Leah Nushart (Fire Kid) describes a car explosion she just witnessed.

NEW ULM — This weekend Martin Luther College’s theatre department will take audiences off the beaten path with two one-act plays: “4 A.M.” and “In Oz”.

Jonathan Dorf’s “4 A.M.” asks an intriguing question: what is it like to be awake when the rest of your world is asleep? Meet an early-morning jogger, a radio DJ whose show may have an audience of none, a modern Romeo and Juliet, the author of a most unusual letter, and many other teen characters as they search for connection in the magic hour, as told through a series of connected scenes and monologues.

“In Oz” by Don Zolidis, Beth is reeling from her sister’s death and suddenly finds herself journeying through a world suspiciously resembling the film “The Wizard of Oz.” But with the yellow brick road sold to foreign investors after a financial meltdown, the Scarecrow reveling in his ignorant bliss, the Cowardly Lion acting like a paranoid sociopath, and the Tin Man embracing his emotional numbness, Beth wonders what role she plays in this classic story gone awry.”

Show times are December 13-14, 7:30 p.m., and December 15, 2 p.m.

Tickets are $5 each and will be sold at the door.

Shows will be held in the WCC Auditorium. Visit mlc-wels.edu/forum for more information.