Champagne Gods will be on stage at 8 p.m. today through Saturday in the Theater Building’s Theater B. Both said they are excited for everyone to see what has become of the play since it first appeared on the workshop table.

Clippard said she was drawn to the script because of its comedy. 

“I think this is a nice contrast with all the gore and seriousness we have had this season,” she said. She hopes the promise of screwball comedy will draw people to the show.

A number of Dendinger’s experiences influence different aspects of Champagne Gods, which centers on a love story that unfolds at a British archeology museum’s New Year’s Eve celebration.

“I have a passion for archaeology,” Dendinger said. “I went to archaeology camp when I was little, so it was fun to play with a play about archaeology.”

Additionally, the play’s European setting was inspired by the playwright’s time studying in England.

The inspiration for romantic and comedic farce came from the screwball comedies of the 1920s and ’30s.

“I’m really interested in film,” Dendinger said. “I spent a lot time watching actresses such as Katherine Hepburn, who drove the comedies of that day and saw how much fun those characters had.”

“[Those women] weren’t just eye candy,” Clippard said.

From this, Dendinger created a show that modernized the ideas she saw in the films, making them “distinctly contemporary,” as she put it.

Clippard and Dendinger worked together on various aspects of the play. Upon hearing their projected time slot, Dendinger said, she broached the idea of turning the show into a holiday show, setting this fun mystery at a New Year’s Eve London gala.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a holiday show being set on New Year’s Eve,” Clippard said.

“And it just fit with the title being Champagne Gods,” Dendinger said.

Students from Dendinger’s Playwriting I class said they were excited about getting to see some of their teacher’s work after learning from her during the semester. Many said they were looking forward to the holiday show, not to mention “the extra credit.”

Like Dendinger’s students, the Champagne Gods duo of Clippard and Dendinger said audiences have a lot to look forward to.

What: Champagne Gods