OK, so it’s not sex. But it is thrilling, provocative and memorable. It has also been popular for centuries.

The professional Shakespeare Company, Shenandoah Shakespeare, will perform in Stewart Theatre this week. Shenandoah Shakespeare is the national touring troupe from Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, Va. — the world’s only replication of Shakespeare’s original indoor theatre.

First of all, Shakespeare wrote to encourage communication between the actor and his audience. Therefore, the lights were left on in the audience as well as on stage during the performances. The members of Shenandoah maintain this practice. Hence, their slogan — “we do it with the lights on.”

In an attempt to connect the plays to modern audiences, costumes consist of current attire rather than following the style of the play’s period. This is the actors’ attempt at speaking to audiences in the present.

The companies performing during Shakespeare’s life did this also, performing Julius Caesar in Elizabethan attire rather than ancient Roman.

Shakespeare’s company used unadorned sets with a few pieces to indicate location. Therefore, Shenandoah’s sets are minimal with a few large pieces to spark the audience’s imagination.

Also, music was played before, during and after performances of Shakespeare’s plays during his time. Good news — the lyrics survived. Bad news — the music did not.

Although the music is mostly contemporary in style, the company maintains this practice by singing the original lyrics to more recently written music.

Shenandoah Shakespeare will perform Return to the Forbidden Planet, a ’50s rock ‘n’ roll musical based on The Tempest, will be tonight at 8 p.m. in Stewart Theatre.

Students can see each performance for $8 and non-NCSU students can buy tickets for $15. General admission is $22 for one performance or $33 for both.

To help you figure out the connection between Return to the Forbidden Planet and The Tempest, Marvin Hunt, an English professor of Renaissance literature, will host a pre-show discussion at 6:45 p.m. in the South Gallery of Talley Student Center.