Comedy ‘Play On!’ on stage at SCCC

A zany comedy, “Play On!” by Rick Abbot, will be presented by the Alpha Arts Institute at Sussex County Community College (SCCC).

The play-within-a-play is directed by Professor Allison Ognibene of Sparta.

The production will be in the college’s Performing Art Center, One College Hill Road, Newton.

Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 5; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 6; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 7.

Tickets are $15 and $10 for students, senior citizens and U.S. military. They may be purchased at the door or online at https://sussex.simpletix.com

“I am so proud of the student actors who have been working so hard on perfecting the comic bits and understanding the complexities of being two characters in the play-within-the play,” Ognibene said.

“Audiences are also going to be wowed by the set that we are creating. You literally feel as if you are in a parlor of a mansion. Tye Palmer and the set crew have worked countless hours creating this dazzling set!”

The comedy, with a cast of SCCC students, is about a community theater producing a show called “Murder Most Foul,” with no relation to Agatha Christie’s novel with the same title.

Amateur playwright Phyllis Montague, played by Emma Muth of Sparta, creates havoc on the production by changing the script two days before the premiere of the show. The director Gerry Dunbar, played by Isabella Cruz of Vernon, and stage manager Aggie Manville, played by Michelle Dester of Vernon, try to keep the cast calm while managing Phyllis’ high expectations.

Not only does Phyllis drop the bomb with seven new pages to the script, but she also interferes with the sound cues that Louise Peary, played by Morgan Burke of Vernon, worked on for months.

The remaining cast of “Play On!” includes Henry Benish/Lord Dudley (played by Leo Watson of Stillwater), Polly Benish/Lady Margaret (played by Dana Nigro of Stillwater), Saul Watson/Doctor Rex Forbes (played by Nicolas Galloza of Hopatcong), Billy Carewe/Stephen Sellers (played by Colin O’Sullivan of Hopatcong), Violet Imbry/Diana Lassiter (played by Aurelia Shanga of Mount Olive) and Marla Smitty Smith/Doris the Maid (played by Samantha Wolujczyk of Vernon).

The production team includes stage manager Jess Dooley of Hopatcong, assistant director Tessa Gori of Sparta, assistant stage manager Emily Rennie of Hopatcong, technical director Tye Palmer of Bushkill, Pa., costume designer Staci Cocuzza of Hopatcong, lighting designer Jaime Boyle of Vernon, sound designer Jake Jackson of Washington, sound mixer Tim O’Connor of Milford, Pa., and set crew Bill Ognibene of Sparta, Walter Stanek of Byram, Scott Rogoff of Sparta and Phil Cocilovo of Montague.

“Play On!” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals, on behalf of Samuel French.