The managing and artistic director for Kean Theatre knows what you're thinking.

"There's this concept out there that all good theater is in the city," Tom Madden said, "and it's not so."

Add to that the fact that St. Barnabas Charities operates Kean Theatre in Richland, and the result is the assumption that the plays staged there are exclusively for residents of the St. Barnabas retirement communities and are skewed to appeal to the 80-and-older crowd.

Those assumptions don't come close to reality.

The semiprofessional Kean Theatre's productions are meant to appeal to a younger audience than those who live at St. Barnabas, although the residents sometimes attend performances and also help as ushers, said Kathleen Brenneman, director of media for St. Barnabas. Proceeds from shows at the Kean go to the Free Care Fund, which helps poor and low-income seniors in St. Barnabas nursing and assisted living facilities.

Despite the misconceptions, people are beginning to see that the Kean stages an eclectic mix of plays and musical performances, Mr. Madden said. He noted that a recent audition attracted more than 100 local actors.

Audiences will have a chance to judge for themselves as the Kean opens its season with Noel Coward's "Private Lives." Described by Mr. Madden as "a great comedy about bad manners," the 1930 classic concerns two honeymooning British couples who share a hotel balcony. The husband from one couple and the wife from the other were once married, and they rekindle their love affair to the chagrin of their spouses -- and eventually to their own.

Those not familiar with Mr. Coward often imagine his work is stuffy, Mr. Madden said, but it's the opposite. "It's elegantly sexy and very insightful about what goes on behind closed doors." He added that although his cast has attacked their roles with zeal, they have maintained the light touch required with Mr. Coward's comedies. The couples are played by Kristen Scannell, Gregory Caridi, Michelle LeWay and David Dietz.

Mr. Madden calls David Auburn's "Proof," which will be performed at the Kean on Sept. 21, 22, 28 and 29, an intense drama that represents an evolutionary step for the theater.

Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer prize for drama and 2001 Tony award for best play, it was made into a movie in 2005 with Gwyneth Paltrow as mathematical heroine Catherine.

"Proof" starts with the death of Catherine's mathematics professor father, Robert, who had long battled mental illness. Hal, a young math student, finds an equation among the professor's papers that may offer answers to some of math's most enduring problems. But is Catherine the author, and is she suffering from the same illness that struck her father?

Mr. Madden said he wouldn't have scheduled "Proof" unless he had the kind of strong female lead the role of Catherine requires, and that lead is Jessica Ream. It's a delicate part, he pointed out, because there's no pure madness, only hints to the audience about Catherine's stability. Ricardo Villa-Roger plays Hal, and his wife, Krysia Villa-Roger, plays Catherine's sister, Claire. John Shuey is Robert.

In addition to being a new play, "Proof" represents a departure for the Kean in that it's "pure drama," said Mr. Madden, and the evolution of the theater requires getting audiences used to more contemporary fare. "To tell you the truth, I expect smaller audiences. Audiences love comedy. But they can love first-class drama, too."

"Wait Until Dark" ends the 2007 theatrical season with performances Nov. 9, 10, 16 and 17. Written by Frederick Knott, the play appeared on Broadway in 1966 and was made into a 1967 film with Audrey Hepburn in the role of blind Greenwich Village housewife Suzy Hendrix, who is menaced by thugs in search of a drug cache.

Near the end of the play, in a scene that Mr. Madden calls "one of the most terrifying moments in theater," the lights are extinguished one by one, leaving the audience in the same darkness that Suzy inhabits.

Mr. Madden said two dozen actresses auditioned for the role of Suzy, but Kristen Scannell, who also is performing in "Private Lives," won the role. Tom Bickert and Mike Regan also are in the play. The role of Suzy's nemesis, Harry Roat, has not yet been cast.

Mr. Madden hopes that Kean Theatre's mixture of the classic and the new will change people's perceptions.

"Word is getting out." he said. "We do good productions."

"Private Lives" will be performed at 8 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, April 20 and 21 -- with dinner at 6 p.m. -- at Kean Theatre, The Washington Place, 5847 Meridian Road, Richland. Tickets are $19 for the show, $37 for dinner and show. Call 724-444-6288.