Director’s Note:
“Oh My God, you guys…I freaking LOVE Our Town”! You could stop right there and know exactly how I feel, but if you’re inclined to keep reading, I’ll try to qualify that statement. This year began a bit abnormally for the drama department. Usually, we head into the summer having already announced each of the shows for the upcoming season. This gives everyone time to anticipate and to prepare, and let’s face it, many of us are long-range planners. This year, that was not the case. The school year started, and there were still no shows announced. Now, for quite awhile, I had a list. Over time, new shows were added to the list and others were removed. There was, however, one constant; that was “Our Town”, by Thornton Wilder. In hindsight, I sometimes ask myself why I didn’t just pick that outright in the first place. I think, deep down, I had to be sure. There are some meaty roles; roles that require tremendous emotional maturity and countless lines to memorize. The actors have to make believable a world through the use of almost no props or scenery. They have to make relevant a story that is set over one hundred years ago. They have been asked to be vulnerable with their emotions; to cry and to appear in love on stage. I’m delighted to say that everyone involved has risen to the challenge. Each member of the cast and crew has bought into the idea, the heart and the spirit of the play and has given so much dedication and effort.
For many of you of a certain age, “Our Town” may have been required reading in high school, or you may have seen it somewhere years ago, or who knows, you might have even been in a production yourself. It’s a show that many people know, and that many people have opinions about. I was so excited to learn that only one or two students had had prior exposure to the show. This really let us create this piece from scratch, and with no preconceptions. I hope there are many of you in the audience, too, for whom this is your first foray into Grover’s Corners. I’m, in a way, jealous of the experience you’ll get to have of watching this show for the first time. If you do know this show already, I hope you’ll approach it from a different mindset than your previous encounter. It’s been said that one’s own life experience dictates what they get out of “Our Town”. Maybe that’s true. I do believe, however, that this is a timeless play. The experiences of these characters are universal, and that this show will be around for easily, another hundred years.
I need to thank the wonderful volunteers who make up the Drama Boosters. They have done everything in their power to make sure we had what we needed to make this show run as smoothly as possible. I also thank my friends and colleagues, Mr. Mike Flynn and Mrs. Karen Cordaro, both self-proclaimed “Our Town” fans, who assured me that this was the right show to choose. Thank you to the amazing Noah Glaister, who I’m sure is bound for Broadway. And thank you, dear audience, for coming and supporting the arts. You give us a reason for doing this. So, maybe if you ever catch me saying “Oh my God, I freaking love Our Town”, you might respond in a few hours with, “Oh my God, me too”.
Derby
