VALDOSTA – “Second Samuel” is the second time Alijah Patterson has been connected to this play.

He played character B Flat as a young student at Valdosta High School in 2015. Ten years later, Patterson directs the Theatre Guild Valdosta production of the same play.

“It’s a full-circle moment for me,” Patterson said, standing in the Dosta Playhouse, downtown. “Especially since it was my first play in high school and this is now the first play where I am the director.”

In between, Patterson has become a Theatre Guild regular where he has performed on stage but has been more involved backstage in recent years, working as a stage manager and assistant director. He’s a member of the TGV board of directors. He still regularly performs as part of the local Tassels and Tequila troupe.

Of “Second Samuel,” Patterson said it is a play with a message of love, tolerance and acceptance that is especially important to share at this time.

“Second Samuel” is a play written by Pamela Parker, a playwright who grew up in a Georgia mill town, according to her biography.

Second Samuel is the name of the South Georgia town in the play. It’s a town that Patterson said could easily be Valdosta.

Theatre Guild play synopsis: “It was a simpler time in the late 1940s, especially in South Georgia and specifically in a sleepy little town called Second Samuel. Bernard Flat, an autistic young man affectionately nicknamed B Flat by his friends, introduces us to the townspeople as they move through the chores and activities of their days. The Great Depression was quickly fading into memory, the war had been won, the election was now over and ‘Give ’em Hell Harry’ was still president. It had been an exciting time for sure but the folks in Second Samuel were ready for things to settle down and get back to normal. Except — this was the summer Miss Gertrude passed away and nobody could have imagined how the death of one sweet little old lady would turn the entire town upside down — leaving everybody in Second Samuel wondering if anything would ever be normal again.”

Patterson said the first act of “Second Samuel” is a comedy, with a lot of laughs. The second half takes a more dramatic turn as the characters learn something they didn’t expect about one of their neighbors and about themselves.

Patterson admits there are times he wishes he was reprising the role of B Flat, but adds he has enjoyed the challenge of directing the show.

Meanwhile, another guild performer is reprising a role she played a decade ago in the same Valdosta High School show. Allie Richards was Allie Smotherman 10 years ago when she first played Jimmy Deeanne – the role she plays again in the Theatre Guild production.

“Second Samuel” concludes the 36th Theatre Guild season. The 37th season is scheduled to open July 31 with “Arsenic and Old Lace” and continues through 2025-26 with “Bridge to Terabitha,” “Pride and Prejudice,” “Christmas in the Air,” “Dirty Work at the Crossroads,” “Rapunzel” and the musical “Bright Star.”

“Second Samuel” plays the first and second weekends of June.

THE CAST: Tanner Hager, Clay Lee, Ben Hawley, Rick Patrick, Bryan Layton, Blake Boutwell, Allie Richards, Joni Olson, Megan Crawford, Josh Robertson and Joshua Joyce.

DIRECTION, PRODUCTION: Alijah Patterson, director; Micaiah Barajas, assistant director; Lindsey Clanton, stage manager; Tasha Conrad, producer; June Bell, assistant producer; Alijah Patterson and Carl Glasscock, set design; Marcus Barajas, lights; Sunny Lee, sound; Mary Ann Green and Mia-Rae Barajas, costumes; Brawdy Gupton and Micaiah Barajas, props managers; Jeannie Gupton, showcase; and Evelyn Walker, program designer.

Theatre Guild Valdosta presents “Second Samuel,” at 7:30 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, June 5-7; 2 p.m., Sunday, June 8; and 7:30 p.m., June 12-14, the Dosta Playhouse, 122 N. Ashley St. For tickets and reservations, visit theatreguildvaldosta.com or call 229-247-8243.