Rehearsals are under way for epic first production - The Hunchback of Notre Dame - from Scarborough Theatre Company

It is staging the Disney musical version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, based on Victor Hugo’s novel, at Queen Street Methodist Central Hall in Scarborough later this year.

Featuring a cast of 16 actors, a 12-strong chorus of gargoyles and saints and an up-to-50-strong choir, it promises to be the biggest amateur show the town has seen in decades.

Directing proceedings is one of the theatre company’s founders and its artistic director, Alex Weatherhill.

The choice of show was his – and Alex, who has appeared in the famous all-male Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, knows he is making a big, bold statement.

“Choosing a show is a terrifying prospect. In the old days there would have been a whole committee doing it, making suggestions and then voting on those suggestions,” said Alex, who is also a drama consultant at Scarborough College and runs the Bridlington-based choir Coastal Voices.

Find out how you can get involved here

“Since we reformed it is just me – which is great because I don’t have to go to a committee and ask for permission to do a show. But it is also terrifying because if it goes wrong it is all my fault for choosing the wrong show.”

The choice split the room but “they trusted me enough to have the experience and hutzpah to pull it off”.

Alex made a list of shows he wanted to do and then whittled them down to what shows he thought would go down well in Scarborough.

“The thing that really sold Hunchback to me, it was a Disney title plus it can be done in a church,” he said.

He watched a version of the Disney production on YouTube and knew he had to go for it.

Alex was a member of a musical theatre company with his parents and wants to engage with youngsters and their families and encourage them out of the stalls on to the stage.

“I have always appreciated amateur theatre,” said Alex, who worked with Scarborough Musicals – from which the new company was formed – as a director. “When I was akid you were a member of a society and you were involved in a show whether on stage or backstage, regardless of whether you had got a part.”

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is the story of Quasimodo, the deformed, disfigured and deaf bell ringer at the Parisien Notre Dame cathedral, who falls in love with the beautiful gipsy Esmeralda.

The songs in the Disney score include A Guy Like You, Out There, Topsy Turvy and Someday.

Of course, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is special to Scarborough because of its connection to one of its most famous sons, Charles Laughton, who was born at what is now the Old Vic pub/hotel. One of Hollywood’s finest actors and brightest stars, Oscar-winner Laughton played Quasimodo to great acclaim in the 1939 film version of the novel.

In Scarborough Theatre Company’s production of the show Kian Moore, a B-Tec drama student, steps into the role. He will be familiar to fans of YMCA shows including Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.

“As a company that is trying to engage with everybody in the town, one of the things is that people who are really good go off to drama school and can you get a slice of them before they disappear – that is what I am trying to do with Kian,” said Alex.

Returning to the local acting scene is Amy Hunter, who plays Clopin. Amy comes fresh from performing professionally for various holiday companies around the UK – and two festive seasons in an igloo in Lapland.

She was last seen on stage in Scarborough in a production of Footloose in 2011.

“I’m excited to return to my roots here in Scarborough and bring the different sides of this character alive,” she said.

Amy is training to be an early years practitioner at Little Owls, Scarborough College’s pre-school.

Usually played by a man, Amy takes on the role of Clopin, saying: “It’s scary, but exciting, to change the gender and turn things upside down.”

Also in the cast is Connor Canvess, who has appeared in Oklahoma and Mr Cinders at the YMCA, and newcomer Nicole Wade as Esmeralda.

Performing arts co-ordinator and head of music at Scarborough College Preparatory School Martin Richardson plays Judge Frollo and 12 students from Coventry University play the saints and gargoyles – Quasimodo’s friends and advisors.

Alex leads four rehearsals a week – including a four-hour session each Sunday.

Scarborough College has been generous in providing rehearsal space.

When he is not holding rehearsals, he is planning the staging, setting and look of the show.

Former teacher Betty Melbourne is in charge of costumes and making the most of the West End store of costumes and props. The Hunchback of Notre Dame will be staged almost in the round at Queen Street.

“When the audience arrives it will be into a Romany encampment. The actors will be getting ready, selling programmes and sweets from baskets – it will be like walking into an experience,” said Alex.

Because the central character of Quasimodo is deaf, the company is working with the Scarborough and District Deaf Society.

It has had workshops in sign language from Paul Whittaker who was born deaf and yet has pursued a music career.

After gaining a music degree from Wadham College, Oxford, and a post-graduate diploma from the Royal Northern College of Music, he founded a charity, Music and the Deaf, which he ran for 27 years.

Paul has also worked as a theatre, opera and concert interpreter, working on shows such as Les Miserables and West Side Story.

There is no doubting Alex’s vision is ambitious, it is also exciting, inclusive and could be epic – resulting in a production the town has not seen the like of since the outdoor musicals at the old open air theatre.

“In my head I have that as my end goal – to reintroduce back into that space that scale of show with that level of community involvement and excitement about creating theatre in the town.”

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is on at the Queen Street Methodist Central Hall from Wednesday May 18 to Saturday May 21.

There is still time to join the ranks of the choir. Anyone interested in joining can go to Scarborough Theatre Company’s Facebookpage or email Alex at scarboroughtheatrecompany@ gmail.com