The Promise Players are putting a new twist on metatheater. Instead of watching a play about another play, you can watch a play about a church while sitting in one.

The theater group will put on its fall show, "See You in Bells," on Thursday, Nov. 5, through Sunday, Nov. 8, and Thursday, Nov. 12, through Sunday, Nov. 15, at Lampeter Church of the Brethren, 1900 Lampeter Road, Lancaster. Thursday and Friday performances will begin at 7:30 p.m., Saturday shows will start at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday shows will commence at 2:30 p.m.

The show, written by Edie Claire, follows the chaotic wedding of Jenna Bower, the youngest daughter in a family that has been doomed by ruinous weddings.

"The family has had a series of disastrous weddings in this church building before," said Glenn Grubb, the director of the show. "The building is kind of old and run down, and it's actually going to be the last service in the church. ... Some disastrous things happen in the church; that sort of sets a scene for why (things) are the way they are."

The show has five flashback scenes and features some younger actors who will play past versions of the adult characters.

"It's a good, funny show, but it does have some good messaging," Grubb said. "We usually prefer to do comedies, but we have done some dramas in the past. ... This is another one that everybody really liked."

The Promise Players launched in 1995 and have put on more than 50 shows over the course of more than three decades. The group's shows have always been at the Lampeter Church of the Brethren, and the group formally became a ministry of the church within the past few years.

This will be the second time that the group has done "See You in Bells"; it first did the show in 2013. A half-dozen of this fall's cast took part in that 2013 show; some will reprise their past role, while others look for something new. Some members of the cast, like Ken Hess, have been a part of more than 40 Promise Players' productions.

Grubb was a part of that 2013 show as an actor, but this fall's show is his first crack at being a director.

"Hopefully," he said. "We're still one character short. We lost an actor at the beginning, and I get to find another player. It's a minor hole, but hopefully I won't be forced to play it."

The Promise Players' productions frequently sell out. Reservations are strongly encouraged. Seating in the church's sub-200-seat sanctuary is general admission on a first-come, first-served basis and will be available at the door if there is space. Tickets will be paid for at the door on a freewill basis, although there are set rates that are strongly encouraged.

Children under age 5 will be admitted for free. To make reservations, go to http://www.promiseplayers.org or call the church office at 717-464-2050 on Mondays to Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For larger families, there will be a set cap on how much tickets can cost.

Proceeds from the show will benefit Sawa Africa, a locally based nonprofit that helps underserved communities in western Kenya through faith-based education, economic empowerment and community service.

The 2013 showing of "See You in Bells" also benefited the organization, which was formerly known as the Rafiki Africa Foundation.

"The proceeds of the plays are donated to typically a local beneficiary that does some sort of mission work," Grubb explained.