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Joe Schulz finds it alternately challenging and fun.

O'Berski and Schulz comprise the entire 15-character cast of Marie Jones' comedy "Stones in His Pockets" that's the third offering of Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre's 2004 season.

Set in a remote area of County Kerry, Ireland, "Stones in His Pockets" interweaves the stories of the swarm of Hollywood artists and technicians who have descended on the area to film "The Quiet Valley" and the local villagers who have been lured by the promise of 40 quid a day and a box lunch for their work as extras.

The winner of the 2001 Olivier Award for best new comedy, "Stones in His Pockets" also has a more serious side as it considers the impact the arrival and departure of the Hollywood tribe has on the local community.

O'Berski and Schulz create and perform all the characters, from "Wee" Mickey Riordan who cadges free drinks in exchange for his tales of being the last surviving extra of the film "The Quiet Man" to rising young starlet Caroline Giovanni.

"You go from playing a 70-year-old man to a 20-something girl," Schulz says.

And they do it the hard way, using only a couple of hats and their own skills and talents as actors to make the transformations in full view of the audience.

"Everything we do to indicate character is physical, plus a little bit of hat switching," O'Berski says. "It's like doing choreography multiplied with running plays in football. You have to be so tight, so on your mark. But there's all this room for things to go wrong and to enjoy them going wrong."

Experienced actors, O'Berski and Schulz have experience conjuring an ever-changing cast of characters that audiences can relate to. Both have performed in separate productions of Charles Ludlam's "The Mystery of Irma Vep," which also uses two actors to create a huge cast of colorful male and female characters.

"I find this similar but different," Schulz says. "We can't rely on costumes as we did in 'Irma Vep.' This requires more skill and technique."

O'Berski seconds that opinion. "In 'Irma Vep,' you could go off stage and have people tear your clothes off, dress you and send you back out," he says. The costume changes helped to remind an actor of who and what scene he was playing. "With this one, it's easy to forget where you are."

It's also a lot more tiring than plays with larger casts, Schulz says: "This is all us, all the time."

Because rehearsals involve just two actors, the rehearsal day is shorter as well as more concentrated -- five hours instead of the typical eight.

"It's almost like running short stretches for a marathon," O'Berski says. "It's miserable, no fun. But having somebody you respect to work with helps get you through."

O'Berski and Schulz last worked together in Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre's 2002 production of Brian Friel's "Aristocrats," and they're happy to be collaborating again.

When he learned that Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre's artistic director Andrew Paul had put "Stones in His Pockets" on the season schedule, O'Berski urged him to hire Stuart Carden as director. O'Berski knew Carden from watching him teach directing classes and workshops in the pre-college program at Carnegie Mellon University. "I think he's the best director in Pittsburgh, so thorough and uncontented," O'Berski says. Both actors admire the way Carden challenges them.

"He beats us, and we're used to getting away with a lot," O'Berski says.

"We're used to trusting our instincts to do the work for us, and he doesn't," Schulz says.

Asked to pick their favorite roles in the play, O'Berski and Schulz each cite a character that the other actor plays.

"I enjoy -- far too much -- watching Jay play Mickey Riordan. He breaks me up almost every time," Schulz says.

"I can't look at Joe when he's playing Clem, the director, because he's so cloyingly obnoxious and hilarious," O'Berski says.

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