Wednesday, October 9, 2002
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Wednesday, October 9, 2002 |
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Starr's Mill presents Wilder's classic "Our Town" By MICHAEL
BOYLAN
Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" chronicles life in a small town in America at the dawn of the 20th century. What has made the show such an enduring success is that the show illustrates the eternal truths of human existence. "Our Town" enjoyed critical success, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and is still popular with audiences today. Starr's Mill High School will present "Our Town" on Thursday, Oct. 10 and Saturday, Oct. 12. "Our Town" is set in Grover's Corners, New Hampshire in 1901. The Gibbses are neighbors to the Webbs and their children, George Gibbs, played by Matt Drake, and Emily Webb, played by Jessica Merrick, are childhood sweethearts who marry. Shortly after their union, Emily dies in childbirth and she is reunited in the cemetery with those who have died before her. "The lesson of the play is to live life to the fullest," said Director David Spearman, who considers 'Our Town' to be an American classic. "I told the students that to build our reputation as a drama department we would have to prove to the community that we could do the classics as well as contemporary works." Though the majority of the cast is made up of drama students from Starr's Mill, Spearman reunited with one of the stars from "The Sound of Music," which he directed for Fayette Players and Community Theatre, Inc. over the summer. Michael Houghtaling played Captain Von Trapp in "The Sound of Music" and now gets to sink his teeth into the role of The Narrator. "I have always felt that the role of the Narrator has to be played by an adult, someone with life experience." Spearman said. "When I mentioned the show to Michael this summer, he volunteered for the role." "Our Town" has been performed thousands of times but each production will strike new chords with audiences, whether they are familiar with the show or not. The show stresses Wilder's belief that life is meaningful and that the value is found in living for the moment. "Our Town" will be presented at 7 p.m. on Thursday and at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday. There will be two ten-minute intermissions. Admission is $5.
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