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The cast and director of Laurel Mill Playhouse's upcoming production of "Laughing Stock" have found a unique challenge within the show: playing themselves.

The play's setting is a community theater, and boasts characters who are actors or working at the theater. It features a "play within the play." The show opens Friday.

Director Michael Hartsfield says it's a different experience when preparing for a show that the principles can relate to so easily.

"It's a challenge to direct, because it's a show about what they do," he said. "To direct something that's natural is harder than [directing] a fictional character."

"Laughing Stock" is a comedy about a community theater in New England that is struggling to stay afloat. The show features 14 characters, led by Gordon Page, the theater's artistic director.

The fictional theater company puts on three productions throughout the play: "Dracula," "Charlie's Aunt" and "Hamlet."

Hartsfield, a veteran of Laurel Mill Playhouse, said playing actors and actresses has been an interesting experience for the cast.

"You want to act a part and feel like you need to act a part," Hartsfield said. "Just acting like a normal person without some sort of strange quirk is kind of hard. You want to get up there and do something dramatic."

Hartsfield said the close-to-home nature of the characters will help the audience form a connection.

"Beyond the humor and laughter, they'll find some characters that they can relate to — somebody doing what they love to do," he said. "Mistakes happen no matter what line of work you're in."

The play is filled with miscues, blunders and mistakes within the fictional theater, such as a character from "Charlie's Aunt" showing up in the wrong play, or bats flying across the stage at the wrong time.

Maureen Rogers, the show's producer, said there are many similarities that can be drawn between the fictional theater and its real-life counterpart.

"We struggle to keep our costs down in ways that may seem crazy," she said. "Sometimes things go wrong with sound cues, props or people forgetting their lines. You always have one or two things go wrong in a full run of a show. This has everything that can go wrong crammed into one show."

Rogers is also excited for audience members to get a close look at the inner workings of a community theater.

"I think I would say it is just a great comedic look behind the scenes of a playhouse that's struggling, as most playhouses do," she said. "It's a look at what can go wrong. It's a play about the other side of the stage. [Audiences] will come out with an appreciation for what goes on behind and in front of the curtain."

Hartsfield has previously directed "Father of the Bride," "Godspell" and "You Can't Take it with You" for the playhouse.

He said he appreciates the many forms of comedy in "Laughing Stock."

"The Dracula character is very funny," Hartsfield said. "There are other characters ranging from the artistic director to three younger characters who are apprentices. It's a nice mix of age and a nice ensemble cast. It's hard not to laugh when you see what's going on."

If You Go

Laughing Stock

When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 28

Where: Laurel Mill Playhouse, 508 Main St., Laurel

Tickets: $13, $10 for seniors and students

Box office: 301-617-9906 or www.laurelmillplayhouse.org