‘The Nether’ opens at Centenary Stage on Oct. 9

By now, most people are familiar with the concept of virtual reality, in which a computer-generated simulation could be mistaken for the real world.

Take that a step further. Imagine a computer world that affects all the senses, to the point where it is completely indistinguishable from reality.

Now imagine being able to use that world to satisfy desires and appetites that would be normally be considered perverse or even illegal. Would it permissible to be able to indulge those urges that way? Is it possible to police the imagination?

These and other questions make up the intriguing and disturbing premise at the heart of “The Nether.” Jennifer Haley’s award-winning play, which runs tonight through Oct. 25, is the first theatrical offering of the 2015-2016 season at Centenary Stage Co.

“This is one of the most evocative and provocative plays I’ve read in recent years,” says Carl Wallnau, who is directing the production. “It raises a lot of interesting questions.”

In Haley’s story, the Internet has evolved into the Nether, a series of realms within realms. Morris, a young detective (played by Erica Knight), learns of a realm called the Hideaway, which is expressly for people with a specific sexual predilection.

Morris interrogates Sims (Craig MacDonald), the creator of the Hideaway. Sims makes the case that he provides an outlet for people to safely indulge their (perverse) tastes, while Morris argues that he is actually legitimizing those perversions.

“It’s a fascinating idea,” Wallnau says. “If something becomes so real, does it actually cross the line to that it becomes illegal? Is it possible to experience life without having to deal with the consequences?”

Like many science fiction writers, Haley takes concepts to the extreme. For example, characters talk about the option of becoming “shades.” “They go into induced comas, so they can remain plugged into the virtual world,” says Wallnau.

The play poses certain technical challenges, according to Wallnau. The interrogation room hints at the bleak, sterile world of the year 2050. But Hideaway is fashioned as a Victorian house with elaborate furnishings.

“The Nether” has won acclaim since its debut in Los Angeles in 2013. It earned Haley the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for female playwrights, and the London production was nominated for an Olivier Award (the British version of the Tony)

The task of bringing “The Nether” to life at Centenary Stage falls to Bob Phillips, an Emmy-winning set designer who has worked on several productions for the theater.

Wallnau notes that Phillips is retiring after this show, and these final designs reflect the culmination of his years of expertise. The set will include sliding panels, as well as selective use of digital projection to convey the future world.

Wallnau feels that audiences will appreciate “The Nether” is on several levels. On the one hand, fans of “Law & Order” will relate to the scenes in the interrogation room. “This is a mystery, with a lot of surprises all the way through,” he says.

But the computer aspect of the future world is also explored, he adds. “Anyone who is into video games and those types of technical things will like this.”

In that sense, “The Nether” could be compared to both the mind-bending “Matrix” movies and the British series “Black Mirror” that airs on Netflix.

The timing of this production is also right, Wallnau says. “It’s a wonderful show for October. It’s creepy with a lot of different effects.”

However, Wallnau also realizes that mounting a relatively unknown play by a writer with little name recognition – no matter how well-regarded – is a risk.

“Is there an audience for something people are unfamiliar with? I think there is,” he says. “This is a play that leaves you with a lot of profound questions that don’t have an easy solution.”

THE NETHER

WHEN: Through Oct. 25

WHERE: David and Carol Lackland Center, Centenary College, 715 Grand Ave., Hackettstown

TICKETS: $25 for Fridays and matinees, $27.50 for Saturdays. $17.50 for children under age 12. “Two-for-one” tickets on Thursday evenings.

INFO: 908-979-0900 or www.centenarystageco.org