sees students “break out of their middle school apprehension.”

“We have some in the cast, they start out with not a lot of amplitude, just going through the motions,” he said. “To see kids blossom in the actual productions, to just blow the audience away — and we’re going to have that with some of these kids — is great.”

And, with an afternoon performance for the rest of the students, it’s not just parents who get to experience that.

“A lot of the students don’t have any idea what kind of talent their classmates have until they see them on stage,” he said. “It’s great to be able to give those kids a vehicle to show those things off.”

But the shows have another purpose, too.

“When you have kids that spend the whole day doing academic things, they look forward to what’s happening after school, whether it’s sports or song and dance,” Reilly said. “It makes them want to come to school.”

A math teacher by day, he knows math is important, he said, but working with students volunteering to do something they enjoy is a completely different experience.

One of those differences is the “life lessons” students learn.

“Being part, especially, of a musical theater performance … people don’t realize what’s involved,” Reilly said, listing tasks from memorizing lines to learning how to run the lights. “The teamwork pieces of being in a show, the responsibility, the commitment to your teammates, knowing what it means to have to be on schedule and make rehearsals, it’s just like the things you learn playing a team sport.”

Often, Reilly said, the experience is addictive — for him and for the students.

“The opportunity to help kids develop this aspect of their bag of tricks is the most satisfying for me,” he said. “When you get the full experience of musical theater, for a lot of kids, it’s the hook for them.”

The show, hosted at Ledyard Middle School, will begin at 7 p.m. both Friday and Saturday.

l.boyle@theday.com

Twitter: @LindsayABoyle