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2nd Story Theatre in Warren opens its 2011-12 season with a production of Alan Ayckbourn’s “Communicating Doors,” a terrifyingly funny, film noir-esque comedy thriller that takes theater-goers on a time-traveling journey where regrets are reversed, past hurts are undone, mistakes are modified, and murder gets a make-over.

Set in the same London hotel room in the years 1974, 1994 and 2014, “Communicating Doors” sends two heroines traveling through time to save their lives and change their destinies.

Artistic Director Ed Shea said: “Nobody weaves a story like Alan Ayckbourn. No playwright that I know of toys with space and time the way he does. His complex, yet simple, stories are the kind that stay with you long after you leave the theater.”

This is the second staging of an Ayckbourn play at 2nd Story, where “Comic Potential” was performed in 2010.

Previews are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 23 and 24; and at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25. Preview tickets are $15.

Regular performances are at 7 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays from Sept. 29 to Oct. 23. There is an additional performance on Sunday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. Discussion Sunday is Oct. 9. Tickets are $25. Student tickets are $20.

2nd Story Theatre is at 28 Market St. For information, check the website at www.2ndStoryTheatre.com. For tickets, visit the box office, call 401/247-4200, or e-mail boxoffice@2ndStoryTheatre.com.

Coming up this season

The remaining four plays in the season are listed below. A season subscription for the five plays is $100 per person.

• “The Suitors” by Jean Racine will take place at the Bristol Statehouse from Nov. 18 to Dec. 18. A la mode de Molière, the comedy is a riotous, rhyming romp that hazes the legal profession and lawsuit-happy litigants. Previews are Nov. 18 to 20, with the regular run from Nov. 25 to Dec. 18. Discussion Sunday is Dec. 4.

• “Take Me Out,” Richard Greenberg’s home-run Broadway hit, is from Jan. 13 to Feb. 12. It’s a witty, passionate and patriotic look at the great American pastime, with a peek into the locker room of a major league ball team. Previews are Jan. 13 to 15, with the regular run from Jan. 19 to Feb. 12. Discussion Sunday is Jan. 29.

• “The Cripple of Inishmaan” by Martin McDonough is from March 2 to April 1. It’s the darkly humorous tale of Cripple Billy, an outcast orphan in Ireland, who risks what little he has to appear in a film being filmed on a neighboring isle. Previews are March 2 to 4, with the regular run from March 8 to April 1. Discussion Sunday is March 18.

• “The Divine Sister,” an homage to habits, a paean to postulants and a hallelujah to Hollywood, is by Charles Busch. The outrageous spoof, which lampoons everything from “The Bells of St. Mary’s” to “The Singing Nun,” is from April 20 to May 20. Previews are April 20 to 22, with the regular run from April 26 to May 20. Discussion Sunday is May 6.

Special holiday event

A special play, “Little Women,” based on the book by Louisa May Alcott, is a holiday offering from Nov. 11 to Dec. 11. This is not part of the subscription series. Bob Colonna’s original stage adaptation of the beloved American classic is about four sisters, family, love, loss and hope.

Previews are Nov. 11 to 13, with regular performances from Nov. 17 to Dec. 11 (except Nov. 24). Discussion Sunday is Nov. 27. Tickets for this show are $20 for previews. Tickets for regular performances are $30 ($25 for subscribers and students).