Illinois Valley Community College’s fall production of “Tiny Beautiful Things” explores the hilarity and heartbreak of reaching out, reaching up, and reaching awareness.

“To put it in the words of one of the cast members: Come feel all the feels! It is a fun, fast-moving play filled with a variety of characters and situations, full of comedy and some very touching moments,” said Director and Theater Instructor Dr. Dale Young.

The play will be performed Thursday through Sunday, November 12-15, in the Dr. Mary Margaret Weeg Cultural Centre. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday.

Tickets are available through the online box office link https://cur8.com/projects/ivcc. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for high school students and younger, and free for IVCC students.

The play explores what it means to reach out and offer someone a hand. Based on the bestselling book by Cheryl Strayed, the play introduces a struggling online advice columnist named Sugar and a revolving cast of characters who seek her advice and find empathy, connection, and possibly a momentum they need to get them through the next day.

“Sugar is often hilariously, sometimes heartbreakingly, funny and honest,” Young said.

Young immediately put the script in his top 10 want-to-do list after he saw a staged reading and believes now is the right time to bring it to the Illinois Valley.

“We live in strange, disconnected, and highly anxious times. What gets us through is our ability to connect genuinely with those around us, to share stories, ask questions, offer encouragement, and to laugh at ourselves and fuel hope,” Young said.

The cast includes Jennifer Walk of Hennepin as Sugar and IVCC students Hope Loza, Luke Gualandri, Ava Talbot, and Samuel Wade as the advice-seekers. Walk is an IVCC alumna and Illinois Valley area theater veteran.

The crew includes Addison Kanellis, student stage manager/understudy; Dr. Laura Bird of Ann Arbor, Mich., scenic design; Lisa Gifford of La Salle, lighting design; and Chad Brokaw, IVCC Events and Technical Coordinator, technical direction. Bird is a professional theater artist and educator and Young’s long-time collaborator. Gifford is an Illinois Valley area theater veteran.

The play deals with some adult themes and includes adult language that may not be appropriate for young children, so parental discretion is advised.