There’s only a few days ‘til opening night of Charles Dickens’ classic “A Tale of Two Cities,” and rehearsal time is filled with the excited hustle and bustle of actors.

Finishing touches are being made to

costumes and lines are being practiced. More than 30 actors and actresses are scattered onstage and backstage.

Surprisingly, the scene is not as chaotic as it sounds.

Perhaps more surprising is that each and every one of the performers is between the ages of 10 and 18.

The group is part of Whidbey Island Center for the Arts Youth Conservatory.

Almost 30 young people have been taking part in the summer acting camp that’s designed to introduce kids to all basic aspects of stagecraft.

“We’re introducing everything from movement for actors, to voice, to how to approach text and work with a play — and not just memorize and perform,” said co-director Deana Duncan.

Although the campers have all been working hard getting ready for the play, a lot of the time spent at the camp has been focused on the fundamentals.

“It’s a lot of work on technique and discipline,” Duncan said.

Despite the crew’s young age, they don’t seem to have a problem with self-discipline.

In fact, at the end of last year’s camp, the kids asked for this year’s production to focus on character development.

“They didn’t want to goof off, or do something just for fun,” Duncan said.

In fact, Duncan and co-director Amy Walker think the challenge of the camp is a big part of what keeps the students coming back.

“We have a wide age range, but we expect a lot out of all of them,” Walker said.

“We find that when we have high expectations, they rise to them,” she said.

The cast’s hard work stems from their passion for acting.

Some of the kids have been attending the youth conservatory since it started six years ago. Many of them started because it sounded like an interesting thing to do. Now, they keep coming back because they have developed a passion for acting.

“It can be a hobby or it can be just for fun, but eventually if you’re serious about it, it becomes something else,” Duncan said.

Gracie Truex said when she first attended the camp five years ago, she had never acted before.

“I thought, ‘OK, I’ll try it. It might be fun,’” Truex recalled.

“Then, the people were so nice and the games were so fun, I started to love acting,” she said.

The young cast hopes the audience for “A Tale of Two Cities” can see their dedication to the play, and to see their willingness to grow as performers.

“We worked really hard on this and we’re having a great time,” Truex said. “It feels like we’ve been doing this forever.”

The cast bonded during their time together.

“We’ve all got really close through the process,” said Nicki Fjelsted. “We’re like a huge family. It’s really cool.”