Abernathy in Marietta by local playwright Jason Half, makes its world premiere June 16, 17, 23, and 24 at 8 p.m. and June 18 and 25 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $13 each and are available at midohiovalleyplayers.com or at the box office 90 minutes prior to each show time.

A little Thornton Wilder, a little Noises Off, Abernathy in Marietta is a comedy that follows a theater group as it prepares to present a new play celebrating the town and its history. Everyone is excited to stage the story of Harrison P. Abernathy, a paper mill pioneer from 1860s Ohio. But the playwright has another motive for choosing this town and these people, and when reality intrudes the group must decide how accepting — and how honest — their community really is.