“You’ve got to love life to have life, and you’ve got to have life to love life…It’s what they call a vicious circle.”
— Thornton Wilder, “Our Town”
Officially, Thornton Wilder’s masterpiece “Our Town” is a story set in the fictional Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, just across the state line from Massachusetts.
But in reality, the backdrop is Anywhere, USA — a place where neighbors know neighbors, families are raised, and folks do what they can to make it in the world.
It’s also why “Our Town” was an easy choice for Tricia Stogsdill, Allen Community College drama instructor, to cap the college’s 2025-26 theatrical season. It made even more sense for such an ambitious project because this rendition is being done as a joint production with the Iola Community Theatre, which is wrapping up its 60th year.
“Our Town” runs at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. Admission is $10, with students admitted free of charge.
For the uninitiated, “Our Town” differs from other theatrical offerings in that its minimalist staging — only a few chairs and assorted other props, really — is all that’s needed to set the story in motion.
(It should be noted that this so-called “spartan” setting is nevertheless beautifully presented, courtesy of the stagecraft wizardry of technical director John Leahy and his team of helpers.)
THE OTHER distinction from most other plays is that the story is laid out from the outset by a stage manager, in this case Kendall Glaze, the play’s narrator.
Glaze frequently interrupts, and occasionally interacts with the cast to break down the “fourth wall” to explain the plot points, set the tone, and impress upon the audience the themes of each act.
The first act, “Daily Life,” introduces the two main families.
Dr. Frank and Julia Gibbs have two children, George and Rebecca, while Charles and Myrtle Gibbs are parents to Emily and her younger brother, Wally.
Here, the Gibbses and Webbs go through their daily routines, interacting with assorted townsfolk, setting the tone for what’s to come.
Act 2, “Love and Marriage” centers on the stories of George and Emily, who’ve fallen in love, and are ready (or maybe not) for life’s next big step: marriage.
We won’t spoil the third act, “Death and Eternity,” any more than the title suggests, only to note that obviously, the natural progression of living inevitably leads to dying.
EFFECTIVELY presenting “Our Town” requires a top-notch cast, capable of keeping the audience’s focus without a bunch of bells and whistles.
