Courtesy Photo by Bronwyn Woolman The cast of Alpena Civic Theatre’s “It’s My Wedding, Dear Grandpa” poses at a recent rehearsal. The comedy opens at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Pictured, front row, from left, are Julie Meyers, Amanda Hulsey, Zach Clement, and Larry Johns. Pictured in back, from left, are Emma Barz, Taylor Ayotte, Doug S. Haines, Katie Hubbard, Matt Southwell, Ashley Goodburne, Steven Holmes, and Linda Suneson.

ALPENA — Alpena Civic Theatre presents “It’s My Wedding, Dear Grandpa” opening at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Written by East Tawas playwright Michal Jacot, the comedy centers around the overly organized control freak, Amber, who is planning what she hopes to be the perfect wedding to her easygoing fiance, Scott. Despite her careful planning, her scatterbrained siblings Keith and Frankie keep messing up when they try to help, and her pushy mother won’t hear a word she says. Her grandpa is a curmudgeon, and his longtime girlfriend Bonnie has no idea what’s going on. Amber’s mom suggests they have a double wedding, much to Amber’s chagrin. “It’s My Wedding, Dear Grandpa” is full of comedic surprises that will keep audiences laughing.

Directed by Scott Edgar, the comedy runs at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, then continues Jan. 23 through 26. Adult tickets are $20 per seat for all shows. Tickets for college students with a valid ID are $15, and tickets for elementary through high school students are $10 each. For tickets, call ACT at 989-354-3624. Alpena Civic Theatre is located at 401 River St., Alpena.

The cast includes a mix of seasoned ACT actors, as well as some newcomers to the Civic Theatre stage.

Amanda Hulsey plays main character Amber Hartley, and Zach Clement plays her fiance, Scott Bachelor. Newcomer Katie Hubbard plays Amber’s sister, Frankie, and Matt Southwell plays brother, Keith Hartley. In his second appearance on the ACT stage, Steven Holmes plays Walter “Grandpa” Hartley. Linda Suneson plays his fiancee, Bonnie Allen. Julie Meyers plays Amber’s mother, Marie Hartley, and Larry Johns plays her husband, Al Hartley. Newcomer Ashley Goodburne plays Scott’s sister and Amber’s maid of honor, Donna Bachelor. Doug S. Haines plays Pastor Fairbanks, and Taylor Ayotte and Emma Barz play exotic dancers.

In addition to Edgar, the crew includes Assistant Directors Pam Swope and Ted Rockwell, Stage Managers Debby Edgar and Dani Ayotte, Jay Kettler on light design, Rockwell as light technician, and Doreen Kriniak as intermission hostess. Edgar and Rockwell built the set.

“This cast has been phenomenal to work with,” Edgar said. “They play like brothers and sisters, a big family unit. It’s just fantastic to watch.”

This play is set in modern day, and lasts nearly two hours.

“Grandpa and Bonnie decide to go ahead and get married, too, so it turns into a double wedding … What could possibly go wrong?” Edgar asked. “All of a sudden, it turns topsy-turvy, and there’s one laugh right after another.”

He talked about the characters in Amber’s family.

“Keith is Amber’s brother, and Frankie is their sister,” Edgar said. “And they both fight like cats and dogs, like brother and sister do.”

Their fighting gets under their sister’s skin, especially when she’s dealing with the stress of her wedding.

“Amber, she’s one of these really fastidious girls that likes everything just perfect,” Edgar said. “So, when everything gets topsy-turvy, it throws her off, completely.”

“She is very Type A,” Hulsey said of her character, Amber. “Everything has its place, everything has its purpose, and when things are not as they should be, in her opinion, she loses control.”

Hulsey had no trouble getting into the role.

“It’s been really easy for me to portray this, because I myself am very Type A,” Hulsey explained. “I read the script and I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to be good. I can do this.’ Amber does yelling quite frequently throughout the show, and I myself have been known to do some yelling … She does see reason, once she’s calmed down and reevaluates things.”

This will be Hulsey’s 20th performance at ACT.

“This has been a fun cast,” Hulsey said. “We’ve got some newer faces, we’ve got some older faces … Everybody’s meshing really well together, and that makes it fun.”

Southwell talked about his character, Keith, Amber’s “wannabe rapper” brother.

“I’m the oldest brother, and the biggest disappointment,” Southwell said. “He screws up absolutely everything he touches, including every way he tries to help with the wedding. The more he tries to help, the worse it gets.”

He said the family dynamics in the play are relatable.

“Let’s face it — everybody has some form of dysfunction in their family,” Southwell said, adding that audience members should relate to the characters. “They’re going to chuckle because they’ll see themselves and their family.”

Southwell estimates that he’s done around 40 plays at ACT.

“I can’t believe people aren’t sick of me, yet,” he said with a laugh. “I love it. It keeps that creative side of me rockin.'”

ACT newcomers Katie Hubbard and Ashley Goodburne talked about their roles and experiences during this play.

“I’m Frankie, I’m the youngest sister,” Hubbard said. “I just read the character as, sort of, an agent of chaos. Not a malignant one, but just always needling the situation a bit.”

Hubbard enjoys playing the feisty Frankie.

“It’s fun, because she’s definitely more of a troublemaker than I am,” Hubbard said.

“My character’s name is Donna,” Goodburne said. “She is the sister of the groom, Scott. And, she is a tomboy. She’s a diesel mechanic. Very uncouth. Just says whatever pops into her head. My girl has some dramatic outbursts.”

Goodburne has been onstage before, but not at ACT.

“I have been dancing since I was 4 years old, and singing since I was, like, 20,” she said. “I have not acted before.”

This is also Hubbard’s first time acting.

“It’s been a ball,” Hubbard said.

“We’ve got a little family, with this cast,” Goodburne added.

Edgar added that the playwright, Michal Jacot, will be attending one of the performances.

“I didn’t even know that he lived close when we decided to do this,” Edgar said. “I took a look at it, read it, and thought, ‘This is too funny not to do it.'”

Edgar said audiences will enjoy this comedy.

“It’s just hilarious, and these people have done such a fantastic job,” Edgar said of the cast. “I couldn’t be prouder of them.”