After a two-week hiatus, No Refund Theatre (NRT) has brought us a new show: “The Sugar Syndrome,” by Lucy Prebble. This play is tough to watch, tougher to digest, and I can’t imagine anyone but NRT pulling it off.

Before I go further, I’d like to bring up a few content warnings. This play brings up topics of rape, pedophilia, sexual encounters, and eating disorders, and uses strong language throughout.

Despite the long list of trigger warnings, this play — directed by Griff Graff — is not something that people should avoid. It’s a story about a seventeen-year-old girl, Dani (Elizabeth Shoff), who befriends a pedophile, Tim (Jack Stevens), by posing as a ten-year-old boy online. They meet in a park, and their relationship grows.

Dani is a quintessential seventeen-year-old, hating her parents, going out with random people, and avoiding all the serious questions about herself. While her relationship with Tim doesn’t avoid the topics of his past, Dani sees the light in him anyway.

Stevens, who played Tim, knew this wouldn’t be an easy role to take.

“It was one of the most difficult performances I’ve ever given,” he said. “I’m stepping into the shoes of someone that I find reprehensible.”

While it may appear that Tim’s character is clear-cut evil, “The Sugar Syndrome” tries to make us see that people like him are still human. It’s not trying to justify any actions, only to show that people like this still feel the same way others do; that they know they’re wrong and have to live with that.

Dani, on the other hand, is not an evil person. Portrayed by Shoff, Dani is a damaged teen, having left a clinic for her eating disorder before the beginning of the story. She’s just moved and has few friends, frequents online chatrooms, and finds friends there. She sees the good in Tim that he won’t see in himself, even when she probably shouldn’t.

“Theatre is a place where we can explore the uncomfortable in a comfortable environment,” said director Griff Graff.

While these characters and their actions are fictional, these things are real and really do happen. No, this play isn’t the easiest watch or the most entertaining. Most others would’ve probably picked a more light-hearted adventure, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for this.

“The Sugar Syndrome” debuts on Thursday, October 9, running through Saturday, October 11. The curtains open at 8 p.m. each day in Forum 111. Remember, no refunds.