By Tatsuya Hidano, junior

When Friends University junior Matt Doherty read the script for the play, “A Curse Reversed,” he immediately fell in love with the story.

The story is about a theater where actors are in the middle of an audition for the next play when there is an announcement. The deceased theater owner's stepson wants to close the theater and sell the building to a coffee shop. The actors and theater staff then decide to fight the shutdown by tricking the stepson out of his sellout plan.

Eight members of the Friends University Drama Club will present this behind-the-scenes comedy, written and directed by Friends graduate Brian Strole. The play will open at 7:30 p.m. April 15-17 in the Cornerstone Theatre in the Riney Fine Arts Center.

Deeply impressed by Strole's story, the actors are trying to showcase Strole's intelligent writing, Doherty said.

“We are just trying to make everybody laugh every second,” he said as he found keeping a straight face during rehearsals challenging. “It just gets funnier and funnier, and I feel great.”

As Doherty felt strongly about the amount of talent involved in the production, its playwright, Strole, mentioned a key element to the play.

There is no leading role because it is an ensemble piece, said Strole who graduated from the University in 2006. Now he works at Hatman Jack's, a custom hat shop in Wichita, where he shapes and fits hats for customers while regularly observing different people for inspiration.

Sharing a passion for drama, the club and Strole had talked about producing a show together for years. As schedule conflicts cleared this semester, they finally had the time to collaborate.

“It's about a lot of fun,” he said as he, too, often found himself laughing during rehearsals. “It's still evolving.”

The admission is free. Donations are encouraged.