A Grateful Dead poster and a slew of polaroids decorate the wall. Sounds like an average student’s dorm room, right? Wrong. The backdrop of Brandeis Players’ production of “This Is Our Youth,” written by Kenneth Lonergan in 1996, is an Upper West Side New York City apartment inhabited by Dennis (Matt Hoisch ’19) and frequented by his friend Warren (Rodrigo Alfaro Garcia Granados ’18) in the early 1980s.

“This Is Our Youth” opened Thursday and ran through Sunday in the Merrick Theater of Spingold Theater Center. The set, designed by Sara Kenney ’18, was an artful representation of what a 22-year-old college dropout’s apartment might look like. Empty soda cans decorated the worn-out couch and chair, with a mattress set up on the floor as a bed. Aside from a mini-fridge and a record player, the room was sparse and decorated very little, a reflection of Dennis’ character.

All of the action takes place in Dennis’ apartment over the course of two days. The play opens with Dennis sitting in his apartment smoking a joint when his friend Warren buzzes. Dennis pretends to be too cool to care but eventually lets him upstairs. Warren explains that his father kicked him out because he is always smoking weed. Warren steals $15,000 from his father, who is “arguably the most dangerous lingerie manufacturer in the world,” which sets the whole plot into motion.

Jessica (Mira Kessler ’16) is a Fashion Institute of Technology student with long legs and a killer attitude. Warren and Jessica awkwardly flirt for a good portion of Act One until they debate about plans for the future and personality development. They talk about their parents and growing up, a major theme of the play. The two smoke weed before Warren asks her to spend the night with him at the Plaza Hotel.

The next day, when Dennis finds out Warren spent a thousand dollars for the night, he is furious and insists on selling Warren’s collection of childhood toys for a profit. Warren agrees — a metaphorical nod to surrendering the feelings of youth to make way for the future.

Dennis’ character is the epitome of a young adult of the ’80s “Me Generation.” He relates every line back to his own life, brushing off Warren’s comments like they mean nothing to him. Dennis is both aggressive and cunning. Dennis’ best line occurs at the climax of the play, when Warren declares that Dennis is “his personal hero” and Dennis responds in shock. He cannot fathom the idea — even though Dennis has it all figured out on the outside, it is clear that he is just as lost as the rest of the characters.

Director Tres Fimmano ’18 did a fantastic job building the personas of each individual character through movement. The way that Granados fidgets with the objects strewn about on the coffee table at center stage sets the mood for the way his character reacts when Kessler enters the scene. Hoisch’s manic pacing is in tune with the inner workings of his character’s mind. Kessler’s habits like biting her nails and playing with her hair align perfectly with her tendency to second-guess herself.

The costumes, designed by Remony Perlman ’19, are minimalistic but fit with the time period and personalities of the characters seamlessly. It is clear that Warren bases his style loosely on Dennis’ relaxed look. Jessica sports mini skirts with dynamic tops and accessories that add punch.

The most striking part of “This Is Our Youth” is the play’s timelessness. The adolescent themes of coming of age, worrying about the future and self-consciousness are not unique to the time period the play is set in. It is not hard to imagine Dennis, Warren or Jessica as one of our own peers on a tightrope dance between adolescence and adulthood.