ICC Fine Arts is excited to perform 'Our Town' by Thornton Wilder in the William Inge Theatre on December 2-4; free admission.
"OUR TOWN is the classic story about a small town and all the people who live there," explains Paul Molnar, Director of Theatre Performance at ICC. "Many of us read the story in school and have fond memories of watching George and Emily fall in love. This production focuses on the connections that people make during their lifetime."
Our Town represents anyone's town. The daily events and families could be a part of any town. The families in the play are average families to which we can relate. It becomes easy to picture our towns and our own families.
The idea of death is very strong in the play. From the beginning, each character and the date of his or her death are introduced. In addition to death, we also see a strong connection to life. We see the play start in the morning (the beginning of life) and end at night (the end of life). There is a sense of sadness throughout the play but also a sense of hopefulness. We watch as two young children grow, fall in love, and marry.
"Lifelong friends that experience love and loss together. Playwright Thornton Wilder reminds us that living each and every moment fully is really what matters," said Molnar. "No matter if the moment is a sad one or a joyful one, we are put on this world to live and love and cry and comfort each other as we move along our path."
Guest Director Bob D'Haene, comes to ICC from Queens, New York, as an actor, director, musician and has a long list of Theatre Credits. D'Haene and his wife Andrea are staying in Independence for rehearsals and performances.
"I was excited to work with the ICC students to find the simplicities, joys, and heartbreaks of life in the story," explained D'Haene. "Their hard work and inventiveness has shown me even more about this play than I knew before."
Thornton Wilder's Our Town was first produced 84 years ago. Since then, it has been translated into almost every language and continues to be one of the World's most-produced plays.
"1938 Wilder wanted to strip down the theatrical experience to put the focus on story," concluded D'Haene. "He felt that the theatre of the time was going in a direction that was too focused on spectacle and hyper-realism. Wilder wanted the audience to use their imagination and actively participate in the process. This collaboration between the audience and the actors strives to enhance the main theme of the play: 'Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?'"
Showtimes:
Friday: 7:00 PM
Saturday: 7:00 PM
Sunday: 2:00 PM