Hear from director Ellen McDougall on what Our Town means to her, and about the landscape in which Thornton Wilder was writing his Pulitzer Prize-winning play.
Birth; marriage; death. And everything in between.
As day breaks on another ordinary day, the townsfolk of Grover's Corners go about their business: newspapers are delivered; people go to work; gardens are tended to. And a boy and girl fall in love. But as life's events unfold and a community comes together, one question remains: "do any human beings ever realise life as they live it? Every, every minute?"
Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning play celebrates what it means to be human and the bonds that unite us all.
“A superbly written, gloriously observed, tough, and breathtaking statement of what it is to be alive” (Edward Albee)
For more about Thornton Wilder, visit www.thorntonwilder.com
Part 1 = 1hr 20mins | Interval = 20mins | Part 2 = 30mins.
Guidelines for Parents and Teachers
Guidelines for Parents and Teachers
Our Town
We consider that Our Town is likely to be most suitable for those aged 11 and over. It remains the responsibility of the parent/guardian in advance of purchase to make their own judgement as to the suitability of the show for their own child.
More Information about bringing children to the Open Air Theatre
Read reviews
Show all reviewsThe Guardian
“The classic snapshot of a community is given fresh life by a youthful production. Ellen McDougall's Wilder revival hits home with force...and underlines the play’s contemporary relevance through the diversity of her 19-strong cast."
Daily Telegraph
"THOUGHT-PROVOKING...INTRIGUING
Carpe diem is the time-honoured message – and I’d concur; grab this while you can. It won’t change your life, but it may make you think about it"
Daily Mail
“Open Air season goes to town with Wilder…
Francesca Henry and Arthur Hughes are both excellent in the key roles of the teen lovers Emily and George.
AN ELEMENTAL PLEASURE"
The Upcoming
"Our Town’s final act is what makes it truly memorable, on page and on stage. Chairs become gravestones and the dead face what they, not the living, have lost. It’s the culmination of the simple complexity Wilder was chasing, and as the stars come out over Regent’s Park, it’s beautiful."
Observer
"There is a new star rising over Regent’s Park. Francesca Henry shines in Our Town…beguiling as a young bride; troubling in a later, darker incarnation; throughout gleamingly serious."
Time Out
"There's a lot of charm in Ellen McDougall's production, with some finely crafted performances. Laura Rogers brings enigmatic omniscience to the role of the Stage Manager."
AllWaysTraveller.com
"We warm to each of the Grover's Corners townsfolk, relate to their everyday lives and respond to the joys they embrace and the sorrows that befall them. Our Town is a gently yet greatly affecting and highly rewarding theatrical experience.
Creative team
- Director – Ellen McDougall
- Designer – Rosie Elnile
- Movement Director – Sasha Milavic Davies
- Composer – Orlando Gough
- Lighting Designer – Lizzie Powell
- Sound Designer – Tom Gibbons
- Season Associate Director (Voice & Text) – Barbara Houseman
- Casting Director – Jacob Sparrow
- Musical Director – David Ridley
The cast
- Sam Craig – Phil Adele
- Mrs Gibbs – Pandora Colin
- Dr Gibbs – Karl Collins
- Editor Webb – Tom Edden
- Joe Stoddard – Jim Findley
- Emily Webb – Francesca Henry
- Simon Stimson – Peter Hobday
- George Gibbs – Arthur Hughes
- Joe/Si Crowell – Terique Jarrett
- Mrs Webb – Thusitha Jayasundera
- Howie Newsome – Louis Martin
- Rebecca Gibbs – Miriam Nyarko
- Musical Director/Ensemble – David Ridley
- Constable Warren – Garry Robson
- Stage Manager – Laura Rogers
- Mrs Soames – Nicola Sloane
- Professor Willard – Cleo Sylvestre
- Wally Webb – Tumo Reetsang, Tyrell Russell-Matthew
