The Department of Theatre and Dance in the College of Charleston School of the Arts will present the world premiere of “Mad Gravity,” an improbably loopy, award-winning farce (2013 Todd McNerney National Playwriting Competition runner-up, 2013, Reva Shiner Comedy Award Winner and Finalist at The Eugene O’Neill New Play competition).

Playwright William Missouri Downs enjoys exploring what theatre is by throwing audiences many curves in the course of his plays. In “Mad Gravity” the convention of the fourth wall, the separation between the audience and the performance, is trashed. In addition, Downs has provided his play with a cataclysmic climax, followed by a most improbable second act that promises to reveal the meaning of life!

College of Charleston Theatre students comprise the cast: Clyde Moser plays Archie, a performance artist; Lizzie Watson plays Eudora, his wife; Addison Brown portrays Dakota, their daughter; Edward Precht plays Dr. Joe, a dentist; and Keanu Thompson plays Mary, the wife of Dr. Joe. The play is directed by theatre professor Allen Lyndrup.

The design staff for “Mad Gravity” is made up of theatre students Samantha Dahabi, set design; Taylor-Ann Spencer, costume design; Joshua Sharkey, lighting design; and Kathryn Matthews, the sound design.

The production will run from Wednesday, Jan. 15 through Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014 and Tuesday, Jan. 21 through Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014, in the Chapel theatre at 172 Calhoun St., Performances are 7:30 p.m., with the Sunday shows at 3 p.m. only. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for Senior Citizens and College of Charleston students, faculty and staff. Half-season subscriptions are available. Purchase tickets online at theatre.cofc.edu or by calling (843) 953-5604.