FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio - Being a teenager often involves learning how to deal with complicated situations and decisions. That's exactly why Fairview High School Drama Club Director Jessica Atwood chose "Little Woman" as the fall production.

The Fairview High School Stagecrafters brings the Louisa May Alcott classic to life this weekend with performances in the Frank W. Barr Auditorium.

"I picked this show basically because it's about people and complicated situations," Atwood said. "There's a line one of the characters says, 'Sometimes people are just a little bit more complicated than the obvious choice.' This show is just helping students realize that."

"Little Women" tells the coming-of-age tale of the four March girls - Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. Atwood said she talked to the 15-student cast about the timeless aspect of the story.

"Really it's just all about relationships with people," Atwood said. "How losing a sister or choosing the right person to spend your life with or realizing that maybe what you planned to do or what feels right to do with your life isn't what everybody else around you expects you to be doing."

While the young thespians gravitated to playing teen-aged characters, Atwood said those portraying adults had a learning curve regarding the more emotional scenes. Overall, she's proud of the work her cast put in as a team. She also hopes they take away a specific message from "Little Women."

"It's one of those things where they need to see the journey the main character takes, eventually realizing it is time to grow up," Atwood said. "She's very hesitant to grow up and to allow things to change. You see that with students a lot.

"It's scary to realize that relationships change over time and then to even take that step and do something different than what is expected of you is scary. For students to see characters experience those situations and still turnout OK, that's really important."

Fairview High School Stagecrafters present "Little Women" at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, as well as 2 p.m. Sunday in the Frank W. Barr Auditorium. Tickets are $5 at the door.