Al, Angel, a little girl, a monk, a boy and Jesus Christ.

The cast of “On The Open Road” is small. The crew is sparse but working hard, all hours of the day, at times when most normal people are snuggling up and snoring in their beds.

And everyone involved is a student.

No professors with years of expertise. No professionals. Just a youthful take on theater by a dedicated few enduring a lot of long hours.

It was slightly after midnight on Wednesday morning when Sean Kehoe, the show’s director, finally had a few moments to sit down and chat about his production, with opening night now less then 48 hours away.

Kehoe, a graduating senior in performing arts and political science, has been working on the project since sometime in November.

“That’s when the bug started crawling in my brain,” Kehoe says.

“On The Open Road” was written by Steve Tesich, a native of Yugoslavia. Tesich also wrote the screenplay for “Breaking Away,” which won an Academy Award.

The show was first performed in March, 1992 at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. Early the next year it opened at the New York Shakespeare Festival.

“On The Open Road” is a completely student directed and student produced show slotted through ISU Studio Theatre, also known as the Second Stage.

Once his creative juices started to flow, Kehoe put together a proposal to present his idea to members of the theater department. From there, Kehoe was chosen to direct the piece this spring.

Kehoe says he was given complete creative control, including choosing who would work with him on the project.

“It’s meant to be fully student produced,” Kehoe says. “Everyone involved is a student.”

“It is an opportunity for us as students to show our creative talents and abilities to produce a successful show,” adds Marcia Schultz, sophomore in communication studies and the show’s stage manager.

Auditions were held during the second week of January and the cast has been rehearsing for almost two months.

“Not only is this an all student produced show,” Kehoe says, “but many of the people involved are doing their position in the show for the first time.”

The most powerful part of the directing process for Kehoe has been how everyone has “worked towards [the] same goal” since the beginning.

The storyline revolves around two main characters – Al and Angel – in a time and place of civil war.

Craig Wilkening, junior in political science, plays Angel, and Kevin Geiken, freshman in performing arts and English, plays Al.

“The show takes place in a parallel world coinciding with the present,” Wilkening says.

The two main characters meet under some “interesting” and unusual circumstances, Wilkening says.

“They are nearly perfect opposites,” Wilkening explains. “The play revolves around the characters’ struggle to make sense of it all – the world, society and each other.”

“The script alludes to a lot of important issues,” Geiken adds. “Through the characters, I think everyone will be able to relate somehow to the meaning of the play.”

Kehoe, who “finds strength in the wonderful people” working for him, describes Al and Angel as “two very different people.”

“The things that make them different, though, make them similar,” Kehoe says. “I see it as present day, in a sort of skewed world of our own.”

For Geiken the most interesting part of being in this ISU Studio Theatre production has been the time leading up to tonight’s opening performance.

“I’ve just had a great time putting this whole thing together,” Geiken says. “It’s been a blast working with the other actors as we developed our characters and figured out the intricacies of the script.”

Geiken also says that he thinks “On The Open Road” “will engage the audience’s emotions, as well as their intellect.”

Kehoe says there are some religious elements in “On The Open Road” but that it is not a religious play.

“I think this is a play that focuses on society vs. the individual,” Kehoe says, “and how we observe all of the elements in our world that divide us – social class, race, religion. I want people to come in with open minds and be willing to look at themselves.”

In a disclaimer of sorts Wilkening says, “the profanities and violence of the `real world’ are not distorted to make it a family show.”

“On The Open Road” will be playing Fisher Theater Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. There is also a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Ticket prices are $1 for students and $3 general admission.