Tickets for Fort Mill High School's production of "High School Musical" sold out faster than any other production the school has produced - even the ones with several small children in the cast.

Online ticket sales - more than 1,400 seats were reserved via the Web - were shut down early due to high volume during one, one-hour period.

"Others, like the 'Wizard of Oz' and 'Beauty and the Beast', sold out fast too, but they had lots of kids in the cast," Fort Mill High Chorus Director David Dove said. "This is the first one without any kids to sell out so fast."

"High School Musical," based on the popular Disney movie, featured a cast of 85 FMHS students and is a two-hour, high-energy sprint from start to finish, Dove said. It closed Tuesday.

Dove wasn't sure how much the show raised, "they don't tell me that until it's over with," he said.

"High School Musical" was not cheap to produce. The royalties alone cost $3,500. Dove spent another $4,300 on backdrops and $1,500 on costumes. Plus he had to pay the musicians and sound engineers. "I easily spend $10,000 to $15,000 on each production," he said.

Any money raised though ticket sales goes back into the theater department to fund future productions. The productions also get financial help from program boosters, Dove said.