This weekend many will celebrate Homecoming and the various traditions that accompany the festivities. However, No Refund Theatre will stray from the pack and perform two plays that are anything but traditional.

NRT will perform two one-act plays written by playwright Charles Busch, who is most known for his tendency to dress in drag and play female roles instead of male ones.

"Busch writes all of his leading ladies to be played by him in drag. Some things wouldn't work if they're played by a real woman," said director Andrew Terranova (senior-theater).

Although Busch's comedies may sound a little obscure, they're not. The second play NRT will be performing, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, about two rivaling vampires in Hollywood, is off-Broadway's longest running play. "I'm a real fan of the playwright Charles Busch. I've always wanted to direct something of his," Terranova said.

The night will begin with Busch's Theodora She-Bitch of Byzantium, which is a comedy about an emperor's wife, Theodora, who is sexually incompatible with her husband. Theodora disguises herself as a man and visits a gypsy who makes her a love potion to give to the emperor. Theodora accidentally drinks the potion and falls in love with the guards she meets.

The hilarity is that she is still disguised as a man, and the guards are planning to assassinate the emperor and confess everything to her, as they think she is a man.

"They're very eccentric and really humorous. Theodora is comedic almost to the point of being ridiculous," said stage manager Tara Ludchak (senior-management science and information systems). Keeping with Busch's tradition, Terranova cross cast men in two female roles.

"I've performed in drag before, it's challenging and fun at the same time. It's not everyday you get to wear five inch heels around the stage trying to make people laugh," said Charles Brewer (senior-economics) who plays Theodora.

Terranova considers these plays to be burlesque comedies, which is a fine line away from being pornographic. He focused on them being sexual but not offensive.

"The comedy candy coats all of the obscenities. They're a unique form of comedy that force the audience to lose their inhibitions," Terranova said.

Not only does this style of comedy force the audience to lose their inhibitions, but they encourage the cast to as well. According to Terranova, the cast first felt the material was shocking, but now they are finding it hysterical. "I wear a red thong and nothing else, it's quite a show stopper. The humor is straight out and some things are really shocking," said Eric Wertz (graduate-physics), an actor in the plays.

The shocking is free and will begin promptly at 8 in 111 Forum Building tonight and tomorrow.