The Misericordia Players will perform the comedy show “Boeing! Boeing!” Nov. 20-23, the weekend prior to Thanksgiving, in Lemmond Theater in Insalaco Hall.

Scott Woolnough, director of the theatre program, said this comedy show is a double entendre.

“The ‘Boeing Boeing’ meaning is [the character] is ricocheting from relationship to relationship to relationship, and boeing being also the aircraft, which played a huge role in the crux of the play” he said.

The show follows an American man who lives in Paris and is engaged to three different airline stewardesses but has no intention of marrying any of them.

“His master plan is, because they’re airline stewardesses, only one is in Paris at any one time, and then hilarity ensues when all three of them decide to show up on the same day,” said Woolnough.

Woolnough has been directing student shows at Misericordia for quite some time, his first show in 2012.

Even though Woolnough oversees the shows, he doesn’t have as much of a role in choosing which play the group performs.

“I leave that to the players,” he said.

Alana Hadden, the student director, said the process of selecting includes the players giving suggestions that fall under the genre of play they are doing that year, and then they take the top three to Woolnough.

Woolnough has shaped the program to ensure a four-year student will receive a well-rounded experience in diverse types of shows throughout their entire time involved in the Players.

“We do a straight play, nonmusical, in the fall, and then we do a musical in the spring. When we reopened after COVID, the first show we did in the fall was a drama. The second show we did was a period piece. This is the comedy, and next year will be a Shakespeare, and we’ll start it all over again,” he said.

“Boeing! Boeing!” is unique compared to past shows simply because it is a comedy.

Woolnough says that the past shows have been more serious.

“The first show we did when we came back was a drama. you know, “Wait Until Dark,” the next show that we did was a period piece, “The Mousetrap,” both, you know, both those are heavy and dark, you know, murdering material,” he said.

Woolnough thinks that students or community members should come out to see this show because it is hysterically funny.

“There’s a lot of physical comedy. If you like seeing people fall down, this is the show for you because there are a lot of people falling down,” he said

Woolnough’s most rewarding moment as a director seeing a young performer develop and improve their skills.

“I was once that young person in a college on a college campus, you know, in the theatre department, and I remember when my light bulb clicked. So, I like giving that to someone else,” he said.

Woolnough recognizes that some students come in with prior experience acting or as directors, and he thinks they weren’t ready to receive the message initially, but now they are.

“I love watching them receive the message. That’s why I do what I do, and I’ve done it for the decades,” he said.

Woolnough wants to send the message to the audience that it is okay to laugh at ridiculous situations throughout this show. Some audience members might take the themes seriously, but Woolnough wants them to let loose and be able to laugh.

In this show, there is a considerable number of new or first-year students performing.

Keayrah Maslowski, a first year student, said, “I’ve never worked with any of these people before. I’m a first-year, so I’m excited to see how it all comes together and work with everyone.”

Woolnough is very happy about watching the program grow in numbers as well.

“What’s most exciting for me is watching, you know, new and more people come out to audition.” he said.

“Boeing! Boeing!” will be affordable, aiming to give everyone an opportunity to see it.

According to Chase Reynolds, a student actor, students will receive discount.

“If you come to see the show as a student, you get a discount at the box office. It’s $3 for a ticket for outside adults. It’s $8 dollars so it’s inexpensive,” he said.

Hadden says that the students will be in Banks the week leading up to the show to sell tickets during lunch hours, around 11-1.

Live theatre is something Woolnough thinks is really worth seeing, especially how inexpensive it is to have a good laugh. Students involved are also very excited about putting on a comedy show like “Boeing! Boeing!” for the campus and community.

“I’ve never been in a real comedy before that I genuinely laugh when reading the script, and when I do this stuff, I laugh on stage and everybody reacts to it,” Reynolds said.

All three students have expressed how they haven’t had previous opportunities to put on a comedy, and that they are excited to be able to make the audience laugh.

“This is my first real comedy. My freshman year here was a drama, sophomore year was a drama, last year was a period piece, which was still a drama, so this is my first real comedy. So, I’m very excited for that,” said Hadden.

This program can give students opportunities and skills in theatre, which are skills Hadden acquired when she evolved from performer, then to stage manager, and now as student director.

“Boeing! Boeing!” is an opportunity for an affordable night out to have fun and laugh, while also witnessing the hard work of students in the theater department.

“It is a really funny show, and having such a tight knit cast I can just tell it’s going to be fun interacting with everybody,” said Renyolds.

Students who are interested in becoming a Player need only to have an interest in theatre and to audition.

“It’s not closed auditions. You don’t have to be a member of the club. You kind of unofficially get indoctrinated into Players club when you are in a show,” Woolnough said.

According to Hadden, the auditions for the spring musical will be during first week of December. Students will receive notices with a tentative date.