From left are Vera Barton-Maxwell, Makayla Carney, Joel Nau, Cassandra Hackbart and Vincent Marshall.

WHEELING — Oglebay Institutes’ Towngate Theatre in Wheeling continues its 2023-34 season David Lindsay-Abaire’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Rabbit Hole.” Shows take place for two weekends: March 15-17 and March 22-23.

“Rabbit Hole” is the story of a young family’s journey of re-engaging with the world after a personal tragedy. The circumstances of inexplicable loss taps a reservoir of feelings common to anyone who has experienced the landscape-shifting vacuum left by a death in the family.

Still, the play uses humor and poignancy, the awkwardness and pain of thinking people faced with an unthinkable situation, to depict a deeply human and uplifting story.

Butch Maxwell directs. Cast members are Vincent Marshall, Cassandra Hackbart, Makayla Carney, Vera Barton-Maxwell, and Joel Nau.

“The extraordinary actors I managed to cast have all taken a very internal approach to capture the realism of this play and have formed a tight ensemble that accelerates the audience through a vast array of emotions,” Maxwell said.

He described “Rabbit Hole” as an “intelligent, insightful, and inspiring 21st Century play,” and said it “has been a joy to work with such a talented cast.”

Curtain for Towngate’s production of “Rabbit Hole” is 3 p.m. Sunday, March 17. This production is presented with support from Towngate’s season sponsor Unified Bank and additional support from Mr. & Mrs. William J. Yaeger Jr.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.oionline.com or call 304-242-7700.

Tickets can also be purchased at the door, if available. Box office opens one hour prior to curtain.

In addition to community theater, Towngate offers children’s theater, ballet, improvisational comedy, and live music. Towngate is also a single screen cinema, offering movies on select evenings and features changing art exhibitions in The Gallery at Towngate. Theater classes are also offered year-round.

The church-turned-theater Towngate is in Wheeling’s historic Centre Market District.