“Quilters,” a unique musical set on the prairie’s of frontier America, opens this Friday at ACTORS Theater in Ames.

The musical was written by Molly Newman and Barbara Damashek and tells the story of a pioneer woman and her six daughters. Throughout the play the audience sees the women go through everything from childbirth to old age.

The cast has been rehearsing the production for six weeks. The first two weeks of rehearsal were devoted entirely to the complex music, often involving six and seven part harmonies.

Tim McIlrath, associate professor of art and design at Iowa State, is directing the production, his first production at ACTORS in 18 years.

McIlrath said that with his background in art and design, he has a different take on directing.

“I have a really intense interest in the design of the whole show. I really worked with the tech people, the costume people, to make sure everything had the touch I was looking for,” McIlrath said. “It makes the experience that much richer for me. I think it makes it richer for the audience too.”

Part of the work for McIlrath was to create the dusty atmosphere that existed on the prairies of the midwest in the middle 19th century.

“We’ve worked hard to get this to feel like something you would see on the prairie,” McIlrath said. “Their story is such a beautiful story that it has to be shown against a lot of contrast.”

Another challenging aspect of the production is that McIlrath has chosen to present the play in the round, with the audience on all sides of the stage.

McIlrath said that for most of the actors, this is their first experience working in the round; and it can be confusing at first.

“From a directors standpoint it’s much more exciting,” McIlrath said. “For me it’s much more of a challenge.”

Intimacy was a major reason that McIlrath wanted to work in the round.

“This show has a lot of heart,” McIlrath said. “It will speak more [to the audience] if they’re closer to it.”

Throughout the show, the seven women in the cast portray not just the mother and her daughters, but also all the other people in their lives.

McIlrath said one difficulty with the show is that the script leaves it to the director to decide which women play which roles.

“Some of [the casting] falls because of where the music falls,” McIlrath said. “It’s the most unusual thing I’ve ever seen in a show like this.”

“We go from one scene to another with no change,” McIlrath said. “[The actors] simply start the next scene as someone else. It’s a real challenge for the actors.”

One of the actors up for the challenge is Lynn Lloyd, a 20-year veteran of ACTORS. Although Lloyd has done just about everything at ACTORS, from acting and directing to designing, she said this is different than anything she has done before.

“It’s very challenging,” she said. “The whole play is little stories based on the writings and letters of women from the time.”

Lloyd also said the staging of the play has been difficult.

“We enter like spokes of a wheel from three different areas,” Lloyd said. “Remembering where you enter and exit from can be very confusing.”

Despite the challenging nature of the show, Lloyd said she really enjoys the production.

“It’s a look into our past,” Lloyd said. “I think we all can appreciate how much things have changed. It’s a fascinating look at women of our history who endured an incredible amount of pain. It’s about women, but it’s a sensitive historical piece anyone can enjoy.”

McIlrath also said that the stories of the women will make the show a special experience for anyone.

“They are women of the earth,” McIlrath said, “and their stories are heartwarming, insightful, happy, sad, and in every way engaging. This is a small jewel of a show, with a lot of heart and soul.”

“Quilters,” by Molly Newman and Barbara Damashek will be performed at 8 p.m. at ACTORS Theater, 120 Abraham Dr., Sept. 25 and 26, and Oct. 2 and3.

Matinees are Sept. 27 and Oct. 4 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults, $11 for seniors and students, and are available at the door or at John Huber Clothier in downtown Ames.