When Quantum Theatre decides to go howling in the woods, company founder Karla Boos finds suitable woods and plants a theater right then and there.

In the case of the setting for Quantum's 20th-season opener, the world premiere of "The Howling Miller," set designer Tony Ferrieiri and some hardworking carpenters have repurposed a previously overgrown hillside at Squirrel Hill's Frick Environmental Center as an outdoor theater.

The smell of cut wood and the sounds of cutting and drilling were in the air last week as Quantum prepared for the tale of an eccentric outsider with a penchant for making loud animal noises.

The "howling miller" of the title tries to escape the persecution of his neighbors by hiding in the woods, and we soon discover that his pursuers have some annoying quirks of their own.

"It seemed like the right choice to make a bold, ambitious start to the 20th season," said Ms. Boos, who with director Peter Duschenes adapted the 1981 book by Finnish novelist Arto Paasilinna. "It has the qualities of whimsy, darkness and humor I seem to be attracted to these days. And working with Peter, who is among my oldest relationships in theater, we go back to grad school, made it seem just right.

"If it's typical of a Quantum production in any way, it's that we did not know how to do this when we started."

The words were still in flux last week, as Ms. Boos and Mr. Duschenes were continuing to revise, while the staging was going full tilt. The abandoned environmental center building, which burned in 2002, will stand in for the mill. Next to it, a wooden ramp and treacherous, spiraling steps have been built for actors to enter and exit the multilevel stage, which includes a length-wise wood platform at the rear.

The "backstage" is mostly uncut woods, with entry and exits that would give an acrophobic pause.

"It's extremely challenging" for the cast, Mr. Duschenes said. "There's a huge amount of activity, props and different ways to get from here to here to here. They have to go on a little hike to go behind the stage. But the company has embraced it, and they're all coping without complaints."

The lanky, blue-eyed actor embracing the title role of Gunnar Huttunen is Tristan Farmer, a Carnegie Mellon grad who played Shane in barebones' production of "Take Me Out." Gunnar bounds about the stage, "sometimes on all fours," Mr. Duschenes said, but Mr. Farmer's physicality was just one factor that recommended him for the role.

"His animal imitations are unbelievable," said Ms. Boos.

Among the "special skills" listed on Mr. Farmer's Web site are "advanced yoga, bird and cricket noises and advanced whistles," all sure to come in handy in the role.

Gunnar has reasons to howl, too, not the least of which are his neighbors. They can't abide by his odd ways but are blind to their own eccentricities and shortcomings, a set-up ripe for humor.

Exceptions are a policeman who befriends Gunnar and Agricultural Advisor Sanelma (Melinda Helfrich), who advocates for home-grown vegetable gardens and is drawn to him, wild side and all.

The characters are smarting from stings left by World War II and now see the Korean War gearing up. Anxiety, suspicion and self-preservation easily trump understanding.

"There's almost no character in the play who doesn't talk about how the war affected them," Mr. Duschenes said. "It certainly makes them more demoralized and trying desperately to hold onto their lives. So the introduction of this outsider is more disturbing, more upsetting to them than if they had been in a stable situation."

From the moment Gunnar relocates to Finland and buys a mill in a small town, nothing in his life will ever be stable again. The man who howls like a wolf is eventually declared insane and finds himself on the run in the deep woods.

Woods can be seen beyond the clearing at the Frick Environmental Center, on Beechwood Boulevard near South Dallas Avenue. There may be a sense of wonder for Squirrel Hill residents who happen upon the outdoor theater that seats 150 people.

The newly constructed venue would make a nice little concert or lecture site, but when "The Howling Miller" howls his last, the seating will be hauled off for the next Quantum production. Ms. Boos pointed to reused platforms that had been painted for recent productions, blue for "Candide" and green for "The Task."

"We looked at an industrial site by a river and in the end, we were very glad to have this site because it's much more suitable," Mr. Duschenes said. "The play is about nature and civilization, and we have both of those right here."

Sound designer Herman Pearl will conjure the running water and falling trees that the play calls for, while the unpredictable outdoors will work its magic as the miller connects with his wilder side and his neighbors try to deny theirs.

"He makes them acknowledge what they don't want to," Mr. Duschenes said, "the uncontrolled animal inside, which he lets out."

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