MARION — “I don’t believe that Cape Cod has a monopoly on sunshine. There’s plenty in Iowa,” the newlywed character Sharon says to her husband at his family’s vacation house. 

Family drama is in no shortage throughout the Marion Art Center’s third outdoor play of the summer, “Cedar Beach,” directed by Tabor Academy teacher John Heavey

The play, a series of eight scenes depicting the life of a family through their vacation home over 50 years, runs just under an hour and a half.

Heavey said the play took about six or seven weeks to put together after casting. And with over a dozen characters played by a small company of actors — some playing two or three roles and some making their stage debut with the play — that was a feat in and of itself.

“And also you’re playing across years as well,” Heavey said at a dress rehearsal on Aug. 18.

He said he feels the show, which will be performed in Bicentennial Park over two weekends, “plays well” outside, especially because it’s set in a coastal vacation home.

“I think it’s coming together really well,” Heavey said.

One thing Heavey said he appreciated as the director was seeing the cast bond and become cordial with one another.

“They’ve really built a good chemistry,” he said.

And while the mood backstage may be friendly, the play itself deals with the typical drama and difficulty of being part of a family.

“It’s a story about a place,” Heavey said. “But it’s also a story about family and relationships.”

The show began its run on Aug. 21, and four more show dates are scheduled from Aug. 26 to 29. 

Thursday, Friday and Saturday productions will begin at 5 p.m., and Sunday matinees will begin at 2 p.m. For tickets, go to marionartcenter.org