IN THE RUBBER ROOM: The cast of “Evelyn in Purgatory,” currently playing at ActorsNET in Morrisville, Pa., is relegated to one room in a forgotten school building.

ActorsNET of Bucks County presents Topher Payne’s comedy Evelyn in Purgatory October 10-26 at the Heritage Center Theatre, 635 North Delmorr Avenue in Morrisville, Pa.

Directed by Maryalice Rubins-Topoleski, the production immerses the audience in a windowless, forgotten classroom deep inside a run-down New York City Public School building, the notorious “rubber room.” The set design is central to telling the story of Evelyn Reid and the group of teachers caught in disciplinary limbo. The room itself is designed to feel like a forgotten relic of the school system, a physical representation of the bureaucratic indifference the characters face.

“Our goal was to evoke a place that is supposed to be temporary, but feels permanent and soul-draining,” said Rubins-Topoleski. “This isn’t a modern office; it’s an old classroom that’s been stripped of its dignity. The fluorescent lights are harsh, the paint is peeling, and there’s a definite sense of institutional neglect.”

This production’s attention to detail underscores the playwright’s central themes of community, resilience, and the struggles of undervalued public servants.

​Showtimes are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. There will be an additional 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, October 18. As part of ActorsNET’s ongoing mission to make live, and local theatre accessible to everyone, the 8 p.m. performance on October 18 will be a special “Pay What You Can” night, with tickets available for as little as $7. Visit actorsnetbucks.org.