Some people complain that there isn’t much to do in Ames during the summer, and some people do something about it. This Friday, a new theater group at Iowa State will put on their first production at Boheme, 2900 West St.

The group, called the Bohemian Acting Company, was organized by Tim Johnson, junior in art and design and performing arts.

Johnson said that the lack of theater events during the summer was one of the reasons he felt it would be a good time to try something new.

“I hadn’t lined up an internship, but I wanted to do some acting this summer,” Johnson said. “If I was going to do anything, I was going to have to make it happen.”

Johnson’s next challenge was to find a venue in which the performances could take place. He said that the management of Boheme was very receptive to the idea.

“The Boheme has an intimate setting,” Johnson said. “It draws in a different crowd than traditional theater productions.”

For Johnson and most of the other people involved in The Bohemian Acting Company, this is their first experience working in a building other than a traditional theater.

“Because we’re doing it in such a casual setting, we decided not to present something too formal or serious,” Johnson said. “We’re keeping it casual and allowing people time to get drinks.”

Dave Byrd, junior in performing arts, is directing the first show, which will consist of two scenes, “The Philadelphia” and “Sure Thing,” from David Ives full length play “All in the Timing.”

Byrd said that mass appeal was a big reason that pieces from “All in the Timing” were selected.

“‘All in the Timing’ is a great show, a show people usually like,” Byrd said. “I’ve seen it around 12 times now, and I still get a kick out of it,” he said.

Byrd also said he took into account the unusual space when working on the pieces.

“It’s a setting I don’t think any of us have worked in before,” Byrd said. “I know there will always be something after the show I’d wish I had done different.”

Johnson hopes to do one show each month during the summer. He is already working on a June show, which he would direct, and a former ISU student is working on a show for July.

Byrd said that audience reaction to the first show will probably determine the fate of the group.

“I have to make this grab that person at the end of the bar who’s just finished a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and bought another. Whether or not that happens is like the point of no return as to if this whole idea is going to work,” he said.

If things go well Byrd has plans for future shows.

“If this works I want to do something more dramatic,” Byrd said. “If it gets to the point where there is a following, I’d like to do something meatier, where I don’t have to make it ‘The Carol Burnett Show.'”

The Bohemian Acting Company will perform this Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Boheme. There will be a $1 admission at the door.