A local community theater group plans to celebrate its 40th anniversary by staging a comeback, after spending the last few years in mothballs.

Members of the board of directors of Pamlico Playhouse, which debuted its first production in 1975, are laying the groundwork for a show to be presented in May. An organizational meeting was held last week, and another gathering is slated for Thursday beginning at 5 p.m. at Brown Library in Washington.

“I want to see it continue to make contributions towards the dramatic arts in Beaufort County,” board president Marti Buchanan said of the group. “Knowing our history, and the wonderful people I’ve had the opportunity to work with in the past, it will be a successful entity.”

Pamlico Playhouse plans to present “Women on Fire” as a fundraiser for Bath High School Preservation, according to Buchanan. The theater group last staged that particular show in 2006 at the Turnage Theater.

“You don’t get anywhere by not helping somebody else,” said group treasurer Becky Rogers of the decision to present the Playhouse’s comeback performance as a fundraising event for the Bath project. “We’re a group of people who love the theater, and we want to share with people and do our thing.”

Buchanan said she has a venue in mind but did not want to announce it as yet, pending final arrangements. She did say the first performance of “Women on Fire” would be staged in Bath. If it is well received, the group could offer additional shows elsewhere in Beaufort County.

Those shows would help get the Pamlico Playhouse back in the public eye and raise interest in public theater, explained Rogers.

“I hope this production will help us get used to each other and learn what makes each other tick,” she said. “On the heels of this, while people are engaged in it, we’ll have a meeting for another project.”

“Women on Fire” features a series of monologues, according to Buchanan. Featured characters include Trude, a tough Brooklyn photographer; Clover, a tough, crude and brilliant advertising executive, Lydia, a manipulative southern mother who is dying; Elizabeth, a feisty New England stroke survivor; Kalisha, a powerful black woman; and Zatz, an edgy city kid. The characters range in age from early twenties to nineties.

Pamlico Playhouse has set auditions for April 9 and April 13, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the library.

For more information, or to request an audition, contact Buchanan at 252-923-7501 or Rogers at 252-946-6298.