The Richland Players are preparing to take their production of God of Carnage to Bremerton later this month for the Kaleidoscope 2013 Community Theatre Festival.

But first, the troupe will give a one-night performance of the Tony Award-winning play at 8 p.m. Feb. 22 in the studio at the Academy of Children's Theatre, 213 Wellsian Way in Richland.

Admission is free, but donations are welcome, which will be used for travel expenses for the cast to attend the regional competition from Feb. 28-March 3 at the Bremerton Community Theatre.

God of Carnage is a one-act play with as much humor as there are life lessons woven into the script.

"The characters are two couples whose 11-year-old boys had been in a playground fight, and one knocked the teeth out of the other with a stick," said Ted Miller, the show's director. "The parents are meeting at the victim's home to discuss the situation diplomatically like adults, but the conversation soon turns ugly as tensions mount and true feelings come to the surface."

The Players are one of eight theater groups from across the state who will compete in the annual theater festival.

Players have been involved in the festival since 1983, and in 2011, the community theater troupe won best director, best lighting design and best sound design for its production of Wildwood Park. In 1995, they won the state festival with their production of 27 Wagons Full of Cotton.

The cast for God of Carnage includes Tri-City actors Michael Thomas, Freddy Izaguirre, Molly Holleran and Amy Lynne Darling.

*Dori O'Neal: 582-1514; doneal@tricityherald.com; Twitter: @dorioneal