It’s time for the fall play season in Parkland School District and students at Orefield Middle School are ready to entertain.

Ironically, the cast is gearing up to present a play titled “15 Reasons Not To Be in a Play,” written by Alan Haehnel.

Full of hilarious scenes, the production explores the sometimes irrational and sometimes real but always genuine “reasons” for not being in a play.

And, with the changing of the scenes, the audience is kept guessing what could possibly be next.

At the helm is first-time OMS Director Jessica O’Brien, who works with youngsters ages 5 to 22, preparing them for Broadway, auditions, TV, film, dance and more at the Broadway Artists Alliance in New York City.

“I truly believe theater is made up of two things - creativity and collaboration - and coming into a situation where the kids don’t know me and don’t yet trust me, this was the perfect piece to teach them about improvisation and character development,” O’Brien said.

She added the students, as a cast, produced and painted the set, designed the costumes and created all their own character and prop pieces.

“It’s going to be very different because it’s not a structured play,” O’Brien said. “It’s very entertaining and I think people will really enjoy it!”

From the nightmarish second grade teacher who forces a student to act in a play to the young girl who just simply has no interest and “doesn’t ever want to ever” be in a play, the cast of 35 interact nonstop as they navigate from scene to scene.

Assistant Student Director Rachel Olson, Stage Manager Natalie Bommarito and lighting crew Ariannna Moninghaff and Charlotte Parsons, all work together to enable on-stage costume additions and set changes in a play where the entire cast is almost always on stage.

According to O’Brien, every actor in the cast plays at least five different characters in the show, ranging from a second grader to an 85-year-old woman.

“It has really forced them to use their imagination,” she said.

Emily Babinchak portrays Cecily who, “is just too shy to be in the play,” but she eventually finds a way to stand up for herself and everyone else who is shy.

“Not a lot of people know this play but when they come to see it, they’ll be surprised,” Babinchak said. “It’s really funny.”

Babinchak, a seventh grader, has performed in prior OMS productions including the roles of Lucy in “Narnia, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and Tinkerbell in “Peter Pan Jr.”

“I started to feel like maybe this is something I should keep trying to do and kind of experiment with it,” she explained.

Playing the roles of an over-the-top weatherman and a flamboyant French movie director, eighth grader Akaash Kapoor says he enjoys the freedom the play provides the actors.

“It’s not just following the script. The actors get to do kind of their own thing,” Kapoor said. “I’ve learned most of my friends are pretty good at improvisation.

“If we’re doing a scene, we can actually keep it going through improv.”

Robert Moore, a seventh grader, also has performed in previous OMS productions.

One of his characters is “Rob,” who according to Moore, refuses to be in a play because you have to hold hands with the person next to you, who just might have warts.

“It’s quite funny,” Moore said. “You get to be so many roles.

“That’s what I love about this play, you can be whatever you want.”

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“15 Reasons Not To Be in a Play” will be presented 7 p.m. Oct. 29, with afternoon performances at 2 p.m. Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at Orefield Middle School.

Tickets will be available for purchase at the door.