MONTAGUE — Looking for a play that would be both challenging and relatable for local audiences, Arena Civic Theatre decided on “August: Osage County” for its themes of familial dysfunction and drug addiction.
The show will be performed at the Shea Theater Arts Center, 71 Avenue A, on Friday through Sunday.
Arena Civic Theatre, a nonprofit community theater company, has only recently returned to the Shea. It was the resident company there until about 10 years ago, according to company President Alana Martineau, who is also the producer of “August: Osage County.”
Last year, the company performed “Annie” as its first show back at the Shea since 2013. The idea was to switch gears this year with something more challenging and not necessarily family-friendly, Martineau explained.
“We want to do things that challenge us as a company, and not always the chestnuts like ‘Oklahoma’ and ‘Annie’ and ‘The Sound of Music,’” Martineau said.
The company was set to do “Rent,” but at the last minute the performance rights fell through, she said. Rather than abandon the project altogether, the group decided to reorganize with a different, similarly challenging play.
“August: Osage County” centers on a family of three adult sisters and their mother and father. The father goes missing, and the three sisters come to their childhood home in Oklahoma to visit their mother, who is sick with cancer and addicted to pills. It’s “hot, humid, hot August Oklahoma weather,” and everyone is on edge, Martineau said.
“It’s no ‘Annie,’” she said.
Preparation for the play had to happen on an accelerated timeline to meet the scheduled performance date. A non-musical play usually takes eight weeks of rehearsal, Martineau said. This time, auditions were held in July, and rehearsals started as soon as possible, she said. Construction of the set, a two-story cutaway of a house, was finishing up as of Tuesday.
Showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $18, or $15 for seniors and students.
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 261.