“Burn This,” an award-winning play of innocence and experience will open Feb. 25 in the Stevens Building O’Connell Theatre.

The play, which consists of four characters in an ensemble show, takes place in the loft apartment that Anna, a dancer/choreographer has been sharing with her two gay roommates, Robbie and Larry.

The sudden death of Robbie, Anna’s dance partner, has left her very vulnerable, and she is unsure of her talent without him to guide her anymore.

Perhaps the last thing Anna needs in her weakened state, then, is the sudden entrance of Robbie’s brother Pale into her otherwise well-organized life.

“He bursts in at 5:30 in the morning, and he’s angry,” said NIU Theatre Arts graduate student Elizabeth Fletcher, who plays Anna. Pale is a volatile and dangerous man, but his anger stems from the fact that he misses his brother as much as Anna does, Fletcher added.

The ensuing scenes in “Burn This” contain just about every emotion imaginable, yet Fletcher stressed that the play also has to be honest. “It’s a difficult play to do—it has to be moment to moment. There’s no room for actors’ tricks,” she said.

Since the play is in O’Connell Theatre, a large “house,” Fletcher said keeping the play subtle is an even more challenging task. “You have to be loud, which makes the characters more presentational—that’s hard to do while being honest,” she said. “The play is something really pure. It’s not tragic but not gleeful.”

Rehearsals for the play began the first week of school, and since then, the characters have been working about 20 hours a week, including the last few weekends.

“I’ve never been bored with the show,” Fletcher said. “There’s quite a bit of Anna I’m not sure of—she has so many facets.” Fletcher said she may still learn more about her character even as next week’s performances unfold. “The rapport (among characters) is very evenly weighted,” she added. “All the roles are pretty even.”

“Burn This” also features James R. Yeater as Burton, Anna’s boyfriend, Sean Higgins as Larry, and Michael Bassett as Pale. The play is directed by Jo Anne S. Fox.

The play’s scenery design is by Richard Arnold and costume design is by Albert D. Tucci. The lighting design is by Betsy Cooprider-Bernstein and the sound design is by Joanne Cascone. The production stage manager is Patrick Ogura Cummings.

“Burn This” will run through March 2, and all performances begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $5 for NIU students, and can be purchased at the Stevens Building box office, which is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information call 753-1609 or 753-1600.