FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Depression era 1932 — job loss, poverty and starvation seem bad enough until a mummy unleashed over a radio broadcast threatens to show bad what’s worse. Audience members are asked to help hunt the mummy in this interactive mystery play by Commedia del Arte.

While a radio play gone wrong may draw audiences to University of South Alabama in Mobile, Humanities Building Room 170, 7 p.m., Sept. 17, and USA Baldwin County Performing Arts Center in Fairhope, 7 p.m., Sept. 24, Commedia players strive to do right.

Proceeds from the $6 in advance, $8 at the door ticket prices will go to USA’s Oracle fine arts and literary magazine and to T-Town Paws to help animals in Tuscaloosa.

“As for the charities, we usually select a group as our way of giving back to the communities,” Commedia founder and director Shari Prestwood said. “The Oracle is a student-run arts magazine which receives very limited funding from the university and is one of our permanent sponsors.

“T-Town Paws is an animal group in Tuscaloosa; we chose this group because all of our cast members have animals and none of us can stand to see them suffer. After helping ARF (Animal Rescue Foundation) raise nearly $250 after our production of ‘Alice and Wonderland,’ we wanted to help another charity. Tuscaloosa, having been struck by a devastating tornado, was a good choice. Several of our cast members have relatives attending the college and they told us of the devastation. The choice to help the animals of T-Town was an easy choice for me as the animals often get forgotten as victims in disasters.”

Ashley Kuppersmith, stage manager and artistic director to Commedia, agreed.

“We give support to the Oracle because they are one of our original sponsors, and a publication that promotes the arts always needs support,” she explained. “We selected T-Town Paws because all of us love and have animals and we remember Katrina and the displaced animals after that.

“And two of our members have sisters that attend the University of Alabama.”

The group may not have seen mummies nor The Great Depression, as audience members will during “Curses,” but it is far from a new venture.

Prestwood divulged that the group was founded in 1980 as a traveling puppet group.

“After deciding puppetry was too limited for the style of theater that we wanted to present, we moved into live theater,” she said, “presenting our first full-length play in 1990: ‘Waiting for Godo’ by Samuel Beckett.

“After that we decided to write our own, doing such plays as ‘St. Jean’, ‘Robin of Sherwood’ and ‘The Five Muskateers.” We also perform the classics such as ‘Peter Pan,’ ‘Arsenic and Old Lace,’ ‘The Foreigner’ and all of Shakespeare's works.”

Members include Prestwood, Kuppersmith, Dana Reeves, Nicole Schlaudecker, Stephanie Evers, Michelle Dyess, Nichelle Evans, Brittany Smith, Katie Bexley, Chris Adams and Erin Goins.

Kuppersmith spoke about her motivation to partake in Commedia’s fun.

“What personally inspired me to join the group was a need to showcase art work and to find something that I could be proud of,” she pondered. “The driving force behind Commedia is that we are passionate about what we do and we strive to create the perfect balance of skill and fun.

“Every member, new and old, is treated like family from the start and each person’s unique talents are pushed forward to inspire each person to create their own character. With Shari’s masterful directing, she blends each person’s take on their characters with what is best for the performance, giving the audience a very special work of art, unlike other theaters where the director’s view is the only one the audience sees.”

The group holds auditions for new members twice a year or by appointment, and positions are open to anyone “16 to 107,” according to Prestwood.

Kuppersmith explained how potential members might gauge a nice fit.

“We are a selective group but not closed,” she said. “We are always looking for new members: some of the qualities we look for in new recruits is a true love of theater, a good attitude and fun-loving spirit and a good work ethic, as everyone involved in the group has a task to perform and no one is above anyone else.

“We are always willing to train, so experience is not a requirement.”