The Red Barn Theater in Hampton will open its second- to-last show of the season on Tuesday, Aug. 21.

"The Last Yankee," a play by Arthur Miller, will run from that Tuesday until Sunday, Sept. 2.

Sticking with her tradition of never doing the same play twice, Pat Van Eman, managing and artistic director, decided to do the play because of her extensive reading habit.

"I read and read and read and read," Van Eman says. "I haven't done an Arthur Miller in awhile."

Van Eman also said this Arthur Miller play isn't one people have a chance to see very often -- especially compared to his most famous plays like "Death of a Salesman" and "The Crucible."

"This one's not done very often," she says.

The story of "The Last Yankee" is about two men in New England. One is in his late forties and the other is about twenty years older.

The two men meet in a mental health facility, where both their wives are recovering from nervous breakdowns.

Van Eman calls it a "slice of life" play.

Appearing in the production are Judy Greene, Jerry Nassar, Thelma Snyder and Paul Stockhausen. Directing the play is Shadyside resident Jeff Simpson.

This is the first time Simpson will be directing a production at the Red Barn Theater.

"I usually use the same directors year after year unless one has to go," Van Eman says. "In this case, one did have to go."

Van Eman says Simpson is really well known in the Pittsburgh area for his directing ability.

"He just has a really good reputation for directing," she says. "So I wanted to give him a shot at the barn."

And it was indeed his reputation, and a little help from the other Red Barn directors, that got Simpson the call. He's friends with a few of the directors and they gave Van Eman good reviews on his ability.

Simpson has been directing since college but this is his first time doing "The Last Yankee," and he finds himself explaining what it is to a lot of people when they ask.

"It's a play that a lot of people have never heard of," Simpson says.

Even though it isn't well-known, Simpson speaks very highly of the play.

"It's only an hour long but it's packed with so much stuff," he says. "It's so rich."

Besides the play, Simpson has found his first experience with the Red Barn Theater to be a good one.

"The play is really something," he says. "It's not just a good experience, but also a rewarding experience."

There will be one more play at the Red Barn Theater after this. The last play of the season, and possibly ever, as the Red Barn is slated to close its doors forever, will be "Italian American Reconciliation." It runs in September.