Heroes, villains, damsels in distress. These are the classic features of great stories. From epic poet Homer to X-Files creator Chris Carter, it’s all about the heroes and the obstacles they face. “The Clumsy Custard Horror Show” is no different.

This weekend, ISU Theater stage veteran David Byrd will be running the show from behind the stage, directing “Clumsy Custard” at Fisher Theater. “The Clumsy Custard Horror Show” is a classic tale of heroes and villains filled with laughs and physical comedy.

The troupe will be taking the play that is normally produced in high schools and jazzing it up for the college crowd.

“‘Clumsy Custard’ is not ‘Hamlet,'” Byrd, senior in performing arts, said. “It is a simple story. We have been able to accentuate the main points and heighten the comedy to make sure the audience has a good time. It is usually done through high school theater, we thought if we did it at that level it would be simple, but we thought if we took the skills we learned through Commedia Dell’Arte [French/Italian physical comedy] we could improve the acting and show you the story our way.”

Commedia Dell’Arte emerged in Tuscany around 1550, but its origins may begin in the masked comedies of ancient Rome. The form combines mime, improvised and scripted dialogue that is a bit on the blue side with tumbling and acrobatics.

Its evolution through the years has tended less toward improvisation and satire and more toward stylized productions. Vaudeville is an offshoot of this form.

Byrd was introduced to Commedia through previous ISU Theater productions.

“It’s a typical story of a hero saving the damsel from the evil villain,” Byrd said. “I wanted to use the Commedia Dell’Arte training a lot of people got with “A Poke in the Eye” and “Scaramouche.”

Danielle Strait, junior in performing arts, is Byrd’s costume designer, make-up designer and props co-designer.

“We’ve gone from a very silly, very simple script to a production that is extremely stylized,” Strait said. “Resources, mainly money,

have been a big restriction as far as designing goes. But by collaborating with the actors, I’ve come up with some interesting costumes.”

This is not Byrd’s first time directing a show, but it is his first time directing a show of this magnitude. Byrd said there were many challenges to this production that he as a director was surprised by.

“It’s definitely a challenge directing a show,” Byrd said. “I’ve directed before but not at this level. Several things came up I never saw before: incorporating the designers and their art, working with the budget and balancing all sorts of minor problems. I had a cast member who was sick, some of my cast were involved in another production, so I had to spend a couple of weeks rehearsing with half the cast, which was good experience.”

One of Byrd’s challenges was his budget. Second stage productions have a set budget of $500, while main stage productions can have a budget of $8000.

“Trying to build a castle with $250 isn’t easy,” he said. “You get a budget of about $500 and that’s part of the challenge. You have to be very creative.”

While cash may have been in short supply, creativity was not. Many of the students involved with this production have more than one role. The benefits to this are everyone feels free to get involved in the creative process.

“Since second stage is student-driven, a lot of he people in the play are taking on more than one role,” Byrd said. “A lot of the comedic choices were brought out not just by me or the actors, but by one of the designers.”

Unlike traditional theater with its “come on in and sit down and don’t say anything” routine, “Custard” encourages audience participation in the production at key points.

“The audience needs to be involved in the action of the play,” Byrd said. “It’s okay for them to talk during the production when they are asked to by the cast. This isn’t like conventional theater where you sit down and be quiet.”

The rehearsal schedule for “The Clumsy Custard Horror Show” has taken something of a toll on cast members. Coming so close to the end of the year, many of the cast members have been in a dilly of a pickle balancing school and rehearsal.

“It’s been busy,” said Michael Dahlstrom, senior in biophysics and journalism. “The last two weeks we’ve been here from 5:30 to midnight. Then I go home and do homework until 2 or 3 and get up at 7. I’m hoping I have enough energy to slide through until the end of the play and just crash.”

Drew Hennebeck, sophomore in performing arts, plays Swashbuck Valparaiso. He has had his share of problems on this project.

“Lately, I’ve been missing a lot of class due to voice problems,” he said. “But all my professors have been really understanding. This role is comparable to other shows I’ve been in. It still takes character analysis, voice training, fight choreography and even impeccable timing skills. I am continually working on all of the above.”

Kelly Bartlett, junior in performing arts, plays one of the Ice Cream Clones. Her challenge was performing in sync with co-Clone Matt Kawa, sophomore in art.

“A lot of stuff we do is very synchronized and dance oriented which is a real challenge,” she said. “We’re the most movement oriented characters.”

Joe Spina, senior in political science, plays Worfle. He said that in spite of falling behind in a couple of classes, the experience has been worth it.

“This has been amazingly fun to work with the funniest people I’ve ever known,” Spina said. “It’s been hard work, but altogether a blast.”

Willy Thompson, senior in performing arts, plays the villain Dacron. He said he acts for the joy it brings him and nothing else.

“I act because I like to, not because I get paid to,” Thompson said. “It’s been a lot of fun. This is one of the best plays I’ve ever been in. I think Dave has done a really decent job. He has worked extremely hard. He’s a good director to work with because he knows how to have fun and get the job done.”