Slippery Rock University premieres “Pericles, Prince of Tyre,” an off-the-beaten path play co-authored by Shakespeare, on Friday.

According to director David Skeele, the show chronicles the life of Pericles, a young prince who attempts to win a wife and finds himself in a nightmare.

“He spends most of the play running from this nightmare he’s gotten into. It feels a bit like the book of Job in many ways,” Skeele said.

Skeele explained that the first two acts of the play are written by dramatist George Wilkins, with the final three by an aged Shakespeare.

“There are lines in the first acts that seem to be written by Shakespeare,” he said. “It’s exciting in Act III, when there’s a big soliloquy where Shakespeare almost announces his presence.”

The cast has been in rehearsals for six weeks, Skeele said, and has taken to the play and navigating COVID-19 challenges well.

“There’s a huge influx of young actors in our department, and it ends up it’s a good play for younger actors,” he said. “For such an obscure play, as soon as people are exposed to it, they seem to like it.”

This goes for audiences as well. For an obscure play, it’s incredibly accessible, according to Skeele. In the SRU production, a live percussionist and violinist craft unique scores to follow the action, and a unique take on stage combat is featured.

“It’s got things normal Shakespeare doesn’t have. It’s very visual. There’s a narrator; it’s so colorful. I think audiences have an easy time following it. This is a very theatrical production,” he said. “It’s action packed: There’s a tournament of knights, two shipwrecks and pirates.”

Skeele added that “Pericles” is a great play for people emerging from the hardships of previous years.

“It’s a play about suffering and ultimate redemption, and all the sweet things seeming so much sweeter having lost them and having found it again,” he said.