When most students finish a paper or project for a class, the scenario is typical. Write it, turn it in, get a grade. End of story.

But for Jason Taylor, the story continues. An assignment he did last spring for his playwriting class will come to life on stage this week as a one-hour comedy titled “Doing the Cleavers.”

Amy Stites, a senior in elementary education, plays the part of Sally, a typical cookies-and-milk mom who is bored to tears by her ho-hum housewife lifestyle.

While her husband is away, she decides to make a few minor changes around the house — like cutting off half of it and adding seating capacity for a 100-piece audience.

“A computer salesman comes home from a business trip to find out that his wife has sold the rights to their lives to an off-Broadway producer who wants to make their life a live-in play,” Taylor said.

The producer, played by Trenton DeMello, a freshmen in performing arts, was looking for something new, something fresh.

He had done movies and television, but he had never done the real life of a real family. He had never done “The Cleavers,” Taylor said.

“Ideally, that’s who we [cast members] are. It represents real life,” he said.

Taylor, a senior in English, plays the part of Frank Morgan, Sally’s husband.

His character is immediately exasperated by the inconveniences of living the life of a star, especially when the producer spices up their daily routine to make the script more interesting.

“Their son Jimmy is sent away to acting school and is replaced with a drugged out 30-year-old actor,” Taylor said.

The play isn’t only student-written, it is also student-directed by junior in performing arts Herb Sawyer. Sawyer has directed four plays while at Iowa State and has teamed up with Taylor in other performances, including the biweekly sketch comedy act, Grandma Mojo’s Moonshine Revival.

“It’s the first play in a long time to be performed that was written by a student. It’s kind of a unique situation,” Sawyer said.

“But I’m not treating it like a play a student wrote, I’m treating it like one I picked out of a book because it’s of that caliber,” he said.

Despite the small size and green-pole blockage problem in the M-Shop, the atmosphere is ideal and “totally different” than in other stage areas like Fisher Theater or Stephens Auditorium, Sawyer said.

“It’s very cozy. You can see the audience when you’re on stage. And the poles are helpful if you can use them in your production.” he said.

The close atmosphere will be a blessing to the cast, since a little audience participation is involved in the show, Taylor said. “The audience is actually part of the play. We want people to identify with the studio audience.

“It’s the only play in the theater department where you can buy beer at the show,” he added.

The play opened on Sunday night, but tickets are still available for the Monday and Wednesday night performances, both starting at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased for $2 at the door.