You can’t tell a book by its cover, and you can’t rate a play by its budget or the number of people in the audience.

The world premier of “Draw Me Out” at Dog Story Theater in Grand Rapids is just such a production. Written by Aquinas graduate Laura Uzarski, the full-length production is part of Uzarski’s prize for winning the 10-minute play writing contest at the 2014 Lake Effect Fringe Festival sponsored by Stark Turn Players.

But Uzarski’s witty and insightful script and Stark Turn’s polished production, go way beyond expectations for a playwright’s debut. The show deserves a much broader viewing than the 25 people in Thursday’s opening night audience.

The story revolves around Drew, a high school boy diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Drew’s a bit of a loner, consumed with his sketchbook. Then Suze, a pretty, outspoken teen, comes into his life, eggs him on to try things he’s never done before and to speak up for himself.

His mother is trying to push him to take his medication, get the rest he needs, eat his meals, do his homework–all the usual mom stuff. His sister, Amy, meanwhile, is embarrassed by his dorky behavior and irritated that she’s expected to chauffeur him to the therapist–typical sibling stuff.

One of the best parts of the production is the way each scene morphs into another with Amy and her girlfriends as sort of a Greek chorus singing a cappella as they rearrange the desk, chairs and bed in the open black box of Dog Story Theater. The songs become an integral part of the script–with lyrics like ”No one knows what it’s like to be the bad man, to be the sad man” from “Behind Blue Eyes” by the Who and “I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo. What the hell am I doing here?” from Radiohead’s “Creep.”

Director Adam J. Hyde has choreographed these scene changes into an energetic, entertaining part of the show. Hyde has assembled a strong cast. Benjamin Brown, who is a sophomore at Forest Hills Eastern High School, is eerily good as Drew. When the character is supposed to be angry and frustrated, Brown trembles all over with a pent-up energy that is frighteningly realistic. Julia Steudle is hypnotically alluring as Suze.

Claire Mahave does a great job in the dual role of Mom and Dr Greene. As the kooky therapist she becomes the play’s comic relief. This characterization of a doctor who’s stranger than her patients is one of the strongest parts of Uzarski’s script. The doctor exhibits believable oddities without ever going too far overboard into nonsense. Mahave gives it just the right touch.

Amy and her circle of girlfriends play a critical role as Drew’s tormentors, but each has a distinct personality as well. Anessa Johnson is sublimely irritating as snobbish ringleader Brianne. Jessica Fountain is eager follower Mallory. Amanda J. Furstenberg does a fine job as peer-pressured sister Amy. Each of these actresses plays a second, very-different role as a patient in Dr. Greene’s discussion group. Kaija von Websky completes the circle of girlfriends as Beth, the quiet one who dares to go against the crowd.

Although set and costuming are kept to a minimum, the pieces are chosen wisely such as using a collapsible massage table as Drew’s bed or transforming Mom to Dr. Green with a fabulous sweater coat of many colors.

“Draw Me Out” is a good character study and well portrayed. I doubt that anyone was too surprised by the plot, and yet the story is satisfying because everything flows so smoothly and the characterizations are so believable.

As with many of the productions of Stark Turn Players the show opens with a musical number. Director Hyde played guitar and sang Stone Sour’s “Through the Glass,” which seemed to set the stage for the story that followed, especially when a chorus of unseen female voices joined in from behind the curtain. Eerie.