Members of Peach State Summer Theatre’s Junior Cast are (top row) Liam Bickerstaff, Joshua Barcol, Katelynn Kenworthy, Caitlin D. Miller; (second row) Gabriel Bickerstaff, Allie Smotherman, Hannah Trowell; (front row) Jamie Bickerstaff, John Paul Bickerstaff and Hudson Hardesty Hsu. These youngsters compose one of the largest local youth casts for a PSST! season.

One of the most memorable scenes in Peach State Summer Theatre’s “Carousel” involves the numerous children of characters Enoch and Carrie Snow marching onto the stage.

From “Gypsy” to “Once On This Island” to “The Secret Garden,” PSST! has regularly cast local youngsters in its series of summer musicals. But this season includes more youngsters than usual.

Ten children and youths compose PSST!’s 2011 Junior Company. Some of the youngsters play only the Snow children and one show. Others play in a few shows. Some perform as part of the show’s regular companies. Some are part of a theatre family. One works behind the scenes. They have all enjoyed many theatre experiences.

Their ages range from 18 to 5 years old. Parents stay backstage to keep the youngest castmembers occupied when not on stage. And they all stick around for a final bow at show’s end.

With PSST 2011 coming to an end with performances now through Sunday, The Times takes a look at the season’s Junior Company.

— Joshua Barcol, 18, appears as Sketch in PSST’s “Hairspray.” With the Little Actors Theatre, he has played in Little Actors Theatre’s “The Aristocats,” Theatre Guild Valdosta Gingerbread Players’ “Babes in Toyland” and “Peter Pan,” and South Georgia Council for Youth in the Performing Arts’ “Honk” and “The Boyfriend.” He also studies dance at the Valdosta School of Ballet. Come fall, Joshua will see more of PSST!’s home at Valdosta State University’s Sawyer Theatre. He has enrolled in VSU Theatre & Dance.

— Liam Bickerstaff, 15, is the oldest of the four Bickerstaff children appearing in PSST! this summer. Their father is a VSU Theatre faculty member and their mother has worked as an actress. Liam plays Enoch Snow Jr. in “Carousel.” He has also appeared in other PSST! and VSU Theatre productions: “The Secret Garden,” “Shadowlands,” “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” etc. He has sung with St. John’s Catholic School and other young choirs and plays violin in the Valdosta Symphony Youth Orchestra. He does not plan to follow his parents into a career in theatre, though he does enjoy plays and musicals. Other interests include beekeeping and literature.

— Gabriel Bickerstaff, 11, plays a Snow child in “Carousel.” He is a sixth-grade home-school student. He has appeared in past VSU Theatre productions: “All My Sons,” “The Man Who Came to Dinner.” He also sings with St. John’s Youth Choir and plays violin with the South Georgia String Project, recently joining the Valdosta Symphony Youth Orchestra. “Gabe collects butterflies and builds bird houses,” according to his bio in the PSST! program.

— John Paul Bickerstaff, 9, plays a Snow child in “Carousel.” This is the home-schooled fourth-grader’s acting debut. But he’s no stranger to the stage. He plays cello in the South Georgia String Project. He has enjoyed his first taste of acting on stage. He also likes living with his family in the country, riding bikes, fishing and studying Latin.

— Jamie Bickerstaff, 5, is the youngest of the four brothers. He plays Young Bascombe and a Snow child in “Carousel.” He loves to draw, play games, ride bikes, and eat popcorn. He collects eggs from the family’s chickens. He stays to the end of each performance.

— Hudson Hardesty Hsu, 5, plays a Snow child in “Carousel.” This performance is his theatrical debut. The son of Valdosta Symphony Orchestra conductor Howard Hsu and Dr. Tamara Hardesty, Hudson is also involved in taekwondo and takes piano lessons. He starts kindergarten this fall. To keep busy, he and friend Jamie Bickerstaff play hide and seek and roll cars down the incline of a VSU Fine Arts Building hallway. He also takes his bow at the end of each show.

— Katelynn Kenworthy, 14, takes a different direction with PSST! She has appeared on stage in several local productions including a role in PSST!’s 2006 production of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” But Katelynn has come to love the backstage of theatre. With Theatre Guild of Valdosta Gingerbread Players, she has designed the colorful sets for “Arabian Nights” and “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” With PSST!, she participates as a member of the tech crew for two shows. She will soon enter Valdosta High School as a freshman. She hopes to one day live in New York and attend the Fashion Institute.

— Caitlin D. Miller, 18, has made the longest Junior Company trip to play in PSST! From Waycross, she recently graduated high school. Come fall, Caitlin has enrolled in VSU Theatre. In PSST!, she plays a Snow child in “Carousel.” She has stayed with Valdosta relatives this summer to participate in PSST! In the past, she has performed in “Beauty and the Beast,” “My Fair Lady,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Booby Trap” and “Dearly Departed.”

— Ally Smotherman, 12, plays a Snow child in “Carousel.” She played a memorable character in the Valdosta Middle School Players’ production of “The Lottery.” Ally won the best supporting actress award in Georgia’s statewide one-act play competition. She loves “The Phantom of the Opera,” as well as bikes, swimming, and fishing. Her older brother, Briggs, is a VSU senior.

— Hannah Trowell, 14, seems to be a member of the PSST! regular cast. She plays young Louise in “Carousel,” performing the memorable ballet scene from this show. Days prior to “Carousel’s” opening night, she had foot surgery but one would not have known it to see her dance. In addition to performing on her recuperating foot, Hannah continued rehearsing as a regular company member in “Hairspray.” This is her third PSST! season. Last year, she played Mary Lennox in “The Secret Garden.” She has starred in the title role in Gingerbread Players’ “Peter Pan” and starred in South Georgia Council for Youth in the Performing Arts’ “The Boyfriend.” She will enter Valdosta High School as a freshman this year.

For the schedule of PSST!’s final shows through Sunday, visit www.valdosta.edu/psst; or call (229) 259-7770.