Archbishop Stepinac High School Drama Club hopes to break plenty of ground with its musical this year when it presents what they’re calling the high-school, regional and (possibly) European premiere of the Kander & Ebb musical, “Curtains,” which includes a book and additional lyrics by Rockland native and Westchester resident Rupert Holmes

The men’s roles are to be filled by Stepinac’s talented actors, but the women’s roles are open and director Frank Portanova will cast the female roles at two auditions, Jan. 13 and 15.

All women from any high school are welcome to audition, says producer Keith Sunderland, and interested actresses can sign up for slots at the school on Jan. 7 and 8. Callbacks, Sunderland says, are on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 19—an all-day affair—from dance and music auditions in the a.m. through to principal casting in the afternoon.

“Curtains” is the musical-comedy-murder-mystery about a murder that takes place at the out-of-town tryout of the Broadway-bound musical “Robbin’ Hood.” Lt. Frank Cioffi (played by David Hyde Pierce, in a role that won him a Tony), a theater-loving gumshoe, comes to the Colonial Theater to investigate and becomes part of the action.

There are plenty of great showpeople roles: the diva, the ingenue, the producer, the producer’s wife and lots of showgirls and show boys. And, as it’s set in the 1959, the musical-within-the-musical has a throwback kind of feel.

“Curtains” opened on Broadway on March 22, 2007, and ran for 511 performances, closing June 29, 2008.

Sunderland said he and Portanova and the Stepinac creative team were going through the selection process and not really excited about any one show, until they heard that “Curtains” was available. They applied for rights and “got lucky,” Sunderland says.

“Curtains” will be performed at Stepinac’s Major Bowes Auditorium April 24, 25, May 1, 2 and 3.

Musical director is Drew Rienstra, with choreography by Charlotte Newman.

Sunderland says the April and May dates will be the full show, but then Portanova will have to figure out a way to trim the show down to 90 minutes, because Stepinac will bring the show the American High School Theater Festival at the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival in August. Those cast in the original production will be welcome to join the cast on the trip, Aug. 15-28, but being unavailable for Scotland doesn’t rule an auditioner out, Sunderland says.

“We’ll worry about Scotland after we have everything in place for our show,” Sunderland says.