Courtesy photo / Joe Rishell rehearses a scene from Things Unseen Theatre’s “Rust.”

The play “Rust,” penned by Johnstown playwright F.J. Hartland, offered ideal conditions for actor Joe Rishell to return to the stage after a 14-year hiatus.

Rishell portrays an unemployed Pittsburgh steel worker of Slovakian descent in Things Unseen Theatre’s production, beginning May 17 at the Church in the Middle of the Block Cultural Center, 217 5th Avenue, Altoona.

Set in 1984, “Rust” follows a family’s adjustments when the bread-winner finds himself unemployed and his wife returns to work, sending their traditional lifestyle sideways.

“When I read the script prior to auditioning, it is a story I know and I thought that would help ease me back in to performing,” Rishell said.

It also allowed him to pay tribute to his recently deceased father, who uncannily shared many of the fictional patriarch’s attributes, such as Slovakian descent, a family in steel production and a multi-generational household, among others.

Those are attributes shared with Hartland, who said his inspiration for “Rust” came from his experiences in western Pennsylvania.

“I lived through the ‘hard times’ of the early 1980s … Many young people don’t know what things were like then,” Hartland said. “Also, the play is a kind of tribute to my father, who was a proud, hard-working man who lost his job at Bethlehem Steel back in the 1980s.”

“My father and this character are both Archie Bunker-types and became unemployed when the steel mills closed,” Rishell said. “My mother returned to work to help make ends meet, and my grandmother lived with us. I could really relate to the family’s circumstances as I was a senior in high school when the steel mills closed.”

His previous work relationship with Hartland also lured him back.

“He (Hartland) writes dialogue like people speak. It is realistic,” Rishell said, adding the play aligns with the troupe’s mission to “be edgy and real.”

The play contains adult language and themes, so Rishell said this production may be more appropriate for older teens and adults.

Simultaneously bittersweet and funny, the play unfolds in a bar, the family’s home and the local employment office.

“I am in nearly every scene, so the many costume changes and extensive dialogue are challenging,” he said. “It’s the first show I’ve done in 14 years, but acting has always been a passion of mine, and I have worked with F.J. and other people before.

“I’m counting on my memory being as good as it was before.”

Mirror staff writer Patt Keith can be reached at 949-7030.

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If you go

What: Things Unseen Theatre’s production of F.J. Hartland’s “Rust”

When: 8 p.m. May 17, 19, 24 and 26; 2 p.m. May 20

Where: The Church in the Middle of the Block Cultural Center, 217 5th Avenue, Altoona.

Tickets: $12 for general admission, $10 for students and seniors. They are available at the door and at Thompson Pharmacy location. For more information, call (814) 934-3504 or visit www.thingsunseentheatre.org or Things Unseen Theatre’s Facebook page.

This play contains adult language and themes.