Every seat of the Arena Theater in the Fine Arts Building was filled Saturday night to see “The Zoo Story” performed by two University students.

About 50 people filled the dark, warm room to see the one-act play written by playwright Edward Albee in 1958 and performed by the University Department of Theater and Film Studies Graduate Acting Ensemble.

This play speaks in a humorous tone about the devastating loneliness and complete need for human interaction felt by a man with no friends or family in a city crammed with people.

The setting takes place sometime between the 1960s-1970s in New York City’s Central Park on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Peter, played by Scotty Gannon, is a typical American who is a business executive of a publishing house with a wife, two daughters, two birds and a cat.

While quietly reading his book, Peter is disturbed by a loud and eccentric man, Jerry, played by Rob Glidden.

Jerry is an unemployed and apparently mentally unstable man who is desperate to connect with someone.

The hour-long play consisted mostly of dialogue that lingered around issues of Jerry’s poor living situation at a rooming house while he paced agitatedly around the stage.

The play ended with an act of accidental violence when Jerry ran into a knife defensively held out by Peter. As Jerry sat dying on the bench, he thanks Peter just for staying to talk with him.

“(‘The Zoo Story’) challenged me to think about people in a more psychological and emotional sense,” said freshman Sarah Park. “It kind of reminded me of the movie ‘American Beauty.’”

“The Zoo Story” was the second play written by Albee and jump-started his career as a playwright.

The short length of the play and its simple production appear to attack the ideals of mainstream theater and culture.

The play addresses the nature of human existence and is considered an American example of the theater of the absurd.

“The Zoo Story” was directed by student Kalina Bakalova and was performed each night from Thursday through Sunday.

All proceeds of the $5 admission go to supporting the Master Fine Arts and Performance program which is a professional acting training program that lasts for three years, said Head of Performance Area Ray Paolino.

The program includes a MFA showcase in the third year that is held in media centers like New York, Chicago or Atlanta that help students find professional internships.