Later this month, the nine-year-old will take the stage as Oliver Twist in Oliver!, a British musical the school has adopted as its own.

"Oliver is about a boy whose mom died so he has been in an orphanage ever since he was born. One day he runs away from the orphanage and he's caught trying to pickpocket," said Dyson.

Oliver Twist is sold to an undertaker after asking for more dinner at the orphanage. Escaping to London he is taken in by Fagin to join his gang of child pickpockets. Wrongly accused of a theft he meets a more kindly gentleman who takes him in, much to the concern of one of Fagin's old pupils.

"I think it's a pretty interesting story," said Dyson.

Although Oliver is only the second live performance Dyson has been part of, he has plenty of acting experience. He has been in and auditioned for several commercials and has been in Cheaper by the Dozen 2, which starred Steve Martin.

Dyson enjoys acting for the interaction with others.

"It's just a really fun experience to audition," he said.

He enjoys singing and acting lessons with his two older sisters who are also in Oliver.

Director Liz Bonisteel, who is also a music and drama teacher at NCC, said she chose the musical so students from junior kindergarten through Grade 12 could participate.

"It has longer dialogues for the older students and I think children can identify it," she said. "There are also villains and when you can get boys excited about musical theatre that's a good thing."

The show's set consists of a real-life background projected onto a screen behind the actors.

Show dates are May 21 and 23 at 6:30 p.m. and May 24 at 6 p.m. in Riverside Auditorium on the school's campus, 2619 Niagara Pkwy.

Tickets must be purchased in advance and are available by calling 905-871-6980.

Everyone is invited to attend.