A new production will be hitting the stage at the Brown County Playhouse next weekend, featuring a cast of passionate actors being directed by a veteran of the New York theater scene.

The play, which opens June 2, is a comedy titled “Boeing-Boeing” stars both local talent and Kate Weber as director. According to one of the actors in the show, Brown County High School alum Konnor Graber, Boeing-Boeing is a “hilariously chaotic” production.

Graber, who was born and raised in Brown County and owns Rise Autism Therapy Services in Bloomington, said last week that there are three actors in this show that are Brown County High School Alumni: himself, Josh Smith and Vera Wagler.

“It is really special to share the stage with those two as we go way back,” Graber said. “We have all three gone in totally different directions in life, but somehow all ended up in this production together, which is really amazing and fun! Josh and I were in All My Sons and Fiddler on the Roof together at Brown County High School. We have always dreamed of doing another show together and here we are 13 years later!”

Graber said this will be his first show with the Brown County Playhouse, however he did Footloose with the Bloomington Playwrights Project at the Playhouse in 2012. He was also a part of the 2011 State Championship show Mister Roberts as The Captain for Brown County High School under Director Laurie Godfrey.

According to Graber, he owes all of his love and appreciation for theater to Godfrey.

“She changed all of us that were involved and taught us what it was like to be passionate, driven and loving all at the same time,” he said. “She molded us into a bunch of crazy kids with dreams and I am forever grateful to her.”

In this production, which Graber said will be his first show since he was a freshman at Indiana University in 2013, he is playing the character named Robert. According to him, Robert is the “somewhat awkward best friend from Wisconsin” that comes to visit the character Bernard in Paris.

“I realize very quickly that we live completely opposite lives,” Graber said about his character. “However, I find myself seriously considering living this way, only to find out who I truly am in the end! It is a hilariously, chaotic play following Bernard and Robert managing the ins and outs of three different women and their always-changing airline timetables. We also have Bertha, a grouchy, bitter housekeeper who is so over this life and just wants to slow down…but also loves it at the same time! Robert finds himself in many interesting situations. He gets wrapped up in the chaos only to find himself falling in love in the most unusual way.”

Graber has been coaching football at BCHS for the past three years. He said he is “beyond thrilled” to be back in theater.

“There is something so majestic about being a different person on stage,” he said. “It is a free space in life to be yourself for once. You can literally make your character anything you want them to be and that is so freeing. It is a chance to have fun, create a piece of art, and to do it with old friends is priceless. I have such a long history with the theater and it is truly a breath of fresh air to be back on stage!”

“I always jump at any opportunity to be a part of something in making Brown County a better place to live for everyone. I owe a lot to this town and I am incredibly grateful to be welcomed back!”

“Working with Kate, our director, has been such a fun journey. She is direct, powerful and compassionate,” Graber explained. “She gives us the space as actors to make our own choices and mistakes and that has been incredible. Susan, with the BCP, has been a treat as well. She saw something that needed help and stepped up in a big way! The BCP is coming back onto the scene and I am thrilled to be a part of it. I would love to direct a show here next year! I also hope to continue acting in their shows until they get sick of seeing me on The Playhouse stage.”

Weber is originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, and then moved “all over” the east coast before ending up in New York. She lived there for about 10 years, where she worked in theater and film. Then, she and husband Jeremy decided to move to Bloomington, because that’s where he’s from, to pursue their own film company and start their theater company there.

“The opportunities in New York started to feel a little constricting,” Weber said last week. “It was not the world that the teachers told us it would be, basically.”

While she was in New York, she went through the acting circuit, during which she also started to work in her own screen and play writing, as well as directing. Through those experiences, she said she realized she wanted to be more behind the scenes than on stage.

Once they were settled in Bloomington, Weber said she, with the help of her mother-in-law, discovered an open position at the Playhouse. She applied and got the gig.

Weber said she was “really, really” impressed when she walked into the Playhouse for the first time. Compared to her time in the big city, she said the local stage had much more to offer her in terms of resources and personnel.

“I was like, ‘I’m rich! Oh my goodness, I get to put up a production in the way what I actually want to, and tell a story through lights and sound,’” Weber said.

In addition, Weber had nothing but good things to say about the cast and crew.

“Everybody is incredibly professional,” she said. “They are doing their homework. I was very, very highly impressed. You can see their passion — every single person that’s involved in this production, even though we all know it is a volunteer process, we are all so passionate about theater that everybody is giving it their all. I could not be more proud of the cast.”

Weber said she wanted to do a very female-forward play. What drew her to Boeing-Boeing is the fact that there are four strong female leads.

“The character Robert is clearly our lead, however, I wanted to focus on the women of the play and tell the story through a female perspective,” she said. “It’s a huge ensemble piece, and everyone is empowered.”

“My main takeaway from the production is that life is more than what you see on a day-to-day basis. There is a lot more happening for everybody, and behind closed doors. The biggest thing is that I just want people to have a good time, and that this production is not just me our my team, it’s everybody, A to Z, who might be involved — it is all of us who make this breathe, make this alive, make this what it is. This is what art is, this is what theatre is, in its truest form, and I hope that’s the takeaway that (the audience) gets when they come to see it.”

For his part, Graber said he agrees.

“Growing up in Brown County, you don’t really appreciate it. You take this cute, artsy town for granted and that is a shame,” Graber said. “It is a lovely town, full of life and beautiful people. I do not know any other way to express that than giving them live theatre! There is truly nothing like LIVE theater. You get to see a fictional story brought to life. It is a chance to laugh and immerse yourself into a chaotically beautiful world that has been created for you! Theater is a chance for people to truly express themselves. Me and so many others were saved by theater. We became who we are on that stage in Brown County High School. I hope you can let loose, laugh until it hurts and enjoy the show!”