It is 1944 and with World War II at a critical point, siblings played by Hayden Gentry, left, and Logan Siewert have both written letters to their mother before leaving to enlist in the U.S. Army. When Siewert’s character reads his brother’s eloquently penned letter, he wants to add his own name to it.

Anyone who has ever been exasperated with their brother or sister will savor a play being staged at Ilwaco High School.

“Mutually Assured Destruction”

Ten short plays about brothers and sisters. Written by Don Zolidis; directed by Rachel Lake

Ilwaco High School Drama Club

7 p.m. Dec. 16 and 17; 3 p.m. Dec. 17 and 18.

Black-box Theater

Ilwaco High School

404 School Road, Ilwaco

Tickets $10, at the door.

The Drama Club’s student actors are gearing up to stage “Mutually Assured Destruction.”

The script especially resonates for their director Rachel Lake, who grew up the youngest of three sisters.

“I enjoy vignette styles because it gives lots of students opportunities,” she said. “I literally laughed out loud when I first read it.”

“Mutually Assured Destruction” was written by Don Zolidis, a high school and middle school teacher who shifted careers and became one of the most produced playwrights in American schools.

His show was once advertised as “an era-hopping tribute to family.” It features 10 scenes that transport the audience from the 1920s to the present day, all focusing on sibling relationships and rivalries with humor and pathos.

The IHS production opens 7 p.m. Dec. 16 and will be staged 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 17 with a concluding matinee 3 p.m. Dec. 18. Tickets are $10, at the door of the Black-Box Theater at Ilwaco High School.

In the cast are Avalon Hildebrandt, Jessica Garcia, Ethan Shaw

Olina Dalton-Gilbertson, Hayden Gentry, Logan Seiwert, Blake Bell, Aubrey Coulombe, Cobra Moore, Keira Watters, Paul Kuhn, Jace Linthakhan, Aimee Meinhardt, Kara Meinhardt and Josie Schenk; some appear in more than one scene.

Unexpected advice

The action begins in 1922 and the scenes portray each of the subsequent decades. In 1936, a woman breaks into the movies, but her brother muscles in to manage her.

World War II shaped a generation. Hayden Gentry and Logan Siewert play brothers who write farewell letters to their mother when they enlist in 1944. Gentry, a sophomore, plays the more literate brother. “He reads mine, which has good imagery and vocabulary,” Gentry said. “He wants to sign his name to it, too, and we start fighting over the letter.”

A 1950s’ high schooler, played by Bell, seeks advice from his older sister, played by Coulombe, a junior at IHS. He wants to know how to ask an older girl to the prom. But her reply isn’t what his character is expecting.

Staging the scene amuses Bell, the last of five family members who have been involved in Lake’s projects. One real-life advantage of being the youngest? “I get the house alone!” the sophomore quipped.

The 1968 vignette draws on actual history and tells the story of a brother who joined a hippie cult. Later milestones include the 1977 release of the first “Star Wars” movie. Scenes which bring the audience up to the modern era highlight college admissions, the talent to entertain, and squabbles over Instagram photos. In one, subtitled “I’m Pretty Sure This Is Your Fault,” a siblings argue over their parents’ divorce.

Explore characters

The play begins in the 1920s with a scene subtitled “Very Very Cold Feet.” Garcia’s character is trying to escape from an upcoming marriage and her sister, played by Hildebrandt, tries to convince her of its positive potential. Both wear long period dresses that appear more formal than later eras.

“Drama Club is kind of natural for me,” said Garcia, a junior. “It is fun to explore other characters and meet all the people.”

Hildebrandt, a freshman, enjoys acting, too. “I like the excitement in drama, and the creativity,” she said.