The University Players will perform “Arcadia” by Tom Stoppard at the University of Hartford, opening on November 14th.

The play takes place in the 1800s and present day, using one set and different characters over the course of two acts. According to director Amanda Pawlik, the first part of the story is the 1800s characters in a room, then the play flashes forward to present day where different characters are in the same room attempting to figure out what happened there in the past.

“We can kind of see what actually happened versus how the people in the present are interpreting it,” Pawlik said.

The University Players have been around for 58 years, holding their first show in 1956, according to Pawlik.

Each year, they carefully select a play to perform, trying to vary the shows from year to year. Pawlik said since the Players did a comedy last year when they put on A Flea In Her Ear, they wanted to switch it up for this year.

“It’s so for the students who do it all four years get to have a different experience each time,” Pawlik said.

Arcadia opens Friday, November 14th and will take place on November 15th, 21st, and 22nd as well. Tickets are $3 for students and $5 for the public.

“The story itself is just a wonderful, wonderful, just mesmerizing story,” Pawlik said, “I definitely encourage people to come out. Don’t be intimidated when I say it’s a long show. The time goes by so fast and it’s really just lovely.”