Last night, the Theater Department held the final rehearsal of its newest production, “Stop Kiss,” and is preparing to open the show to the public.

The show opens today and runs until Satuday and continues on May 24, 25 and 26.

All shows are at 8 p.m. except for the show on May 26 which is at 2 p.m.

The play, written by Diana Son, is a tough romance about a New York City couple that must overcome an episode of horrific violence in the pursuit of love. But, unlike many other plays about romance and violence, “Stop Kiss” presents these difficult issues in a manner which illuminates the true human tragedy at the core of this type of drama.

While the play’s two main characters, Callie, played by Jenny Dempster, and Sara, played by Sarah Choszczyk, are both gay women, this show is really more about human love in the face of tragedy than about sexuality.

It’s a show about “romance interrupted by violence,” which makes the audience “deal both with their thoughts about romance and their thoughts about violence,” said director Paula Sperry.

The play also deals with issues of job-related stress, fear, empowerment and modern humanity.

The student-built set highlights the difficult nature of the storyline, moving from a comfortable apartment in the first scene to a cold, blue doctor’s examination room for the second scene.

This sudden shift in atmosphere is so striking, however, due to the vastly different emotional state of Callie in the two environments.

The changing physical and emotional atmosphere creates a sudden break in reality that draws audience members in and sets the tone for the rest of the play.

While the director called the play a variation on the “boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl back” story, “Stop Kiss” leaves the audience with a lasting illustration of the difficulties of modern life and shows how violence can interrupt the search for love and happiness in society.