There may be one or two college professors you will never forget.

It’s those professors who keep students on the edge of their seats.

The ACTORS Studio of Ames has recreated those feelings in its upcoming production of “Miss Margarida’s Way.”

The play is a dark comedy that was written by Roberto Athayde in the 1970s. The entire production takes place in an 8th grade classroom and covers topics like sex, religion, masturbation, power struggles and totalitarianism.

Amanda Lloyd Julson, an ISU performing arts alumna, plays Miss Margarida, a bizarre middle school biology teacher.

“I started acting when I was 7, and I have never done a play like this before,” Lloyd Julson says. “Usually, there is a fourth wall that actors play to; we pretend there is no audience. But in this play, I am interacting directly with the audience. Miss Margarida always speaks in the third person, and she comes across as very multidimensional.”

Lloyd Julson describes her character as someone who always needs to be in control and always has to have the power.

“She has a lot of internal struggles. She seems like someone that has severe mental problems and doesn’t deal well with reality,” Lloyd Julson says.

But Lloyd Julson doesn’t have any help on stage — “Miss Margarida’s Way” is a one-hour, one-woman production. Lloyd Julson teaches the audience as an 8th grade class, but the play also includes offensive topics and profanity. Lloyd says, however, she wants to portray her character realistically.

“I wanted to play Miss Margarida as a real person, not a caricature. I’ve had teachers similar to her, and I wanted to portray her as humorous but also slightly sad,” Lloyd Julson says. “I think the audience can relate to having weird teachers, it just has a dark humor twist to it. This is unlike any play that ACTORS has done.”

First-time director William Rock, senior in agricultural business, says he thinks the play’s material is entertaining as well as disturbing.

“This production definitely has many levels to it — it’s a dark comedy, but I think it takes a certain type of person to find it funny,” says Rock, Government of the Student Body vice president.

“This is not a play for people who are offended easily; it’s not for all audiences,” he says. “It sounds horrible, but it’s actually entertaining and very different from other productions done in the Ames area.”

This is the first time “Miss Margarida’s Way” has been performed in central Iowa. ACTORS is taking the play to the Iowa Association of Community Theaters contest next week.

Lloyd Julson says “Miss Margarida’s Way” has been described by audiences as an absurd, abusive piece.

Although the play covers controversial topics, Rock says it’s a type of production that is rarely done in a town like Ames. “I think it’s worth seeing, it’s unlike any play I’ve ever seen or worked on,” says Rock. “It’s funny, it’s weird and it’s interesting but also slightly scary.”

Who: Miss Margarida’s Way

Where: ACTORS Studio, 120 Abraham Drive

When: 10 p.m. Friday; 8 p.m. Saturday

Cost: free; $5 donation requested