Writer-director Shiloh Hart turned to local history for inspiration for this year’s Kent State University at Trumbull Summer Stock’s touring production.

“My goal last year was to inspire the kids that anyone can achieve greatness,” Hart said. “I was like, ‘Man, how am I going to do that again this year?’ And what better way to show kids that no matter where you come from you can do big things than with someone who came from your hometown or your area.”

The main character in “Growing Up McKinley” is a child born in Niles who went on to become the 25th President of the United States — William McKinley.

It will travel to four area libraries and the McKinley Birthplace Home in Niles during the month of July.

And McKinley isn’t the only historical figure portrayed. One of the characters also is based on his friend Joseph G. Butler Jr., an industrialist who founded the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown.

Hart said she checked out a lot of books from the McKinley Memorial Library in Niles and did online research to craft the story. Just like most “inspired by a true story” tales, Hart took some artistic license. President McKinley had a pet parrot that he named Washington Post during his time in the White House. In Hart’s play, young McKinley has a pet chicken with the same name who provides some comic relief in the story.

She also had some help from her young cast members.

“We actually had two kids just goofing around, playing. We weren’t even rehearsing yet, and they were in character and just having fun on the stage, and they broke out into a song and made it work,” Hart said.

“I recorded it, and I was like, ‘We’re learning that,’ and it’s now in the show.”

Hart had enough students turn out to audition that she double cast the six-character play, although she said she could have added more characters to reflect McKinley’s real life.

“What’s crazy is, had I had included the entire McKinley family, it would have been a large cast,” she said. “He was one of nine children, and his grandparents and mom and dad, they all, literally, lived together in that house, which is crazy to think that, because we’ve all seen how little that house is.”

Scheduled performances

“Growing Up McKinley” will travel to several locations in July as part of Kent State University at Trumbull Summer Stock. Performance dates and locations are:

• Wednesday — Warren-Trumbull County Public Library Howland Branch, 9095 E. Market St., at 2 p.m.

• July 11 — Kingsville Library, 6006 Academy St., at 2:30 p.m.

• July 16 — Newton Falls Public Library, 204 S. Canal St., at 2:30 p.m.

• July 23 — McKinley Birthplace Home, 40 S. Main St., Niles, at 2:30 p.m.

• July 25 — Warren-Trumbull County Public Library, 444 Mahoning Ave. NW, Warren, at 2 p.m.

Admission to all performances are free.