“Enjoy the people in your life right now because life is short” is the powerful message in University Players next production, says director Kelly Daniels.

University Players presents the quirky and profound comedy, The Clean House, running October 21 to 30 in the Essex Hall Theatre.

This wryly funny, wonderfully original play is a whimsical and deeply moving look at personal change, love and the beauty in life’s messes. It won playwright Sarah Ruhl the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and was a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize in Drama.

Prof. Daniels joined the faculty of the School of Dramatic Art earlier this year and is new to Windsor audiences. She believes The Clean House is an essential theatrical piece because “love, laughter, and forgiveness are always important. We could use a lot more of those things in our world.”

The play introduces audiences to Lane, a busy, career-minded doctor, who likes her life organized and her house clean. The only problem is Lane has hired a Brazilian maid who hates to clean and longs to be a comedienne. While the maid works to create the perfect joke, Lane’s sister secretly takes over the cleaning. But things get really messy when Lane’s husband finds his soul mate — and it’s not Lane.

Wednesday through Saturday performances are at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. On Sunday, October 23, a free “Talk Back” discussion with the director and actors will follow the performance. Tickets can be ordered online at www.UniversityPlayers.com or by calling 519-253-3000, ext. 2808.