“Sometimes when it comes to art you have to be the one to initiate,” states Joshua Kreis McTiernan, writer and director of The Creationists.

On a minimalist stage, his characters learn to initiate art for themselves. The play is loosely structured around a narrator leading three characters through a story. A scene replays as the narrator directs the evolving characters.”I know your character is suffering from amnesia right now,” the Narrator says to Cameron. “Can you try to be a little less convincing with that?”

There’s something for everyone in this whimsical comedy. References to Austen, Dickens, and Wilde will delight English majors and casual readers. Physical humor eases the audience into the deeper waters of the search for identity.

The Narrator (Brian Fullfod) takes a break from creating the story of Cameron (Cameron Lee Henderson), Kai (Philip Harville), and Tyler (Tyler Christian Ramirez), never to return. The audience tensed in collective disbelief when the Erasers come to eliminate the story at hand. Kai’s shrieks jolt the audience, “There are characters and there are narrators. There’s a huge difference between them!”

The second act is laden with intertextual relationships. Scenes and characters from well-loved classics are adapted for interaction with Cameron, Kai, and Tyler. The audience laughs freely at Mrs. Bennet’s antics and cheers Tyler as he wrestles Jack from Lord of the Flies.

McTiernan’s aptly named show, “The Creationists” induces the audience to an imaginative state where men play women, guns aren’t loaded, and characters are encouraged to be their own narrators.

The cast received a standing ovation from a full house. Don’t miss the two final performances at Players by the Sea on February 25 or 26 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $12 for students and $15 for adults.

High-brow. Low-brow. Pop culture and classical literature. There’s something for everyone in the debut of Joshua Kreis McTiernan’s comedy The Creationists. He took time from the busy play schedule to speak with me about the show and about his upcoming plans.

The Creationists opened on February 18. Can you give us a quick taste of the show?

The theme of the show is rooted in identity. That in itself is nothing new and groundbreaking, but the way you say it can be new. The show acknowledges all levels of humor and silliness. We talk about Postmodernism and men dressing as women. It’s not just a play for intellectuals. I wanted to appeal to a broader audience.

This is the first play you have written and produced that will be easily accessible to the public. Can you tell me a little bit about the process?

I took  playwriting classes in high school and was pretty good at it. I wrote a high school one act that was produced on one night. I trained as an actor at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and went back to teach English for two years. Also, I have been involved in community theater since I was in middle school. Being an actor definitely helps in becoming a playwright.

Any plans for the future?

I already have ideas for the next show or two. Writers’ lives trickle into their art. In a few weeks I will take control of my own story and leave for the Peace Corps.  I’ll still be teaching in the Peace Corps. I’ll be teaching English as a language instead of as literature.

Catch a performance of The Creationists at Players by the Sea on February 19, 24, 25 or 26 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $12 for students and $15 for adults.