Tabloid news graces the stage as the Penn State School of Theatre presents Bat Boy at 8 p.m. today through Oct. 8 at the Playhouse Theatre.

Bat Boy is the tale of a half-boy, half-bat creature who is discovered in a cave. The creature is taken to the house of the town veterinarian, Dr. Parker, where Bat Boy eventually becomes Edgar, a member of the family. He is taught to act like a "normal" boy by the veterinarian's wife, Meredith, and teenage daughter, Shelley.

Throughout the show, Bat Boy has to face the ignorance of the local townspeople and their narrow-minded opinions.

Director Jonathan Flom (graduate-theatre) said this show, which began as a joke -- a parody of tabloid stories and musical theater styles -- grew into a story of the power a charming outcast can have in bringing a family together.

This "charming outcast" -- Edgar -- is played by Justin Pifer (sophomore-musical theatre) who said that it's more difficult when your character is half boy and half bat.

"This role requires a lot of me physically," Pifer said. "I've really had to buckle down and sacrifice things for my art, like personal time, to improve the quality of the art that I want to bring to the public."

Pifer assures that the audience will be surprised when they watch the show. He said most people haven't even heard of the original show, which obtained cult status in New York City, and when Flom obtained the rights to direct the show, Penn State received an updated version of the script. This updated script included several new songs, which help create a rock-show feel to the performance. The audience, Pifer said, won't know what to think.

"The audience will be shocked," Pifer said. "Most people haven't heard of if. Brand new doesn't mean it's not good. Everyone knows Oklahoma!, but everyone should know Bat Boy."

The rock-show qualities of the performance are also highlighted by the theater's lighting system. Flom explained that Penn State's is the only theater in the country to have such a system right now, and it allows more room to create special effects.

"It's a rock show, up tempo, perfect for the young, hip college audience," he said. "The lighting only helps to amplify the rock concert effect."

All of the elements of the show come together to present a different theater experience than most musicals do. Addi McDaniel (junior-musical theatre), who plays Meredith Parker, explained that the story of Bat Boy has the rare ability of presenting a strange story with an underlying message.

"Bat Boy is a unique story to tell, because the world of these characters is so completely absurd, but it is still embedded with truth," she said.

The directing of such of absurd characters has been a challenge for Flom, but he said his directing has stressed allowing the characters to find the truth underneath the absurdities.

"The show is parodying other styles of theater, and one of the biggest challenges has been helping the actors to find the truth in the parody, as opposed to playing the parody," Flom said.

Julio Matos (graduate-theatre), who plays Dr. Parker, also said that while the characters may seem different, it's important to play them truthfully and to recognize what the show is really about.

"Everyone should be kind and embrace their inner bat-child," he said.

Embracing the inner bat-child is one of the lessons Flom hopes the audience takes away from the show.

"This is a fun comedy, but underneath, there's a lesson," Flom said. "Bat Boy is an outcast, and hopefully at the end of the night, the audience will think about judging people who are different then they are."