OUR TOWN By Thornton Wilder 3 Act Play

OUR TOWN By Thornton Wilder 3 Act Play Quandaries & Relationships Written in 1937 Created 9/22/2019 Mrs. Billet 1

“OUR TOWN” BY THORNTON WILDER • Thornton Wilder • American Novelist & Playwright • Known for his unique treatment of universal themes • Believed truth could only be discovered in the lives of ordinary people 1997 Stamp commemorating Thornton Wilder

“OUR TOWN” BY THORNTON WILDER • He was awarded 3 Pulitzer Prizes • The Bridge of San Luis Rey (novel) • Our Town (play) • The Skin of Our Teeth (play) • He was awarded a U. S. National Book Award for the novel The Eighth Day.

“OUR TOWN” BY THORNTON WILDER • Born: April 17, 1897 • Died: December 7, 1975 • Birthplace: Madison, WI • Location of death: Hamden, CT • Cause of death: Heart Failure Remains: Buried, Mount Carmel Cemetery, Hamden, CT Religion: Congregationalist Occupation: Novelist, Playwright

“OUR TOWN” BY THORNTON WILDER • Written in 1937 • Allegory= a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one: • Genre- Realism= Realism is identified when artists/writers attempt to capture the “real World” within their art

“OUR TOWN” BY THORNTON WILDER Genre- • The play defies most conventional theatrical genres. • It is neither a comedy nor a tragedy, neither a romance nor a farce. • It is a contemplative (prolonged thought) work concerning the human experience.

“OUR TOWN” BY THORNTON WILDER • Setting: Grover’s Corner, New Hampshire “Our Town”- is a three-act play modeled after several New Hampshire towns • Time: Starts in 1901 The play spans from until 1913

“OUR TOWN” BY THORNTON WILDER • Setting: Grover’s Corner, New Hampshire “Our Town”- is a three-act play modeled after several New Hampshire towns • Time: Starts in 1901 The play spans from until 1913

“OUR TOWN” DIALECT a THORNTON particular form of a. WILDER language which is • Dialect peculiar to a specific region or social group. • Our Town, takes Wilder uses dialect to remind the audience it placed in a rural setting. • Words are shortened and missing syllables, to stress the region’s dialect. • The town is small and in 1930 s America. • Example "Nobody very remarkable ever come out of it, s'far as we know" (I. 40).

“OUR TOWN” UNIVERSAL THEMES • In “ Our Town, ” Wilder captures the universal experience of being alive. ” Donald Marguilies Daily Life Love Death

• No curtain. No scenery. “OUR TOWN” SCENERY • The first production, the audience saw a • "an empty stage in half-light, " with • Scenery "no curtain and no scenery. " • In 1938, a bare stage was unexpected and disorienting. • The bare stage was not a new idea. Shakespeare's plays were generally performed on an empty stage. • Wilder rejected theatrical realism • Instead he wanted to challenge the audience to view play on stage for what it was - a play.

“OUR TOWN” • Wilder = uses Alienation Effect • Alienation= is designed to distance the audience from emotional involvement • Narrator- (The Stage Manager) • Provides extensive explanations, commentary. • Actors step out of characters to lecture Staging Setting Stage Manager

“OUR TOWN” STAGING • Staging • Minimal Scenery • Chairs and Ladders • The staging forces the audience to focus on the internal rather than the external • Allows the setting to be more universal

“OUR TOWN” STAGING • Setting • Perpetual Present Tense: • All past, present, and future actions take place in the here and now. ” • Time is fluid

STAGE MANAGER The stage manager Role: Narrator and character Purpose: The audience’s connection between the play and reality. encourages the audience to reflect on what they are seeing by interrupting the plot to comment on the action.

CHARACTERS • Stage Manager • George Gibbs • Emily Webb • Dr. Gibbs • Mrs. Gibbs • Mr. Webb • Mrs. Webb

CHARACTERS • Mrs. Soames • Simon Stimson • Rebecca Gibbs • Wally Webb • Howie Newsome • Joe Crowell, Jr. • Si Crowell

CHARACTERS • Professor Willard • Constable Warren • Sam Craig • Joe Stoddard

• Torrent- A violently fast stream of water “OUR TOWN” VOCABULARY • Parlor A living room or sitting room in a house • Burgle To rob; to steal • Radiant Things that glow; beaming • Pince-nez Eye glasses; spectacles

Extremely intelligent; a learned person • Savant“OUR TOWN” VOCABULARY • Handkerchief Piece of cloth (reusable) to blow one’s nose • Sassy Bold; fresh • Sentimentality Quality of being overly dramatically emotional; excessive tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia.

“OUR TOWN” VOCABULARY • Abrupt Sudden • Barren Empty • Contriving Scheming, planning • Epitaph Short verse or phrase inscribed on a headstone • Eternal Lasting forever; enduring

A cotton fabric, usually striped or checked • Gingham “OUR TOWN” VOCABULARY A tall chest of drawers • Highboy • Incubator • Livery Apparatus in which eggs are hatched artificially A business that rents outs horses ( or cars) • Lugubrious Mournful; dismal • Miser A stingy; cheap person

An invention or product that is protected by the government • Patent the production by on certain companies “OUR TOWN” VOCABULARY that limits • Phosphate A carbonated drink with fruit syrup • Proscenium The arch that separates the stage from the audience • Rheumatism Pain and stiffness in the back and joints, accompanying old age • Sacrament A Christian rite that symbolizes grace (free from sin)

“OUR TOWN” MAJOR CONFLICTS • Major Conflict- Humans are “We all know that something is eternal. constantly struggling to realize And it ain’t houses and it ain’t names, and it ain’t earth, and it ain’t even the that the eternal exists even withinstars. . . everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and ordinary events. • Act III: In the play, the dead, believe that human beings “don’t understand” the true significance of existence. that something has to do with human beings. All the greatest people ever lived have been telling us that for five thousand years and yet you’d be surprised how people are always slosing hold of it. There’s something way down deep that’s eternal about every human being. ”

“OUR TOWN” THEMES • Themes: • Recurring Theme = human have the tendency to miss the simple joys of their lives. Throughout the play, characters learn of opportunities and experiences missed while paying attention to other, less important things. • Humans do not fully appreciate life while they live it • THEMES: birth, life, and daily activity • the importance of seizing the opportunities life presents, rather than waiting for things to happen. (The trip to Paris). . • t

“OUR TOWN”