The Saugus High School Theater Arts Department will present Edgar Allen Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, and 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, and Friday, Oct. 17, in the school's multipurpose room.

The play, with music by Rene Urbanovich, opens with a 2008 newscast about a relevant disease and features an ensemble cast.

"Taking a piece of literature and dramatizing it is a great experience for the students," said drama teacher Leslie Carson. "This is a very applicable story because it's about people trying to protect themselves from a virus with whatever means they can."

"The Masque of the Red Death" is one of the components of the Literature Alive project at Saugus High.