The Barebones Black Box Theatre in Braddock has built a reputation for bringing edgy, entertaining and thought-provoking plays to the stage. Its current production, “Dance Nation,” is no exception.

“Dance Nation” is a comedy/drama by Clare Barron that played to off-Broadway audiences in New York last year. But while it strikes to the core of the kind of shows Barebones does, this is the first time the theater’s artistic director, Patrick Jordan, has had to hire a choreographer.

“People hear about it and they’re like, ‘this doesn’t really suit Barebones.’ And I’m like, ‘Come see the play.’ It’s a Barebones play,” Jordan said.

Back story

A finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Drama, “Dance Nation” revolves around the members of a competitive dance troupe of 11- to 13-year-old girls training for nationals. The twist is that the dancers are played by actresses ranging in age from their 20s to their 60s.

As New York Times reviewer Ben Brantley explained it after the play opened last year, “Whether you admit it or not, your 13-year-old self is still living somewhere inside you like a feral demon-child whispering in the dark. It is a creature of frightening extremes, this being you once were.”

Director Melissa Martin said “Dance Nation” looks at dance as an allegory for the idea of learning to be aggressive as a woman and compete in the world.

“It’s asking the question, ‘What would have happened to women if, at 13, they were able to maintain the ferocity that they had at 13?’ It looks at this transition between 12 and 13 as being a pivotal point in the evolution of who women become,” said Martin.

”When we leave childhood and become teenagers and puberty takes over and you start to conform to societal expectations, what does that do to you?”

Jordan said there are backstage and dressing room scenes in “Dance Nation” that might make audience members squirm with discomfort.

“Some people might be offended by the language, but if you’ve ever heard a 13-year-old talk behind closed doors …

“It’s very real and it doesn’t pull any punches. At one point, there are nine actors up there dancing and we’ve got it all cramped into our little postage stamp of a theater. This shows we’re capable of doing anything.”

Choreographer engaged

And while there are plenty of dance numbers in the play, the playwright did not want professional dancers in all the roles. Still, a choreographer was needed to get the performers in step. The job was given to Tomé Cousin, who teaches dance at Carnegie Mellon University and performs internationally. He made Jordan happy from the start.

“We had a dance audition and I’m sitting there in our theater in Braddock and Tomé calls out … ‘five, six, seven, eight’ … and eight people start doing a time-step and I’m like ‘Oh my God, this is amazing!’ I was just giddy,” Jordan said.

In the play, the dancers are drilled by the character known as Dance Teacher Pat played like a football coach by actor David Conrad, known for his work in the TV series “Ghost Whisperer.” Conrad, a Pittsburgh native, also appeared earlier this season in “The Legend of Georgia McBride” at Barebones.

“Dance Teacher Pat is at times inspiring and at times cruel. But it’s because he absolutely 100% believes in competitive dance like it’s a religion,” Martin said. “There are times where we see that there might be something else going on underneath it, but he’s primarily interested in winning.”

The play looks more at the mothers, said Martin, and how they respond to the girls and what they want from their daughters in terms of being whole human beings.

“It’s a bit of a protest play but it’s also a big celebration of the potential of girls,” Martin said.

The cast includes Mita Ghosal, Liron Blumenthal, Mei Lu Barnum, Hope Anthony, Lissa Brennan, Cary Anne Spear, and Jerreme Rodriguez.

“Dance Nation” opened in late November and runs through Dec. 15.

“We’ve got people laughing, we’ve got people crying, and we’ve got some people that might be offended by the language but there is so much heart in this play and it comes across,” Jordan said. “Some people feel like they’re watching an acid trip. Some people feel like they’re watching an after-school special.”

But Martin warns that just because so much of the play is focused on 13-year-olds, it’s probably not a good idea to bring your preteen to this play.

“Like all Barebones shows, it’s for adults. This play has an awful lot of language about body parts and celebrating body parts, it’s out there and I think most people would not be happy if they brought their 13-year-old to it.”