The Mary Moody Northern Theatre’s 2010-2011 season is continuing with the upcoming production of Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” The theater, in its 38th season, has just begun rehearsals for the widely acclaimed play.

The play centers around two couples: Martha and George, an older couple, and Nick and Honey, their younger guests. George and Nick both work at a university in the history and biology departments. Martha, George’s wife, is the daughter of the president of the university.

The entire play takes place at Martha and George’s home after the four characters return from a faculty party. It doesn’t take long for the plot to take a twist.

“It’s two in the morning when we arrive,” junior Meredith Montgomery, who plays Honey said. “So that goes ahead and starts it off as strange. It’s offbeat right off the bat.”

After a while, the older couple starts playing games with the younger couple. “Which translates to mind games,” said Kel Sanders, a senior who plays the role of Nick. “They’re called things like Humiliate the Host, Hump the Hostess, Bringing Up Baby, things like that.”

As the evening continues, the characters’ actions only become more bizarre. Between copious amounts of alcohol, a hysterical pregnancy, and a make-believe son, the show not only entertains but also prompts the audience members to question themselves.

“You figure out through the course of the show that nobody is safe from their own sanity,” Montgomery said. “Everybody has secrets. Everybody has skeletons in the closet. I think that’s why it’s so famous.”

“I think it can be really cathartic,” added Sanders. “Just everything that happens, everything that unfolds, it’s very dark, but I think it’s possibly really cathartic.”

With Equity members Ev Lunning and Babs George playing the roles of Martha and George, there are high hopes for the production. “It’s an exploration into the human psyche,” Montgomery said.

Currently, the cast, along with director Christi Moore and assistant director Kiara Smith, are in the middle of table readings.

“It’s not a play you can just jump in to,” Sanders said, acknowledging that the play is quite dialogue heavy.

“We’ve just been reading through it, and reading through it again and then stopping and talking about it.” Montgomery said.

Montgomery encouraged students to see the play despite any reservations they may have about theater.

“It’s going to be a really interesting show,” Montgomery said. “I think a lot of students have this idea that theater is boring. But it’s not. Theater can be fun and raunchy and offbeat. Take a chance on it.”

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” opens Nov. 11 and will run through Nov. 21. Tickets for students, senior faculty, and staff are $12, and adult tickets are $15. There will be a $6 student night, but the date has yet to be announced.