As anyone who’s seen a George A. Romero movie knows, it ain’t easy to kill the living dead.

Apparently the same is true for Rust Belt Theater Company’s “Living Dead: The Musical.”

The theater founded by Robert Dennick Joki had to find an alternate location for its annual Halloween production because of a landlord-tenant dispute at Youngstown’s Club Switch, its home for several years.

That search led it to Greene Eagle Winery, “the first and only people to bite,” said Keith Stepanic, director of this year’s production.

However, less than a week before its originally scheduled Oct. 17 opening date, the winery’s owners asked for changes to the script, which they found to be sacrilegious, according to Joki.

Rust Belt moved and postponed the opening rather than alter the script, which has been staged 12 times previously.

Not only is “Living Dead: The Musical” still alive, it’s multiplying. Two performances are scheduled this weekend at Youngstown Playhouse’s Moyer Room, and the musical moves to Warren’s Modern Methods Brewing Company for shows on Nov. 7 and 8.

This is Stepanic’s second year directing “Living Dead” after performing in the show in the past.

“Last year Rob (Joki) was kind of overwhelmed directing everything, so I was like, “If you want me to step in and direct this year, I’d be more than happy to, so we made that happen,” he said.

The musical parody spoofs Romero’s low-budget B&W film “Night of the Living Dead” and horror movie tropes as it follows a group of strangers who board themselves up in an abandoned farmhouse to escape the zombie apocalypse. Personalities clash and tensions rise as the undead hoard descends upon the house.

The cast features Danielle Johnson, Charity Bauer, Quintin Hennen, Caitlyn Murphy, Haley Comet, Jessica Patoray, Sebastian Foxx, Cadence Treich, Lisa Torrence, Shelby Gossick, Joey Shilot, Jennifer Koprivnak , Vasi Sfikas, Tonya Dougherty, Caitlin Cole, Rilee Wilson, Rachael Kerr, Steven Wyatt, Rachel Myers, Sidney Wolford, Savannah DiVincenzo, Tierra Matlock and Joki.

Only two of those actors are playing the same role they did in 2024.

“Everybody else is either in a different role or there’s somebody new that’s stepping in,” Stepanic said.

The director is applying some of the lessons he learned last year to his approach with the 2025 production.

“I wanted it to seem more natural this year,” Stepanic said. “I wanted to seem more conversational. We’ve been focusing on character work to try and really bring these characters to life.”

If you go …

WHAT: Rust Belt Theater Company — “Living Dead: The Musical”

WHEN/WHERE: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Youngstown Playhouse, 600 Playhouse Lane, Youngstown; and 8 p.m. Nov. 7 and 8 at Modern Methods Brewing Company, 125 David Grohl Alley, Warren

HOW MUCH: Tickets are $15 and can be reserved by calling 330-507-2358.