Bluefield, VA – The Bluefield University Department of Theatre will present Thornton Wilder’s classic of the American stage, Our Town, February 24, 25, and 26 at 7:30 p.m. and on February 27 at 3 p.m. in Harman Auditorium on the Bluefield University Campus. Reserved tickets are $10 for adults/$5 for students and senior adults. Tickets will be $12 and $7 at the door.
Written in 1938, Our Town tells the story of the sleepy little New England village of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, and its inhabitants. The play focuses specifically on the relationship between school sweethearts George Gibbs and Emily Webb. The three-act play covers twelve years in the couple’s life and the town’s history, with Act I set in July of 1901, Act II set three years later in 1904, and Act III in 1913. The play, set on an empty theatre stage and narrated by an omniscient stage manager, uses the illusion of theatre as a metaphor for the mystery of life, love, and eventually death. Our Town won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1938 and is considered one of the most critical plays in the American theatrical repertory.
George and Emily are played by Bluefield University Department of Theatre sophomore’s Ian Matullo and Abigail McComas. Bluefield University senior Staley Lyle plays the stage manager. George’s parents, Dr. and Mrs. Gibbs, are played by current Bluefield University junior Brian Fisher and BU theatre alumnae Katherine Shumate. Emily’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Webb, are played by current theatre junior Noah Jennings and theatre alum Carrington Hawthorne. Other cast members include General Smith as Howie Newsome, Finn and Cannon Smith as Jo and Si Crowell, Robert Walls as the Constable Warren, Mary Jones as Mrs. Soames, Josiah Hicks as alcoholic choir director Ethan Stimson, Hannah MacMillion as Rebecca Gibbs, Laura Horton as Professor Willard, Ed Fisher as Joe Stoddard, Noah Munique as Sam Craig, and Kirsten Hilbert as Mrs. McCarty. The play is under the direction of Bluefield University Theatre faculty Charles M. Reese and Rebecca McCoy-Reese.
“We thought that this was a great time to reexamine Our Town,” said Reese. “In the middle of a pandemic where we have been isolated and apart from family and friends so long, it seemed like a significant time to think about community and belonging, about being present in the moment and open to the beauty that we sometimes take for granted because we are often so busy and focused on the wrong things.”
Our Town opens Thursday, February 24, and runs through Sunday, February 27. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students/senior adults in advance, and $12 and $7 at the door. To make reservations visit https://www.onthestage.tickets/show/bluefield-university-theatre/our-town.
For more information, contact Rebecca Kasey, director of public relations at [email protected]