Acting is an endurance sport. Don’t believe it? Go to the Grange Hall any Thursday, Friday or Saturday night for the rest of the summer and see one man’s theatrical version of the Ironman Triathlon.

Strong characters with Russian accents, a story line set in an era unfamiliar to teenagers, an elaborate set design with complicated lighting cues and music that covers the waterfront — it’s no wonder the high school drama department started work on this play last spring.

But they did and the hard work was evident at Chess the Musical, which opened last night at the high school Performing Arts Center and shows again tonight and on Sunday this weekend.

Walking into the theatre at the Yard in Chilmark during a dance rehearsal this week, one couldn’t help noticing a spilled glass of water on the edge of the stage, and, upon further inspection, a puddle in the middle of the floor. A few minutes later a dancer stood in the middle of said puddle, relishing its slippery nature.

Transformed into what appears to be a room of curiosities, the Yard’s black-box theatre this week evokes a sense of wonder. A guitar leans against a funky metal chair, a streetlight stands in one corner, a piano is angled in the other and a lamp with no shade illuminates the stage.

But there’s a softness to the lighting that smooths what might be rougher edges of junk and turns it into a collection of life’s treasures.

Leslie Stark is a busy man this weekend. At the helm directing a group of short plays by David Ives on Sunday, he is also the man at the wheel on Saturday, Nov. 12, for reading Arnold Rabin’s new play, Quartet for a Queen. The reading takes place at 6:30 p.m. at Howes House in West Tisbury.

Currently, Venus in Fur, the new play by David Ives, is appearing on Broadway. The show gained stellar reviews last year when it opened off Broadway and the performance of ingenue actress Nina Arianda has mesmerized critics. This week’s New Yorker has a feature on her.

Junior High Cinderella

Next Friday and Saturday evening, Nov. 18 and 19, the Tisbury school gym will transform itself into the magical world of Cinderella for the junior high school play. Twenty-three student actors have been rehearsing since the first week of school to prepare the show that’s a lot of glass slippers to try on. Four other students make up the stage crew, cue turning into a pumpkin. Barra Peak returns this year as a graduate assistant.

The show is a musical, think Julie Andrews reborn

Edgartown School Play

Mark the calendars, the Edgartown school play takes place next Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4 and 5 at 7 p.m.

This year’s production is called Bluebeard and is billed as a spooky musical tale. Bluebeard is based on a cautionary tale involving sisters Mary Stephanie and Mary Elizabeth and their search for the man of their dreams. Of course, when trying to follow a dream, it is not uncommon for nightmares to infiltrate the landscape. The show visits both the humorous and haunting sides of this journey.

The American Dream can conjure up many images. Something to aspire to, something that excludes, something that is as prevalent as ever or something outdated and no longer even available to anyone. In any case, it is a particular American phrase and way of life and something most everyone has an opinion about. The problem arises when discussing the topic with family or friends; like anything leaning toward the political, it can get a bit too hot to handle.

Henry James Digs into Your Psyche