Local playwright Lee Hotovy likes to base her original scripts around a Bible verse. Last year, her play, "The Princess and the Mustard Seed," referred to Matthew 17:20, where Jesus explains faith to his disciples. This year, she's taking from the Revelation to John for her tale "The Good, The Bad and The Fuzzy."

Her youth theater group, S.T.A.G.E. (Student Theater and Godly Evangelization), will present six performances of the work, beginning Friday night at the Swan Theatre in Wyuka Cemetery.

The "fuzzy" part of the title is based on Revelation 3:16, which says, "So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

"What it's trying to say is that we can't sit on the fence," Hotovy said. "We need to commit."

Of course, the message is delivered in Hotovy's typical charming style.

This year, she's written a melodrama complete with a hero in white, a villain in black and a virtuous heroine.

"It's set in the town of Nowhere, where people know black and white — the difference between what is right and what is wrong," Hotovy said.

The production is the culmination of a three-week theater camp hosted by S.T.A.G.E., a Catholic-based, but nondenominational program that puts on four productions each year, including the summer show in Wyuka's outdoor theater.

Camp tuition, donations and ticket sales pay for "Fuzzy's" production costs.

This year's show will feature 25 students ages 10 to 19. The leads are Sam Pynes as Dudely Duzzright, Matt Quintero (Vicely Mustache), Megan Sugrue (A.M. Biguous) and Sada Hotovy (Victorian Virtue).

In "Fuzzy," Hotovy tells two stories. The first is Dudely's struggle to stay good and true. The other revolves around A.M. Biguous, a con artist dressed in fuzzy gray and selling her product "Gray Matters."

This is where the Bible verse comes into play.

Unlike last year, S.T.A.G.E. is spreading out its production dates over two weekends because of the July 4 holiday. Last year, it ran five shows on consecutive days.

Also different this year is the addition of music. Some of the youth actors sing as well as dance.

Hotovy said the idea behind S.T.A.G.E. is twofold. First, it teaches the students about theater and faith. It also conveys a message in a family setting.

"We hope we send people home with something to think about," Hotovy said.

Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.