10/11/18
by Emilia Getzinger
“This play is called Our Town,” says the Stage Manager upon her entrance, “It was written by Thornton Wilder.”
Director Mrs. Alexa Wild and producer Ms. Kathleen Czel break tradition in choosing Our Town, rather than another Shakespeare play, for this year’s fall drama. Our Town was written in 1937 and is widely considered Wilder’s best work. It centers around the residents of Grover’s Corners, a New Hampshire town with a population just above 2,000. The characters lead simple lives, but the play explores the uniqueness of the human condition through their words and actions. The Stage Manager, who narrates the play, says it best, “This is the way we were: in our growing up and in our marrying and in our doctoring and in our living and in our dying.” Despite the minimal setting and ordinary premise, the audience leaves the show with an altered view of the surrounding world.
The two main families in the show are the Webb family and the Gibbs family. The teenage children of both families, Emily and George, struggle in their relationships with their parents and siblings before discovering each other in a way they never have before. Their romance is appealing without being overbearingly unrealistic, for it illustrates the love and relationships in ways that so many can relate to.
Initially, many students were hesitant to participate in a contemporary play after years of doing Shakespeare. However, the students have grown to love Our Town. Lizzie Varda, a junior who plays Mrs. Soames and has acted in Fall Drama productions since 2016, said, “I was apprehensive at first because I like doing Shakespeare, and I had never done a non-Shakespeare show before, but I think it will be a fun new experience that could draw a broad range of audiences to come see the show.” The multigenerational characters and relationships—familial, romantic, and friendly—make this show perfect for all audiences.
Performances of Our Town will take place November 15-17 at 7 p.m. in the IHS auditorium.
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