Unpack the meaning of life in ‘Our Town’

Our Town is one of the most commonly performed plays in high school. From its simple set to its unique storyline, high schools everywhere find the performance very attractive. Hence the reason Senor Wirth did not hesitate to buy the rights as soon as possible. 

With it being one of his all-time favorite productions, Senor wanted to add his own directorial twist. He wanted to encapsulate the true theater experience by going bare bones. Many audience members who are not familiar with the IBHS drama department, or really any drama department in general, may never understand the “bare bones” of the stage. Most every show conceals its “imperfections” by hiding them with a curtain. But Senor wanted to turn those “imperfections” into perfections. For this production, we took minimalism c to the next level. There will be no curtain, no props, no nothing, just the true essence of theater.

The plot of Our Town is complex in many ways. While there may be only two main characters, Emily and George, the production gives each individual character their own storyline. In the first act, it follows George and Emily in their everyday life of waking up, eating breakfast, going to school, and the activities that may follow. In the second act, you see the lead-up to their marriage and their future together. Finally, the third act brings it all together and, well, I suppose that you should come to see that for yourself.

“This is not just a show we are looking at, but it is the world in which we live,” Senor said. 

Our Town is about the true meaning of life. The show contains pretty deep, meaningful and even heavy topics. The goal of the show is to have you walking out and reflecting on your life up to this point. While the no-set-no-props approach may be jarring, that is the point. The show calls for you to interpret the set and see the characters as almost metaphors for yourself.

When posed with the question, “What do you love most about the show,” almost everyone in the department answered the people. Whether it’s messing around backstage or developing your character together or saying the final goodbye to this year’s group seniors, the people and experiences are what genuinely make the show. 

If this article interests you at all, I recommend you go see Our Town THIS Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and this Sunday at 2:30 p.m.!