The Fresno City College theatre department will premiere its second show of the semester, “Farragut North,” on Nov. 11.

The play was written by Beau Willimon, the creator of the Netflix series “House of Cards,” while he was a student at Juilliard. He was involved in former Gov. Howard Dean’s 2004 Democratic primary election campaign, which became his inspiration for the story.

The play portrays an alternate viewpoint of a political campaign, choosing to focus on a few individual members of the candidate’s campaign staff. It centers on Stephan Bellamy, a cocky, young press secretary for a presidential candidate and the issues that arise between him and the other characters.

“If you’re tired of politics, [the play] is ultimately not about that,” said Chuck Erven, director of the production. “It is about this human sort of fall from grace; a young guy who makes a mistake and has to pay for it.”

Like the prior FCC theatre department production “Waiting for Lefty,” “Farragut North” deals with a political theme in its storyline. Both shows were chosen a year beforehand due to their political nature.

“Farragut North” was chosen due to how the story realistically portrays the lives of people in politics. As a result, it accompanies the current presidential election season.

“[The production] became a perfect, unintended kind of commentary on what’s going on right now in politics,” Erven said.

Auditions for the play began in late August, with rehearsals beginning at the end of September. There are six weeks of rehearsals, with students practicing three hours a night, five nights a week.

“I think the hardest part of preparing for [this play] was definitely the extensive research into politics that I ended up doing,” said Dylan Hardcastle, a theatre major and actor in the play. He portrays Benjamin, a young assistant to the secretary Stephen.

Rehearsals also involve the help of stage managers and others who oversee the visual aspects of the play such as the set and costumes.

“My favorite thing about working on this play [is] being able to be on script, helping out actors know their lines and preparing actors with certain props they need,” said Alyssa Binion-Luttrell, a theatre major and assistant stage manager for “Farragut North.”

Erven said this production of “Farragut North” is possible through the hard work of the cast and crew members in the FCC theatre department.

“I’m super pleased with everyone and the commitment they have,” he said.

“Farragut North” opens on Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m. The following dates of the play are Nov. 12, 17, 18, 19 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 13, 18, 19 at 2 p.m.