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Steamboat Springs — Elwood P. Dowd is one of the nicer characters you'll find in drama.

He's genuine, extremely happy most of the time and doesn't have much to do, because his family is so well off.

He also has a six-foot-tall invisible rabbit named Harvey as his best friend.

Tonight, Steamboat Springs High School presents its second showing of Mary Chase's play, which became a Jimmy Stewart classic, "Harvey."

Sean Hill, the SSHS junior who portrays Dowd, said he's tried to embrace the character's you're-better-off-being-yourself ideals. He's seen Jimmy Stewart's Oscar-nominated interpretation of the role, but Hill said he's worked to make Elwood his own.

"I watched the movie version, but didn't base my character on it," Hill said. "I've made this Elwood more upbeat, and I hope that helps us keep the audience laughing."

So, is it difficult to share scenes with an adult-sized invisible rabbit?

"Once you see him - at first it's kind of hard - but after a while you get to notice him in there," Hill said.

Director and part-time high school drama teacher Michael Brumbaugh has an explanation for the audience on whether the rabbit is real, based on several of Elwood's scenes at the beginning of the play, which are set in a bar or with a bottle.

Elwood "likes his booze, too, so we're really not sure whether he's making (the rabbit) up or not," he said.

"We all have a face that we put on for people - we're kind of phony, or we hide behind our work position, our status," Brumbaugh said of the play's theme. "And Dowd, the main character, is the one thought to be crazy, but he's really the most sane of anyone. And people like him because he is who he is. He doesn't put up any front."

The cast has been working on its roles for about four weeks, said junior Haley O'Brien. Her role as Dowd's sister, Veta Louise Simmons, is the biggest part O'Brien has played since elementary school, when she began acting in plays.

"We've kind of pulled it together really quick, but it's been going really well," O'Brien said.

Brumbaugh hopes this play and a spring musical will be audience-winning steps toward strengthening the school's drama program, which offers one general theater and one technical production class.

"My hope is to really try to build the theater program, because right now, it's a challenge to get guys to audition," Brumbaugh said.

"Hopefully as we do more quality productions, we'll be able to do more quality shows."