Aguirre-Sacasa is the prolific playwright of Good Boys and True, Based on a Totally True Story, The Mystery Plays, The Muckle Man and more. Some of his past work has also touched on gothic stories and monster tales. He has written for Marvel Comics titles, including "Spider-Man" and "The Fantastic Four," and also writes for the HBO series "Big Love." He's working with songwriter Duncan Sheik on a musical adaptation of the novel "American Psycho." He has also penned a new version of the 1960s musical It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman.

Opening night is April 16. According to SCR in Costa Mesa, CA, "Set in the suburbs of Washington, DC, in the mid-1980s, [this] funny coming-of-age tale centers around Franklin Robertson, a geeky, overweight teenager whose great comfort comes from the horror movies he watches every Saturday at midnight on a black-and-white TV set in his basement, introduced by the enigmatic Doctor Cerberus. He dreams of becoming the TV host's assistant, and of becoming a writer. But first he must survive high school, and that means dealing with his overprotective parents, bullying older brother and clueless teachers."

Bart DeLorenzo, who directed the SCR Pacific Playwrights Festival staged reading of Doctor Cerberus, directs the full production.

Brett Ryback, who appeared in the 2009 staged reading, again plays Franklin. Also reprising his reading role as Franklin's dad is Steven Culp, former series regular on "Desperate Housewives." SCR newcomer and frequent Broadway star Candy Buckley plays Franklin's mother, and Jarrett Sleeper ("The Secret Life of an American Teenager") plays his brother, Rodney. Jamison Jones ("24") plays Doctor Cerberus and several other characters. The creative team includes Keith Mitchell (set design), Shigeru Yaji (costume design), Rand Ryan (lighting design), Steven Cahill (sound design), Kelly L. Miller (dramaturg) and Kathryn Davies (stage manager).

For tickets and information, visit www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or by visiting the box office at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, CA.