The 2023-2024 season at Stetson’s Second Stage Theatre continues with Burn This, Feb. 22-25. The play is written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson and will be performed by Stetson students.

Performances on Feb. 22-24 begin at 8 p.m.; the Feb. 25 performance is at 3 p.m. Each show takes place at Stetson Theatre Art’s Second Stage, located inside the Museum of Art, adjacent to the DeLand campus (600 N. Woodland Blvd.)

Burn This has been a critically revered play for the past four decades. The non-conformist love story follows the explosive relationship between Anna, an aspiring choreographer, and Pale, the brother of Anna’s recently deceased roommate. The play focuses sharply on Anna and Pale’s feelings of loneliness, isolation and passion. Caught in the crossfire are Burton and Larry, who attempt to navigate the firestorm of love and lust that permeates the oversized, under-decorated New York City loft where the story unfolds. 

What Is ‘Real?’ What Is ‘Fake?’

“The play’s social commentary on isolation, loneliness, love and lust has been embraced by audiences since it first premiered in January of 1987,” said director Trevin Cooper, Creative Arts adjunct professor. “The story and characters grapple with the same issues which dominate the human condition today: What is ‘real?’ What is ‘fake?’ And can the thing which gives you the strength to live also be the thing which destroys you? Long before the technological era dominated our lives, [playwright] Wilson was asking the question we still seek to answer, “How do we connect to one another, when we are all so very different?” 

The cast includes students Delicia Bent as Anna, Jackson Gray as Pale, Leonidus Gonzalez as Larry and Hailey Jones as Burton. 

Ticket prices are $12 for adults and $10 for senior citizens. Stetson students, staff and faculty are admitted free with a valid Stetson ID. 

Note: This play contains mature subject matter and mature language and may not be suitable for all ages. 

For more information or reservations, call the Stetson University Second Stage Theatre Arts box office at 386-822-8700.