It’s a cult classic that has made its way on film and stage. This weekend, a cast and crew of high schoolers bring it to a Washington stage.

“Little Shop of Horrors” opens Friday night at 7 p.m. at the Washington High School Performing Arts Center. A repeat performance will be held the same time Saturday night. According to many involved, the ticket price ($8 in advance, $10 at the door) is well worth it.

From auditions held last year to its April 11 first run, an entire Washington High School arts, and tech, community pitched in for the musical’s production. From art teacher Melissa Moore’s design and creation of several iterations of Audrey, the man-eating plant that’s one of the starring roles of the show, to students Thomas Styers running sound and lights and Diani Teixeira stage managing the production, “Little Shop” has created its own theater community within the larger context of high school.

According to theater teacher Travis Carter, the students are in charge of this one.

“The kids are pulling quite a bit of weight,” Carter said, running down a list of who’s involved and what roles they play onstage and behind scenes.

One of the things he noted is that the theater, and its productions, are all-inclusive. A freshman has one of the starring roles, the entire stage crew is made up of juniors and three WHS seniors will say goodbye to their high school stage career at Little Shop’s final curtain call.

“We do well in working everybody in and giving everybody a shot,” Carter said.

Art teacher Penny Paul said productions like “Little Shop” give many kids the opportunity to find like-minded peers they might normally have gotten a chance to meet, all under Carter’s watch.

“At a school this large it’s yet another place where the kids can go and just be kids … It gives these kids another outlet that maybe wouldn’t be there,” Paul said. “(Carter) provides a niche for some of these kids. He’s like everybody’s big brother. People feel comfortable around him.”

It’s that working environment that has literally set the stage for “Little Shop of Horrors.”

Students have been involved in the production from day one, helping Moore design and build the most pivotal character in the play: Audrey.

“Melissa Moore has done a fantastic job creating the Audreys,” Paul said. “I don’t think enough people are going to know that we didn’t buy them somewhere, but they were actually made here on campus.”

With help from welding instructor Tom Ford and masonry instructor David Dixon and their career and technical education students, the frames of graduating sizes of puppets were built. Moore enlisted the help of other students to finish them off.

The lead actors were literally trying the puppets on for size at dress rehearsal Wednesday night. With Rachel Alligood, Taylor Abele and Tara O’Brien behind the scenes working various iterations of Audrey and Daniel May plays the voice of the behemoth creature, “Mr. Mushnik” (Currin Styers) is swallowed whole by the monster plant onstage.

Connor Smith, who plays the lead role of Seymour, said the role is a natural extension of his other extracurricular activities: Connor is lead singer and guitarist in the popular local band K-OS — onstage is like a second home to him.

“I’m really enjoying it, though, far more than I ever imagined,” Smith said.

The WHS Performing Arts Center box office opens at 6 p.m. the night of both performances. Seating starts at 6:30 p.m. and the curtain rises at 7 p.m.