If laughter is truly the best medicine, Audrey Castracane believes she has the cure for what ails you with this year's lineup at South Park Theatre.

"It seems that the audience is dying for comedy, so I've tried to give it to them," the theater's artistic director said in a telephone interview.

With three comedies, two farces and an often-humorous biographical play with music, the schedule offers laugh lines from the time Castracane opens the doors on Friday night until she wraps up the 2004 season in late September.

South Park is starting the season with a risky venture for summer theater, the first full-length production of a new play by a local playwright.

But Castracane is confident that her trip out on the limb will pay off with David W. Dietz III's "The Celestial Social Service."

"It's a kind of comedy fantasy," she said of the play, which concerns cupid-type matchmakers who get involved in the romantic interests of some of the main characters.

Castracane acknowledged that much of her confidence in the play comes from her past associations with both the work and the playwright.

"I saw a seated reading and enjoyed it, and David has acted here before," she said,

Although the first show could be a risk, the second appears to be a likely sure-fire favorite. Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple (female version)" has a long history of filling summer theaters.

Castracane will take the part of Olive, the sloppy half of the duo.

Next comes "Perfect Wedding," a farce by Robin Hawdon. The plot concerns a young bridegroom-to-be who finds himself in bed with another woman on the morning of his wedding.

His attempt to hide that fact from his intended leads to other farce-like complications and draws in everyone even remotely associated with the wedding.

The fourth play of the season has also proven to be a tried-and-true crowd-pleaser, but only in the past three or four seasons. "Over the River and Through the Woods" tells the tale of two sets of well-meaning but overbearing New York Italian grandparents and their attempt to stop their beloved grandson from taking a job on the West Coast.

For the penultimate show of the season, Castrcane has selected "Funny Money," a farce by British playwright Ray Cooney.

The last entry on the schedule is a bit of a departure, but not as much as you might think, Castracane said.

"Always ... Patsy Cline" has a lot of humor between performances of the famous country singer's musical numbers and the unhappy ending that most audience members will know about going in.

The play tells the story of Cline's friendship with Louise, a devoted fan who handles most of the spoken words in the play, while the actress playing Cline does all the singing.

South Park Theatre is in South Park at Brownsville Road and Corrigan Drive. Call 412-831-8552 for season or single ticket information.