“Apparition,” subtitled “An Uneasy Play of the Underknown,” follows a group of characters rehearsing for a performance of “Macbeth.” Written by Anne Washburn and directed by Professor Cindy Croot, the play explores paranoia and the anticipation of fear.

“It’s about the idea of fear before seeing something that’s actually frightening,” says senior cast member Beth Frieden.

The characters are tied together by their involvement in “Macbeth,” but the script frequently breaks out into monologues on characters’ own stories.

“It’s so unusual. I’ve never read a script like it,” says junior cast member Seren Pendleton-Knoll.

“It’s very conversational: sounds like ‘um’ and ‘ah’ are written into the script.”

“When I first read the script, it just seemed like a lot of sentences thrown together,” said junior cast member Bryce McKay. “It seemed very disjointed. During rehearsal, however, it became much clearer. The playwright did a great job of taking a lot of ideas that don’t seem to fit together and using them to create a story.”

“The characters and events are all interrelated,” says Pendleton-Knoll. “Something mentioned in one scene will be brought up later on. With such a cryptic script, we have to work very hard to make sure the audience sees all the layers to the play.”

While parts of the script are narrative, large sections are abstract, so the director and actors develop their own interpretations.

“It’s very fun to play with as an actor,” says Pendleton-Knoll, whose character has just moved to the city and believes her apartment is haunted. “We decided that my character is the only one that remains human throughout the entire play.”

“I play a demon in one scene and an actor in another,” says McKay. “The number of characters an actor plays is left interpretable by the script.”

Frieden’s character plays Lady Macbeth in the actors’ performance.

“She’s a sexy Lady Macbeth who likes Victorian ghost stories,” says Frieden. “The audience sees her at different times throughout her life.”