BINGHAMTON, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – KNOW Theatre is presenting a dark comedy this weekend, dark in that the performers act as though the lights have gone out.

Black Comedy by Peter Shaffer opens Friday.

It follows the madcap exploits of sculptor Brindsley Miller who steals his neighbor’s furniture in an attempt to impress a wealthy art collector and his fiancee’s father.

Hilarity ensues when a circuit is blown and the lights go out.

However, playwright Shaffer reverses the lighting so that the beginning of the play is in darkness and the stage lights come on when the power goes out.

Ryan Canavan, who portrays Miller, says the actors have to pretend that they cannot see.

“It’s hard. And there are points in this that are so ridiculous and funny that it’s hard not to engage in that, even though it’s happening right next to you here. So, there’s a lot of just looking out and away from each other that none of us are accustomed to.”

Canavan says the tight space filled with antique borrowed furniture makes the slapstick all the more challenging.

Black Comedy runs for 3 weekends with performances at 8 o’clock on Fridays and Saturdays and 3 o’clock on Sundays.

For tickets and more information, go to knowtheatre.org.