With some works of drama, the title is self explanatory: “The Cherry Orchard,” “The Dining Room,” “The Birthday Party.” Although such titles do not give away the plot, they do at least provide a clue to setting or context.

Not so with the upcoming Friday Harbor Middle School performances. The two plays, “Gooney Bird Greene and her True Life Adventures” and “The Secret Lives of Toads” are, in title at least, a fun jumble of fancy. What, for example, is a gooney bird?

It is not, as you might think, some goofy imaginary character. It is in fact a school girl. And therein lies the point. Contrary to director Fred Yockers’ successful history with fantasy drama, these performances introduce a heavy dash of reality. Both plays revolve around classrooms, and both plots probe the dynamics of middle school cliques and identity.

“I didn’t think I would have 55 kids try out,” says Yockers, explaining how his reputation for the elaborate productions of “Peter Pan” and “Cinderella” left middle school students unenthusiastic about performing with minimalist sets and realistic dialogue.

“I heard the buzz around school was ‘Well, we aren’t doing a play without big sets,’ … but now they are loving it because they realize they can really sink their hooks into it,” Yockers says.

And there is a lot to sink those hooks into. “Gooney Bird Greene and her True Life Adventures” is based upon the book by Lois Lowry, adapted by Kent R. Brown, and deals with “the new kid” theme. “Gooney is about innocence and colorful characters, about not being afraid to go upstream when others are going downstream,” Yockers says.

Libby Andersen plays the character of Gooney Bird Greene. “She is very imaginative and spontaneous,” she says. “When she comes she is very bright and people think she is very weird. I like that she isn’t afraid to be herself.”

“The Secret Life of Toads” revolves around the mean kid accidentally getting locked up with the unpopular kid. What makes the situation a little more imaginative than its “Breakfast Club” comparison is the presence of the toads, who narrate and comment along the way.

“A little like the chorus in ancient Greek drama,” Yockers says. “Except different because the frogs take an active part in changing the situation.”

Aside from the fifth-, seventh- and eighth-grade boys in heavy frog makeup (they will be called two hours before the other actors to ensure their skull caps and prosthetic face pieces are applied in time), the plays engage the cast in situations comparable to their every day.

“Both of these plays speak to the age these kids are,” Yockers explains. “They are both about school life … the drama of middle school.”

So the performance will offer two plays for the price of one, bringing both the colorful goofery of the titles, and the more sober content of the plots — with a just a little talking-toad magic thrown in for fun.

— Where: San Juan Community Theatre.
— When: March 26, 27 at 7 p.m. March 28 at 2 p.m.
— Tickets: $10, student rush at the door for $5.