WE ALL have our favourite movie characters and often, secretly dream of the day when we can step into their fictional shoes and speak, dress and live like they do.

For many people, unfortunately, these dreams remain just that – dreams. For Brooke Gibson, however, the fairytale has come true.

Brooke has always been a fan of the Disney’s High School Musical franchise. She has watched all the movies, memorised the song and dance sequences, and harboured hopes to be part of the musical extravaganza one day.

And what do you know? Just like how it always happens in Disney movies, Brooke got her wish.

From over hundreds of hopefuls, the teenager was cast to play the timid and shy Gabriella Montez in Disney’s High School Musical: Summer Celebration!, a live High School Musical experience on stage.

While working in Disneyland, where she played various Disney characters, Brooke heard about the audition and wanted to try out for her favourite part – Gabriella.

Joel Santiago and Brooke Gibson are excited to play the roles of Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez in Disney's High School Musical: Summer Celebration!

“Gabriella is kind of like me when I was in high school. I really connected with her and understood what she was all about,” said the 19-year-old Brooke during a telephone interview from Kali in Colombia.

Although she had no professional singing and dancing experience, Brooke tested her luck during audition and wowed the casting directors with her amazing stage presence.

And because she got that coveted role, Brooke’s life has never been the same since. She’s been touring around the globe, performing to sold-out houses, and living the life she had only once dreamed of.

“I can’t believe that I’m actually part of High School Musical. I’m just a girl from a small town in Oklahoma, that don’t have much, so to be in this production, my first major one at that, has been a blast.

I’ve always dreamed of playing this character (Gabriella) but never thought I’d be lucky enough to be in Summer Celebration!” said Brooke, excitedly.

“I remember that I couldn’t stop smiling in my first show. There I was doing my favourite Disney movie and everybody in the audience, kids and parents, were really getting into it.”

Disney’s High School Musical: Summer Celebration! brings exciting and memorable High School Musical moments to stage, featuring favourite East High characters such as Troy Bolton, Gabriella, Ryan and Sharpay Evans, Chad Danforth and Taylor McKessie and Kelsi Nielsen.

The show takes memorable songs from all three hit High School Musical movies, and the cast performs live on stage hit songs such as We’re All In This Together from High School Musical, Fabulous from High School Musical 2, Can I Have This Dance and Now Or Never from High School Musical 3: Senior Year.

“My favourite song sequence is Can I Have This Dance because it is such a beautiful song and I get to dance in heels,” she said. With all the complex choreography involved in the show, Brooke is glad to have Joel Santiago, a trained dancer, starring alongside her as the basketball champion and school stud, Troy.

“The directors brought in two dancers from the High School Musical movies to help us copy the choreography for the show. It’s difficult because we have to stick exactly to the same moves as in the movies, but Joel has been a great partner. I really do try to measure up to him,” added Brooke.

Trained in Salsa, hip-hop, jazz and Puerto Rican folk dances, the 23-year-old Joel is no stranger to the stage. Last year, he toured with Disney, playing the character Handy Manny – a bilingual Hispanic handy man who fixes things with his talking tools – from the show of the same name.

Handy Manny was a great favourite among much younger Disney fans, but of course, it was a way different experience than the one he’s experiencing now with Disney’s High School Musical: Summer Celebration!

“First of all, the crowd is different. For Handy Manny, I had babies and kids up to six turning up at the shows. But for High School Musical, it’s everyone from all ages and their parents. The fans’ reaction is simply amazing,” Joel said.

Like Brooke, he too had to audition for the role and managed to beat over 400 other applicants for the lead role.

Both Brooke and Joel rehearsed for over a month before kickstarting their first-leg of the tour around the United States, and have since performed in Europe and South America.

The cast and crew of Disney’s High School Musical: Summer Celebration! are now looking forward to their first Asian tour. Their first stop is here in Malaysia next month.

“It’s a great feeling to be part of an amazing show. Who doesn’t love High School Musical? It’s a cool experience working with such a diverse cast and we all join together to put on a great performance for the tour,” he added.

But then, there is the downside to it all. Joel, who has been away from home touring for almost six months, said that it is tough being away from the people that he loves. “My family and friends know that I’m away for work, and though it was hard in the beginning, it gets easier with time,” he added.

Brooke, who is very close to her family, said that it’s different being away from home for such a long time.

“Even when I was working in Disneyland, away from my family, I knew that I could always go back home. This is something different here. I cannot call them everyday,” she said.

Nevertheless, Brooke is excited with all the possibilities and opportunities touring with Disney’s High School Musical: Summer Celebration! has brought.

“I never dreamed that I’d be going to Asia one day, but I’ll be touring there soon. I’m excited about that,” added Brooke.

“And besides, it’s great to see the kids in the audience. I love them so much. Just to think that some of them may not have seen the movies, and there we were, bringing them the exact experience, only live.”

The exhilaration they get from seeing the kids jumping up and getting into the High School Musical groove never tires, and in fact is what they look forward to at every show.

“I just love seeing the kids. It makes my day,” said Joel.

Catch the fever at Disney’s High School Musical: Summer Celebration! from Dec 1-6 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Showtimes are at 3pm and 8pm for matinee and main shows, respectively. Ticket prices range from RM58 to RM283 and are on sale now through Ticket Pro Hotline (03-7880 7999). For more details on ticket prices, special packages and seating allocations, log on to www.ticketpro.com.my. To buy tickets for corporate sales and dinner packages only, call 03-2283 1516. R.AGE is the official media partner for Disney’s High School Musical: Summer Celebration.