Take a Trip to Our Town

Take a Trip to Our Town

By Andrea D.

Our Town, a well-known playwright set in the state of New Hampshire, was written by the three-time Pulitzer Prize winning author Thornton Wilder. Written in 1938, Our Town follows the lives of several ordinary people in the early 1900's.  Wilder's unique style as a playwright shines throughout this play.

Our Town takes place from 1901 to 1913 in a Grover's Corners, New Hampshire. It shows the simple lives of several townspeople, including paperboys, a milk boy, and the two main families: the Gibbs and the Webbs. Frank Gibbs is the town doctor and Charles Webb is the editor of the town newspaper. The Gibbs's son, George, and the Webbs' daughter, Emily, develop a romance and eventually get married.

This play is somewhat unconventional, since the "Stage Manager" is the narrator, but also acts as some side characters. The Stage Manager and the characters of Our Town interact throughout the play. Our Town is organized into 3 Acts; Act I takes place in 1901, Act II in 1904, and Act III in 1913. This is an unusual lapse of time between each of the Acts. Wilder also is modest in his descriptions of settings and use of props. Much is left to the readers'/audience members' imagination. This can be either a disadvantage or an advantage, depending on one's preference. The mood also changes throughout the story, becoming more serious as it progresses. The tale itself is easy to follow, and though at times it seems a bit bland, it gets increasingly intriguing.

Though the setup of Our Town is definitely out of the ordinary, this is interesting and will keep you captivated. I recently had heard about this play from friends that will be acting in it and decided to read it for myself before seeing it. I'm glad I decided to do so, and recommend that you do as well.

Our Town, by Thornton Wilder, Perennial Classics, 1998, 121 pages