Vancouver Island University’s theatre department will explore love, death and growing up with its production of the Pulitzer-winning play Our Town.
It is a period piece by American playwright Thornton Wilder that follows neighbours George Gibbs and Emily Webb as their friendship evolves into romance and marriage.
“It is presented in an extremely simple way but it is intended to just really show our humanity and our struggles from one minute to the next,” said Dorothy Dittrich, who is directing the production.
She said the play purposefully uses simplicity to convey universal experiences and encourages audience members to appreciate daily life.
“I think they can expect to see themselves on stage, even though it’s well over 100 years – we are in 2024 and it is set in 1901 – but the amazing thing about the play is that while technology and everything else has changed, the feeling and the experiences of growing up and aging and getting jobs and getting married – all of those experiences are not that different,” she said. “It talks about what it means to live every single day, what it means to be present and in the moment – which I think is a fantastic message,” she said.
Dittrich said tackling such a well-known play is challenging, but the team she is working with is committed to it and has worked hard to stage the production.
“It’s just a gift to be able to work inside this man’s mind. The detail in this play is exquisite and it’s been really fun for all of us – the actors especially, it’s been just fabulous watching them come in with new discoveries. It's like an intricate puzzle, this play,” she said.
Opening night for Our Town is Thursday, Oct. 31, at Malaspina Theatre. It will also show on Nov. 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 and 9. All showings start at 7:30 p.m. and tickets can be purchased at http://showpass.com.
