Plays penned by local playwrights will hit the stage at South Portland’s Mad Horse Theatre this weekend.

The debut of the local plays is part of Mad Horse’s popular By Local series and special performances are scheduled for Thursday, April 21, through Sunday, April 24. See www.madhorse.com for more information.

Set for this weekend’s play reading series are the “Ballad of Daphnis and Chloe” by Carmen-maria Mandley and directed by Reba Short, as well as “Em and Webb” by Megan E. Tripaldi and directed by Stacey Koloski.

Mandley’s play will be staged at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Saturday, and Tripaldi’s offering will be staged at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is by donation, with a suggested fee of $10 per person. Tickets are available at the door only and no credit or debit cards will be accepted.

Both plays in this latest By Local series focus on the trials, tribulations and wonders of romantic relationships.

“The Ballad of Daphnis and Chloe” is very loosely based on the Greek myth of Daphnis and Chloe. In this retelling, the young Daphnis and Chloe, both tending sheep, become plagued with some unknown illness that causes stirrings and fevers. Believing they will perish from the apparent illness, the two seek counsel from the wise and not-so-wise in a story that is comic, dangerous, poetic and thickly sensual all at once.

Mandley, the playwright, is a teacher, actor, director, and playwright serving as the education director and literary manager at Portland Stage. She’s also a guest teacher for Acorn Productions, Colby College and the University of Southern Maine, along with being a produced playwright and published poet.

“Em and Web” takes a look at two people who, in spite of loving each other, have quite a bit of baggage to deal with and face obstacles in their romantic relationship. The goal is to demonstrate how real relationships not only take work, but can also prove amazing during the simplest of moments.

Tripaldi is an actress, playwright, and educator in the Greater Portland area. She graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a bachelor’s degree in theater four years ago and has been working on education programs with Portland Stage, Stages Performing Academy and the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine ever since.

Many plays originated at By Local have gone on to become full fledged productions, including “Digby’s Home” by Brent Askari, “Papermaker” by Monica Wood and “Alligator Road” by Callie Kimball.