Between the sudden agony of birth and the unforgiving coldness of death sits a confusing sticky middle bit. That confusing bit serves as the focus of the School of Theatre and Dance’s most recent production, “Middletown” by Will Eno.

“Middletown” tells the story of a cast of average people trying to get through their dull lives in the faceless community of “Middletown.”

MFA acting major Ellen Campbell plays Mary Swanson, a sweet and innocent woman who is new to the town and represents the genuine kindness and curiosity found in the best American citizens. Campbell’s Swanson is sweet as honey and breezily earns the audience’s love as she meets her curious new neighbors while beginning to bear a child.

Contrasting the polite newcomer is burnt-out townie John Dodge, played by MFA acting major Ken Miller. Miller’s Dodge is endearingly pathetic. He knows he’s a person of exactly zero consequence, and his longing to feel connected and loved causes him deep emotional problems. Dodge is the human embodiment of the used gum people stick underneath school desks, and Miller makes this perfect loser into someone important and worthwhile. Miller’s final scenes in the town hospital are haunted and agonizing to watch.

Because Swanson is moving into the town, the production cleverly disguises the stage hands as moving people. They shuffle props across the stage, sometimes with actors standing right on top of them. It’s a clever way to take the demands of a show with this many set changes and incorporate them into the performance.

Eno’s singular writing style could prove divisive for some people. Eno’s characters are prone to poetic and philosophical tangents, and while their observational humor generates tons of laughs, more conservative audience members will be put off by his tendency to shatter the fourth wall.

The irregular rhythms in Eno’s writing give the supporting cast a hard time. They struggle to make Eno’s sprawling, off-the-wall rants sound natural. MFA acting major Daniil Krimer finds the most success as the unnamed mechanic, a likeable drunkard who periodically searches hospital dumpsters for dropped pills. Krimer wins the audience over with a combination of vulnerability and crushing loneliness.

There are a few hiccups with delivery, and its themes can be heavy-handed, but “Middletown” represents another enjoyable effort from the School of Theatre and Dance.