Starting tonight and continuing into Sunday, “Hairspray, Jr.” begins its run at the Haven Theatre. The BLTeens musical, set in the early 1960s, follows Tracy, a teenage outcast who finds her way in life through dance.

“She wants to be part of the local dance show called the Corny Collins Show,” director Jana Russell said. “It’s an ‘American Bandstand’-type show. She wants to try out and not only does she try out and make the show, she brings about changes in the show and in the town.”

The musical takes place right in the middle of the American civil rights movement, and Russell said racial integration plays a big part in the plot.

“It’s two worlds colliding through dance,” Russell said. “Through music, everyone can create something and bless the world around them.”

The BLTeens evolved from Brookhaven Little Theatre’s children’s drama camp, according to Russell. The group recruited teenagers to act as counselors for the camp, and Russell said she found that the teenagers often had as much fun as the children.

“These teenagers were starting to try for our regular show, and we realized during our regular show we would rarely have a teen role,” Russell said. “In 2010, we started with “Into The Woods,Jr.” It was a small cast, but every year it has just grown and grown.

“That was our goal, to bring these kids into the Haven Theatre and doing this for our future. This is the future of Brookhaven Little Theatre. Research shows that communities with a healthy, active community theater are very successful.”

Russell said she sees a lasting legacy in the Brookhaven Little Theatre.

“It does take a village,” she said. “BLT is an all voluntary organization. We are very blessed to have people that will give like they do and will take on projects and will care about keeping our building — not letting it go to ruin. It is a historic building and we are being good stewards of what we have. We want to leave something as a legacy and keep it going for generations to come.”

Tickets for “Hairspray, Jr.” are $10, and they can be reserved online or bought at the door. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. every day except Sunday, when it will begin at 2 p.m.