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44-422: Our Town is a three-act play written by American playwright Thornton Wilder in 1938. Described by Edward Albee as "the greatest American play ever written", it presents the fictional American town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 through the everyday lives of its citizens. Wilder uses metatheatrical devices, setting the play in the actual theatre where it is being performed. The main character

88-774: A Los Angeles–based theater company, co-produced with the Pasadena Playhouse a production of Our Town performed in American Sign Language and spoken English. A new revival directed by Kenny Leon opened on Broadway on October 10, 2024 with Jim Parsons as the Stage Manager, Zoey Deutch as Emily Webb, Katie Holmes as Mrs. Webb, Billy Eugene Jones as Dr. Gibbs, Ephraim Sykes as George Gibbs, Richard Thomas as Mr. Webb, Michelle Wilson as Mrs. Gibbs, Julie Halston as Mrs. Soames, and Donald Webber Jr. as Simon Stimpson. The production began previews on September 17 at

132-435: A glowing full moon, Act I ends with siblings George and Rebecca, and Emily gazing out of their respective bedroom windows, enjoying the smell of heliotrope in the "wonderful (or terrible) moonlight," with the self-discovery of Emily and George liking each other, and the realization that they are both straining to grow up in their own way. The audience is dismissed to the first intermission by the Stage Manager who quips, "That's

176-533: A nurturing landscape, by creating an institutionalized residential art colony in the area. In 1904, Edward MacDowell began to show signs of an illness that ended his composing and teaching career. He died in 1908. In 1907, Marian MacDowell deeded their farm to the Edward MacDowell Association and founded the MacDowell Colony. The first guests arrived that year: sisters Helen Farnsworth Mears ,

220-466: A problem with alcohol; all the characters speak to his issue as if they are aware of it and his having "seen a peck of trouble," a phrase repeated by more than one character throughout the show. While the majority of townsfolk choose to "look the other way," including the town policeman, Constable Warren, it is Mrs. Gibbs who takes Simon's struggles with addiction to heart, and has a conversation with her husband, Doc Gibbs, about Simon's drinking. Underneath

264-511: A sculptor, and Mary Mears , a writer. Mears wrote about her time on site for The Craftsman in July 1909. MacDowell began by inviting applicants personally, but by the 1920s had consigned the admission process to a committee. Marian and friends raised funds and found support from industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie , former U.S. President Grover Cleveland , financier J. P. Morgan , other prominent people, as well as many others across

308-513: A studio at MacDowell in memory of her teacher Regina Watson . It was renovated in 1993 and became McDowell's first barrier-free studio that was accessible to everyone. By 1918, 31 of Isabelle Sprague Smith 's students funded the creation of the Isabelle D. Sprague Smith studio. Through the years more separate studios were built. The program continues in 32 studios scattered over 450 acres (1.8 km ) of land. On March 13, 2020, MacDowell shut in

352-429: Is a young man named Sam Craig who has returned to Grover's Corners for his cousin's funeral. That cousin is Emily, who died giving birth to her and George's second child. Once the funeral ends, Emily emerges to join the dead. Mrs. Gibbs urges her to forget her life, warning her that being able to see but not interact with her family, all the while knowing what will happen in the future, will cause her too much pain. Ignoring

396-545: Is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire . The program was founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell . Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDowell Colony or "The Colony", but its board of directors shortened the name to remove "terminology with oppressive overtones". After Edward MacDowell died in 1908, Marian MacDowell established

440-506: Is at this time when we are introduced to Simon Stimson, an organist and choir director at the Congregational Church. It is learned from Mrs. Louella Soames that Simon Stimson is an alcoholic when she, Mrs. Gibbs, and Mrs. Webb stop on the corner after choir practice and "gossip like a bunch of old hens," according to Doc Gibbs, discussing Simon's alcoholism. It seems to be a well known fact amongst everyone in town that Simon Stimson has

484-525: Is because they do not yet have the skills to deal with the forces of antagonism that confront them. They must not only learn new skills, but they also must arrive at a higher sense of awareness of who they are and what they are capable of, in order to deal with their predicament, which in turn changes who they are. This is referred to as character development or a character arc . This cannot be achieved alone, and they are usually aided and abetted by mentors and co-protagonists. The third act features

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528-570: Is set in the actual theatre where the play is being performed, but the date is always May 7, 1901. The Stage Manager of the May 7, 1901, production introduces the play-within-the-play , which is set in the fictional community of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire. The Stage Manager gives the coordinates of Grover's Corners as 42°40′ North latitude and 70°37′ West longitude. (In the real world, these coordinates are in Massachusetts waters, just over 300 meters off

572-585: Is the stage manager of the theatre who directly addresses the audience, brings in guest lecturers, fields questions from the audience, and fills in playing some of the roles. The play is performed without a set on a mostly bare stage. With a few exceptions, the actors mime actions without the use of props. The first performance of Our Town was at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey , on January 22, 1938. It went on to success on Broadway and received

616-449: The resolution of the story and its subplots. The climax is the scene or sequence in which the main tensions of the story are brought to their most intense point and the dramatic question answered, leaving the protagonist and other characters with a new sense of who they really are. MacDowell Colony 42°53′24″N 71°57′18″W  /  42.89000°N 71.95500°W  / 42.89000; -71.95500 MacDowell

660-481: The Ethel Barrymore Theatre . Three act structure As the story moves along, the plot usually progresses in such a way as to pose a yes or no question, the major dramatic question . For example, Will the boy get the girl? Will the hero save the day? Will the detective solve the mystery? Will the criminal be caught by law enforcement and brought to justice? Will the protagonist be murdered by

704-551: The Morosco Theatre , where it ran until November 19, 1938; this production was produced and directed by Jed Harris . Wilder received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1938 for the work. The Jed Harris production of Our Town was revived at New York City Center on January 10, 1944, running for 24 performances until January 29, with Montgomery Clift as George, Martha Scott as Emily, and Thomas W. Ross as Mr. Webb. In 1946,

748-551: The Pulitzer Prize for Drama , and remains popular today with frequent revivals. The Stage Manager introduces the audience to the small town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, and the people living there as a morning begins in the year 1901. Joe Crowell delivers the paper to Doc Gibbs, Howie Newsome delivers the milk, and the Webb and Gibbs households send their children (Emily and Wally Webb, George and Rebecca Gibbs) off to school on this beautifully simple morning. Professor Willard speaks to

792-661: The Soviet Union prevented a production of Our Town in the Russian sector of occupied Berlin "on the grounds that the drama is too depressing and could inspire a German suicide wave." Victor Carin directed a production by the Edinburgh Gateway Company in 1965. Henry Fonda played the Stage Manager in a production that ran on Broadway from Nov 27 to Dec 27, 1969. Elizabeth Hartman played Emily and Harvey Evans played George. Margaret Hamilton and Ed Begley were in

836-498: The 1930s. Constantly on the move, he worked on the play wherever he went. In June 1937, he stayed in the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire , one of the many locations where he worked on the play. It is believed Wilder drafted the entire third act during a visit to Zürich in September 1937, in one day, after a long evening walk in the rain with a friend, author Samuel Morris Steward . Wilder explained his vision in writing

880-467: The Stage Manager if anyone truly understands the value of life while they live it, he responds, "No. The saints and poets, maybe – they do some." Emily returns to her grave next to Mrs. Gibbs and watches impassively as George kneels weeping over her. The Stage Manager concludes the play and wishes the audience a good night. Wilder began making notes for the play while he was teaching and lecturing in Chicago in

924-789: The artists' residency program through a nonprofit association in honor of her husband, raising funds to transform her farm into a quiet retreat for creative artists to work. She led the organization for almost 25 years. Over the years, an estimated 9,000 artists have been supported in residence with nearly 16,000 fellowships, including the winners of at least 102 Pulitzer Prizes , 33 National Book Awards , 31 Tony Awards , 34 MacArthur Fellowships , 18 Grammys , 9 Oscars , 969 Guggenheim Fellowships , and 122 Rome Prizes . The artists' residency program has accepted visual and interdisciplinary artists, architects, filmmakers, composers, playwrights, poets, and writers, both well-known and unknown. Since January 2020, Nell Painter has served as chair of MacDowell,

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968-475: The audience about the history of the town. Editor Webb speaks to the audience about the town's socioeconomic status, political and religious demographics, and the accessibility and proliferation, or lack thereof, of culture and art in Grover's Corners. The Stage Manager leads the audience through a series of pivotal moments throughout the afternoon and evening, revealing the characters' relationships and challenges. It

1012-483: The cast. A production at New York City's Lyceum Theatre, produced by Lincoln Center opened on December 4, 1988, after 27 previews, and ran for 136 performances until April 2, 1989; the cast included Spalding Gray as "Stage Manager," Frances Conroy as Mrs. Gibbs, Penelope Ann Miller as Emily, and Eric Stoltz as George. The production was videotaped for broadcast on PBS (see "Adaptations" below). In 2003, Paul Newman , marking his final stage performance, acted in

1056-468: The coast of Rockport .) And at the beginning of Act III, he mentions several real New Hampshire landmarks in the vicinity: Mt. Monadnock and the towns of Jaffrey, Jaffrey Center, Peterborough, and Dublin. In Wilder's writing of Our Town , he employed a metatheatrical style. He utilized the Stage Manager role to narrate the story and also to appear as several different characters. The Stage Manager, as

1100-465: The country. MacDowell said the most consistent support came from women's clubs and professional music sororities (see, for example, the MacDowell Club of New York). At the age of 50, MacDowell began lecturing to women's groups to raise funds, resumed her performing career, and became a noted interpreter of her husband's work. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge organized an effort in 1916 to build and name

1144-409: The end of Act I, folks. You can go and smoke, now. Those that smoke." Three years have passed, and George and Emily prepare to wed. The day is filled with stress. Howie Newsome is delivering milk in the pouring rain while Si Crowell, younger brother of Joe, laments how George's baseball talents will be squandered. George pays an awkward visit to his soon-to-be in-laws. Here, the Stage Manager interrupts

1188-578: The face of the COVID-19 outbreak and sent artists and fellows home. It was the first time the site had shut since the 1938 New England hurricane . MacDowell reopened its doors in October of 2020. Every year, MacDowell presents the Edward MacDowell Medal to an artist who has made a significant cultural contribution. Residency at MacDowell is not a requirement. Medal Day is one of the rare occasions when

1232-430: The first two acts there are at least a few chairs and tables; but when Emily revisits the earth and the kitchen to which she descended on her twelfth birthday, the very chairs and table are gone. Our claim, our hope, our despair is in the mind–not in things, not in "scenery". Moliere said that for the theater all he needed was a platform and a passion or two. The climax of this play needs only five square feet of boarding and

1276-546: The first woman to hold the position. In 1896, pianist Marian MacDowell bought Hillcrest Farm in Peterborough, New Hampshire, as a summer residence for herself and her husband, composer Edward MacDowell . She had always been careful to give him a quiet room for his work. They found that the New Hampshire landscape enhanced his work of composing music. The couple formulated a plan to provide an interdisciplinary experience in

1320-446: The fugitive? This question must be answered in the climax of the story. The answer is often yes ; no ; maybe ; yes, but... ; or no, and what's more... The first act , or opening narration , is usually used for exposition , to establish the main characters, their relationships, and the world they live in. Later in the first act, a dynamic incident occurs, known as the inciting incident , or catalyst , that confronts

1364-415: The main character (the protagonist ). The protagonist's attempts to deal with this incident lead to a second and more dramatic situation, known as the first plot point, which (a) signals the end of the first act, (b) ensures life will never be the same again for the protagonist and (c) raises a dramatic question that will be answered in the climax of the film. The dramatic question should be framed in terms of

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1408-453: The organization for a "payment in lieu of taxes". A lawyer for the town argued that "the Colony certainly benefits its artists-in-residence, but that doesn't strike us as being the general public." The then-Board of Directors paid the bill, then successfully challenged the charge. A 2007 Superior Court opinion found that the MacDowell Colony, by promoting the arts, was a charitable institution,

1452-508: The passion to know what life means to us. The characters mime the objects with which they interact. Their surroundings are created only with chairs, tables, staircases, and other mundane objects. For example, the scene in which Emily helps George with his evening homework , conversing through upstairs windows, is often performed with the two actors standing atop separate ladders to represent their neighboring houses. Wilder called Our Town his favorite out of all his works, but complained that it

1496-434: The play's "Narrator," creates the story's point of view. The Narrator is supernatural as he is entirely aware of his relationship with the audience; as such it allows him freedom to break the fourth wall and address them directly. The play's stage direction indicates that the play is to be staged and performed with little scenery , no set , and minimal props . Wilder's reasoning was, "...I tried to restore significance to

1540-475: The play: "Our Town" is not offered as a picture of life in a New Hampshire village or as a speculation about the condition of life after death. . . .It is an attempt to find a value above all price for the smallest events in our life. I have made the claim as preposterous as possible, for I have set the village against the largest dimension of time and place. The recurrent words in this play (few have noticed it) are "hundreds", "thousands", and "millions". The play

1584-409: The protagonist's call to action, (Will X recover the diamond? Will Y get the girl? Will Z capture the killer?). The second act , also referred to as rising action , typically depicts the protagonist's attempt to resolve the problem initiated by the first turning point, only to find themselves in ever worsening situations. Part of the reason protagonists seem unable to resolve their problems

1628-577: The role of Stage Manager, with Jayne Atkinson as Mrs. Gibbs and Jane Curtin as Mrs. Webb, in a production staged at New York City's Booth Theatre . It opened on December 4, 2002, after three previews and ran until January 26, 2003. The production was videotaped for broadcast on Showtime and later on PBS (see "Adaptations" below). A revival of Our Town opened at the Barrow Street Theatre , in New York City , on February 26, 2009. The production

1672-499: The scene and takes the audience back a year, to the end of Emily and George's junior year. Emily confronts George about his pride, and over an ice cream soda , they discuss the future and confess their love for each other. George decides not to go to college, as he had planned, but to work and eventually take over his uncle's farm. In the present, George and Emily say that they are not ready to marry—George to his mother, Emily to her father—but they both calm down and happily go through with

1716-429: The site is open to the public. The ceremony includes a keynote speech, after which the artists open their studios to visitors. MacDowell, a non-profit organization , enjoys the status of a charity , entitling it to exemption from local property taxes , among other things. However, in 2005, the town of Peterborough's selectmen (local-government executives) decided to challenge MacDowell's charitable status and billed

1760-409: The small details of life by removing the scenery. The spectator through lending his imagination to the action restages it inside his own head. In its healthiest ages, the theatre has always exhibited the least scenery." Wilder commented on the sparse stage setting: Each individual assertion to an absolute reality can only be inner, very inner. And here the method of staging finds its justification–in

1804-434: The warnings of Simon, Mrs. Soames, and Mrs. Gibbs, Emily returns to Earth to relive one day, her 12th birthday. She joyfully watches her parents and some of the people of her childhood for the first time in years, but her joy quickly turns to pain as she realizes how little people appreciate the simple joys of life. The memory proves too painful for her and she realizes that every moment of life should be treasured. When she asks

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1848-400: The wedding. Nine years have passed. In a lengthy monologue , the Stage Manager discusses eternity, focusing attention on the cemetery outside of town and the people who have died since the wedding, including Mrs. Gibbs ( pneumonia , while traveling), Wally Webb (burst appendix, while camping), Mrs. Soames, and Simon Stimson ( suicide by hanging ). Town undertaker Joe Stoddard is introduced, as

1892-500: Was directed by David Cromer , who also performed the role of Stage Manager for much of the show's run. Upon closing, the production had played four preview and 644 regular performances, making it the longest-running production of the play in its history. In addition to Cromer, other notable actors who performed in the role of Stage Manager included Helen Hunt , Michael McKean , Jason Butler Harner , Stephen Kunken and Michael Shannon . In 2017, Tony Award -winning Deaf West Theater ,

1936-529: Was rarely done right, insisting that it "should be performed without sentimentality or ponderousness—simply, dryly, and sincerely." Our Town was first performed at McCarter Theater in Princeton, New Jersey , on January 22, 1938. It next opened at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston , on January 25, 1938. The New York City debut of Our Town was on February 4, 1938, at Henry Miller's Theatre and later moved to

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