Lawyers and clowns share the stage in the first play of the Northern Illinois University’s School of Theatre and Dance 2012-2013 season.

An adaptation of Herman Melville’s short story “Bartleby the Scrivener” runs Sept. 27 through 30 and Oct. 4 through 7 in the Stevens Building O’Connell Theatre.

The play centers on the quiet rebellion of a law office scribe named Bartleby. He is hired by a Manhattan lawyer to perform general secretarial tasks. Bartleby soon refuses to do any actual work but never seems to leave the office, which frustrates and confuses the other employees, especially his boss.