Operating out of an old janitor’s closet in the Creative Arts building, the SF State Players’ Club headquarters can be found conveniently next to the bathroom, said the club’s president, Jackie Cuccaro.

The small space could never contain the 100 active members of the only all-student run theater club on campus, but with many members currently designing sets, lighting, and costumes for the club’s annual play, the club’s headquarters is currently just a holding place for boxes and jackets.

This refurbished janitor’s closet will act as the concession stand when the Players’ Club’s most recent play, Eduardo de Filipo’s “Napoli Milionaria!,” opens Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. in the Studio Theatre of the Creative Arts building.

The SF State Players’ Club has been operating since 1979 and is currently creating a play using the largest budget in the club's history, said senior theater arts major Cuccaro, 21.

“This year’s play will definitely be a larger production than usual,” said Cuccaro. “We did a lot of fundraising, especially at our annual Christmas party.”

With a budget that allows for more additions to costumes, lighting and time, “Napoli Milionaria!” is also moving away from the musical-themed shows of the last two years.

“We try to produce a play that the theatre arts department is not covering in either semester,” Cuccaro said of the choice to pick the dark comedy this year.

Another important element of choosing the play relies on a script that produces enough roles for women, Cuccaro said.

“It can be hard to find plays with a large enough cast, with a balance of roles between genders,” she said.

Of the 17 roles in “Napoli Milionaria!,” about eight are designated for women, Cuccaro said.

With different elements dictating what play the club will choose, the officers of the Players’ Club sit down in the fall semester to read over the scripts submitted by other students to determine the play and ultimately its director, Cuccaro said.

This year’s script for “Napoli Milionaria!” was submitted by junior theater arts major Robert Simiroski, 20, who, because his script was chosen, is the director.

Set during World War II in Italy, “Napoli Milionaria!” focuses on the Jovine family and how they react to the situations that unfold around them during the war under Mussolini’s fascist regime, Simiroski said of the satirical play.

“I found the script when I was at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival,” Simiroski said. “I thought this 1940s Italian play would be great to submit to the Players’ Club.”

However, after the script was chosen, getting the rights to produce the play was at first very difficult, Simiroski said.

“I had to deal with the deceased writer's estate,” Simiroski said. “This estate is in Rome and the people in charge of it are not very good at returning phone calls.”

After months of what Simiroski said were tedious phone calls across the Atlantic, he finally received word that the Players’ Club could produce the English translation of the play.

Now in the final week before the play's debut, practice and preparation hours run almost daily from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“Sometimes we even end up staying past 4 [p.m.],” Simiroski said.

With every element of the play student-produced, down to the detailing on costumes, light design and budget, Mark Koss, a senior costume design major, is working on putting the details together for the 17-member cast that will don two to four looks each.

Digging into one of the closets of SF State’s Costume Shop to pull together looks reminiscent of the 1940s, Koss said, while sifting through a pile of men's ties, the most difficult element is trying to make sure everyone ends up in the appropriate costumes to establish class.

“We [the Players’ Club] are producing the biggest costume production in the club’s history,” Koss, 21, said. “The Players’ Club really upped the budget this year, making it possible to create more refined looks.”

His second year designing costumes for the Players’ Club annual play, Koss said one large difference he sees between a Players’ Club production and one produced through the school is the fact that students are truly in charge of this production, away from faculty advice and guidance.

“Working with peers, with some as your superior, is definitely different than being directed by a 45-year-old professor who has been doing it for years,” Koss said. “However, working with your peers also gives you the opportunity to form a tight-knit bond between all members of the cast and production.”

Past play member and recent alumnus of the music department Jordan Eldredge said at first he was hesitant about participating in a Players’ Club production.

“It seemed to be a test of what the real world theater productions would be like, without grades as motivators,” said Eldredge, 22.

With constant diligence and attention to sets, lighting, acting, and other theater details, Eldredge said he was impressed with the final production of last year’s Players’ Club production.

“I don’t see why I won’t be as equally as impressed this year, and can’t wait to sit in the audience to see what the Players’ Club has been up to since its last production,” Eldredge said.

“Napoli Milionaria!” will run from Jan. 31 - Feb. 10 with shows at 7 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with matinees at 2 p.m. on Sunday Feb. 3 and 10. Admission is $10 general/$8 students and seniors, with all proceeds going back into the Players’ Club’s future plays.