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Our Town by Thornton Wilder Know-the-Show Audience Guide researched and written by Amy Crossman, Meredith Keffer and Doug West for the Education Department of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Cover illustration by Scott McKowen The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Our Town: Know-the-Show Guide In This Guide – The Life of Thornton Wilder.........................................................................................2 – Our Town: An Introduction.........................................................................................4 – Who’s Who: The Characters in Our Town....................................................................5 – A Brief Production History of Our Town......................................................................7 – Explore Online: Links.................................................................................................9 – Commentary and Criticism.......................................................................................10 – In This Production.....................................................................................................11 – Sources and Further Reading.....................................................................................12 1 The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey of Our Town: Know-the-Show Guide The Life Thornton Wilder Photo of Thornton Wilder from thorntonwilder.com Wilder’s writing career began at Oberlin College, where he wrote several pieces for the Oberlin Literary Magazine. His college writing career moved with him to Yale where he continued to have his work published, this time in the Yale Literary Magazine. Thornton Niven Wilder was born on April 17th, 1897 in Madison, Wisconsin, and was one of five surviving children born to Isabella Thornton Niven, and Amos Parker Wilder, Editor of the Wisconsin Journal. Thornton had an older brother, Amos and three younger sisters: Charlotte, Isabel and Janet. Thornton himself had an identical stillborn twin. After graduating from Yale in 1920, Wilder travelled to Rome and the American Academy for Classical Studies at his father’s insistance. While studying there he began to work on his first novel, The Memoirs of a Roman Student. “He was a After a summer in Rome, Wilder surviving twin, returned to the States to take a and all of his life he job as a French teacher at The Lawrenceville School, a private searched for the alter school for boys located in ego lost at birth.” Lawrenceville, NJ. In 1906, Wilder’s father, Amos, accepted a consul post in Hong Kong and relocated the family. Within six months, Isabella and Amos agreed to a temporary separation and Mrs. Wilder returned to the US with her children, settling in Berkeley, California. Between the years of 1906 and 1915 the Wilder family moved back and forth across the Pacific Ocean, but Thornton would eventually graduate from Berkeley High School in 1915. Wilder was forced by his father to attend Oberlin College for two years, and then allowed to transfer to Yale University, his father’s alma mater. -Terry Theodore While teaching at the Lawrenceville School, Wilder continued to write, and the novel he began in Rome as The Memoirs of a Roman Student was later published as The Cabala in 1926. While teaching in Lawrenceville and writing his first novel, Wilder also took the opportunity to complete a Master’s Degree in French at nearby Princeton University. After finishing his degree, Wilder took a leave of absence from The Lawrenceville School to complete work on his second novel, The Bridge of San 2 The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Our Town: Know-the-Show Guide during WWII, Wilder’s 1942 play The Skin of Our Teeth premiered back in the States and earned him his third Pulitzer Prize (his second for Drama). After returning home from his time overseas, Wilder continued to write both fiction and drama, publishing a short “dramatic burlesque” called Our Century, and a novel based on the final days of Julius Caesar’s reign which he titled The Ides of March. Luis Rey which was published in 1927 and earned Wilder his first Pulitzer Prize. 1927 also yielded the production of Wilder’s first play, The Trumpet Shall Sound. In 1929, Wilder was invited to teach at The University of Chicago by a former Oberlin classmate. While there, his teaching schedule was structured to allow him ample time to write, which he did at a furious pace. The Woman of Andros (1930), The Angel That Troubled the Waters, and Other Plays (1931), The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden (1931), Lucrèce (an adaptation of Andre Obey’s Le Viol de Lucrece, 1932), Heaven’s My Destination (1934), as well as other short pieces of fiction and short, one-act dramas were all published during this time. Thornton Wilder continued to write throughout the rest of his life, garnering both critical praise and awards. He was given the 1963 United States Presidential Medal of Freedom, the 1965 National Medal of Literature, and his 1967 novel The Eighth Day earned a National Book Award. His final novel, the semiautobiographical Theopolis North was published in 1973 and two years later, on December 7, 1975, Thornton Niven Wilder died in his sleep. Mr. Wilder never married and was extremely guarded about his personal life and relationships. He was survived by his younger sister, Isabel, who had acted as his secretary and confidant for most of his professional career. In 1936, Wilder retired from teaching and devoted himself to traveling and writing full time. In 1937 he completed a play called The Merchant of Yonkers, which would later be rewritten as The Matchmaker in 1954 and ultimately adapted into the musical Hello, Dolly! which premiered on Broadway in 1964. In 1937, he began work on a more serious play. Originally titled Our Village, Thornton Wilder published Our Town in 1938. While it was not an instant critical success, Our Town was an automatic hit with audiences and eventually led to his second Pulitzer Prize (his first for Drama). While serving his country as a member of the Army Air Corps 3 The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Our Town: Know-the-Show Guide Our Town An Introduction In the third act we are led to the cemetery on the hill, where many of the townspeople we have come to know so well are patiently and smilingly awaiting not “judgment” but greater understanding. Into their midst is led the bride, a little timid at first, a little wishful to go back to life, to live again with her memories. But she is shown how impossible, how futile it is to return. The past cannot be re-lived. Living people, humans, occupied with their petty occupations and small thoughts, know little of true joy or happiness. Truth is to be found only in the future. Originally titled Our Village, Thornton Wilder’s Our Town is arguably his most popular work. First published and produced in 1938, Our Town was awarded the 1938 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Wilder himself offered readers what he called the “Story of the Play” as a preface to the script itself: Thornton Wilder as The Stage Manager in a production of Our Town, a role he played many times throughout his life. The Story of the Play In the first act the author genially outlines the history of the town, Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, and something of the character of its citizens. Then he carries you into the houses of the Gibbs and Webb families, substantial homes containing substantial folks. You arrive at breakfast and are carried through one day in the lives of these good people. The second act concerns the love affair between young George Gibbs and little Emily Webb, and thus culminates in a moving wedding scene, which contains all those elements of poignant sorrow and abundant happiness that make for solemnity and impressiveness. 4 Photo from the Beineke Libraray collection. The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Our Town: Know-the-Show Guide Who’sInWho the Play Stage Manager – An omnipresent narrator who serves as our guide to Grover’s Corners and throughout the play. He moves seamlessly back and forth between our world in the theatre, and the world of the play. The Webbs Charles Webb – The patriarch of the Webb family, Mr. Webb is the editor of the town paper, The Grover’s Corners Sentinel. Not originally from Grover’s Corners, he settled there after attending Hamilton College in Upstate New York. Martha Scott, the actress who Myrtle Webb – The wife of Editor originated the role Webb, born and raised in Grover’s of Emily Webb in the 1938 stage production, Corners, Mrs. Webb was, by her own also played her in the admission, “the prettiest girl in town, 1940 film adaptation. next to Maime Cartwright.” Mother to Emily and Wally, she also sings in the Congregational Church Choir. Emily Webb – Arguably the central character of the story, Emily is the oldest of the Webb children, and we see her progress from a well spoken teenager in the first act, to a wife and mother in the third. Wally Webb – Emily’s younger brother, he spends his time studying Canada and not eating his bacon. Costume renderings by Candida Nichols for the 2013 production of Our Town. The Gibbs Frank Gibbs – The patriarch of the Gibbs family, ‘Doc’ Gibbs is the town doctor and the local expert on the Civil War. He was born and raised in Grover’s Corners. Julia (Hersey) Gibbs – From one of the oldest families in Grover’s Corners, Mrs. Gibbs is wife to Frank and mother to George and Rebecca. She sings in the church choir with Mrs. Webb. George Gibbs – The eldest of the Gibbs children, we see George grow from a boy with dreams of baseball to a man with dreams of a family farm. Rebecca Gibbs – George’s young sister, she hates gingham dresses, especially blue ones. 5 The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Our Town: Know-the-Show Guide Who’sInWho the Play Joe Crowell – The oldest of the Crowell boys, he delivers The Grover’s Corners Sentinel to all of its subscribers. Si Crowell – The younger brother of Joe, Si becomes the town paperboy in his brother’s absence. Simon Stimson – The choirmaster for The Congregational Church Choir, Simon is one of the town’s troubled souls. He is intoxicated more often than not. Howie Newsome – The local milkman, Howie and his horse Bessie make the rounds delivering milk and cream every day. Professor Willard – A long-winded professor from the local State University. Mrs. Louella Soames – The town gossip, Mrs. Soames sings in the choir with Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Gibbs. Constable Bill Warren – The town’s only law enforcement officer. Joe Stoddard – The town undertaker. Sam Craig – A cousin of Mrs. Gibbs who leaves Grover’s Corners in search of fortune. Costume renderings by Candida Nichols for the 2013 production of Our Town. 6 The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Our Town: Know-the-Show Guide A the Stage Manager was being paid a larger percentage than Jed Harris, the director and producer. Mr. Harris travelled to Chicago to ask Frank Craven to accept a lower percentage of the show’s revenues, making Mr. Harris the top earner on the payroll. When Mr. Craven refused to alter his contract, Harris immediately cancelled the rest of tour without explanation. History of Our Town The first ever performance of Our Town was presented at The McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey on Saturday, January Since the original production in 1938, Our Town has been 22, 1938. Princeton was the first stop revived on Broadway four times (1944, on a pre-Broadway tour and Boston’s 1969, 1988 and 2002). The 1944 Wilbur Theatre on January 25th was production featured Martha Scott, the second. Our Town’s Broadway reprising her role as Emily Webb. In debut was on February 4th, 1938 at 1969, Henry Fonda played the Stage Henry Miller’s Theatre. It featured a Manager, now considered a “bucketcast of nearly fifty actors including the list” role for many actors. The 1988 father and son team of Frank and John production won the Tony award for Best Craven who played the Stage Manager Revival and featured future stars Eric and George Gibbs, respectively. The Stolz (George Gibbs), William H. Macy show ran from February 4, 1938 (Howie Newsome), as well as humorist through November 11, 1938 for a and author Spalding Grey (Stage total of 336 performances. Following Manager). The most recent Broadway its successful Broadway run, Our revival in 2002 starred Paul Newman as Town was scheduled for a year-long, the Stage Manager in his final Broadway Thornton Wilder as The Stage Manager, Ellen Weston nation-wide tour. Unfortunately, the appearance. as Emily, and long-time Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey company member Robert Hock from the 1959 tour was halted in Chicago only a few Williamstown Theatre Festival production of Our Town. months into the tour due to a contract PHOTO: WTF Archive dispute. Frank Craven, the actor playing 7 The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Our Town: Know-the-Show Guide A History of Our Town In addition to the four Broadway revivals since its original production in 1938, Our Town has enjoyed a tremendous life beyond the Great White Way. The play was initially licensed for amateur and stock productions on April 19, 1939. By December 31, 1940 the play had been licensed no fewer than 795 times. In those initial months, the play was presented in every state in the Union except Rhode Island! Since then it has remained a staple for amateur and professional theatre companies alike. It has been asserted that there is at least one performance of Our Town somewhere in the United States each night.* 2013 marks the 75th Anniversary of this beloved American classic. (Right) A copy of the original Playbill for the 1938 performance of Our Town at The McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ. (Left) A copy of an advertising poster from the Broadway Production later that same year. From Tappan Wilder’s Afterword in the 2003 printing of Our Town. * 8 The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Our Town: Know-the-Show Guide Explore Online The Official Website of The Thornton Wilder Family www.thorntonwilder.com The Official Website of the Thornton Wilder Society www.thorntonwildersociety.org A Link to the PBS “Masterpiece Theatre” Our Town archive www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/americancollection/ourtown/ essays.html 9 The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Our Town: Know-the-Show Guide & Commentary Criticism “It is no wonder, then, that his best-known and most successful original play, Our Town (1938), has been termed a “New England allegory,” “a beautiful evocative play,” “a tender idyll,” “a hauntingly beautiful play,” and “less the portrait of a town than the sublimation of the commonplace.” – Irma Honaker Herron, from The Small Town in American Drama, 1969 On The Playwright: “Wilder revolutionized modern stage presentation by experimenting with a sceneless stage, imaginary props, flexible jumps in time sequence, pantomime and a stage manager as a character.” – Thomas Siebold from Readings on Our Town, 2000 On the Stage Manager: “The Stage Manager is not merely an easy means to exposition, to setting the scene in Grover’s Corners. He is the principal means to the double vision, the intermeshing of past and present, which permeates the whole play...Although the Stage Manager knows Grover’s Corners well, he exists in our time.” – Barnard Hewitt, 1959 On the Play: “Our Town has a theatrical quality that distinguishes it from [other plays of its time]. Wilder uses no scenery and no act-curtain. The play begins with an announcement by the Stage Manager that is calculated to draw attention to the bare stage and to insist on the audience’s consciousness of its role as spectator.” – Thomas E. Porter from Myth and Modern Drama, 1969 On original reviews: “Our Town did indeed receive mixed reviews. Negative comments focused on whether it was ‘dramatic’ enough to be called a play or merely what Robert Benchley in The New Yorker saw as ‘so much ersatz’... and George Jean Nathan later called it ‘a stunt.’ But where it really mattered, the play’s staging, acting, directing, and themes evoked powerful adjectives and praise. It was ‘beautiful,’ ‘touching,’ ‘one of the great plays of our day,’ ‘magnificant.’ Robert Colman in The Mirror pulled out all the stops, proclaiming it ‘worthy of an honored place in any anthology of the American drama.’” – Tappan Wilder from the Afterword of the 2003 printing of Our Town, 2003 “Taking as his material three periods in the history of a placid New Hampshire town, Mr. Wilder has transmuted the simple events of human life into universal reverie. He has given familiar facts a deeply moving, philosophical perspective...Our Town is one of the finest achievements of the current stage.” – Brooks Atkinson, 1938 10 The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Our Town: Know-the-Show Guide In This Production Above: Costume designs for Emily and Doc Gibbs (left) and George Gibbs (right) by Costume Designer, Candida Nichols. Right: A photo of the set model and an early sketch of the Our Town set by Scenic Designer, Charlie Calvert. 11 The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Our Town: Know-the-Show Guide & Sources Further Reading By Thornton Wilder: Plays: The Trumpet Shall Sound (1919) The Angel That Troubled The Waters and Other Plays (1928) The Long Christmas Dinner, The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden, Pullman Car Hiawatha, Queens of France, Love and How to Cure It, Such Things Only Happen in Books (1931) Lucrèce (Translation/Adaptation 1932) A Doll’s House (Translation/Adaptation 1937) Our Town (1938) Pulitzer Prize Winner The Merchant of Yonkers (1939) The Skin of Our Teeth (1942) Pulitzer Prize Winner The Matchmaker (1954) A Life in the Sun (1955) The Drunken Sisters (1957) Three Plays (1957) Plays for Bleecker Street (1962) The Alcestiad (1977, published posthumously) On Thornton Wilder: Hewitt, Barnard. “Thornton Wilder Says ‘Yes’”, The Tulane Drama Review 4.2 (1959): 110-20. Print. Herron, Ima Honaker. The Small Town In American Drama. Dallas: Southern Methodist UP, 1969. Print. Kuner, M. C. Thornton Wilder: The Bright and the Dark. New York: Crowell, 1972. Print. Porter, Thomas. Myth and Modern American Drama. Detroit: Wayne State Univ Pr, 1969. Print. Siebold, Thomas. Readings on Our Town. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2000. Print. Simon, Linda. “Thornton Wilder.” Critical Survey of Long Fiction. Pasadena, CA: Salem, 2010. N. pag. Print. Theodore, Terry. “Thornton Wilder.” Magill’s Survey of American Literature. Pasadena, CA: Salem, 2007. N. pag. Print. Wilder, Tappan. Afterword. Our Town: A Play in Three Acts. New York: Perennial, 2003. N. pag. Print. Wilder, Thornton. Preface. Our Town: A Play in Three Acts. London: Samuel French, 1965. N. pag. Print. Novels: The Cabala (1926) The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1927) Pulitzer Prize Winner The Woman of Andros (1930) Heaven’s My Destination (1934) The Ides of March (1948) The Eighth Day (1967) National Book Award Winner Theophilus North (1973) 12