This September, to be exact Sept. 14-16, at the Sampson Community Theatre, the curtains will rise on “Dragons in the Path,” a new play by Justin Lockamy based on the novel “I Knew 3,000 Lunatics” by Dr. Victor R. Small, whose home on College Street serves as site of the Sampson Arts Council.

Lucy Lockamy will direct and produce the play, in collaboration with the Sampson Arts Council, as the inaugural production of her Old Bluff Theatre Company, which is dedicated to staging authentic, relevant and challenging theater for the people of Sampson County.

Mrs. Lockamy received a 2011-12 Regional Artists Project Grant from the North Carolina Arts Council to perform the show, and the Sampson Arts Council, she said, has generously provided additional funding.

The play takes place in a mental hospital in the early 1930s, modeled on Dr. Small’s time on staff at Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh and an epileptic hospital in Ohio. It follows the lives of the hospital staff and patients, as they wrestle with changing professional and personal fortunes. Despite its 80-year-old setting, the audience will find much in the play that resonates with society today.

Mrs. Lockamy has recently directed a murder mystery comedy for the Sampson Arts Council and “The Elves and the Shoemaker,” a musical put on by the Sampson Little Players.

“We were impressed by the work Lucy did on our murder-mystery dinner,” said Sampson Arts Council executive director Kara Donatelli. “The Arts Council’s throwing its weight behind this project, not just because of Dr. Small’s legacy, but because of the great show that Lucy will bring together.”

Mrs. Lockamy is urging people to get involved, volunteering as part of the cast or crew. Auditions for the play will be held on Aug. 5, with additional details to follow. Rehearsals will begin Aug. 13.

For additional information, please contact Lucy Lockamy at lockamylucy@gmail.com.