Ā鶹“«Ć½ State presents new take on āOur Townā
KENNESAW, Ga. | Nov 5, 2018
Prizewinning drama runs Nov. 6-11
Ā鶹“«Ć½ās (TPS) will present a new take on Thornton Wilderās Pulitzer Prize-winning drama when the play opens at the Stillwell Theater on the Ā鶹“«Ć½ Campus, Nov. 6-11.
The play, set in Groverās Corners, tells the story of everyday ritualsāand big life eventsāthat bind us together as humans in our community. The fictional New England town is based on Peterborough, N.H., where Wilder spent many summers.
Co-directed by TPS professor Margaret Baldwin and guest artist/musical director Christopher Hampton, the production takes
a fresh look at the playās depiction of small-town American life at the turn of the 20th century. The play made its Broadway debut in 1938, and Wilder described it then as his attempt to present āthe life of a village against the life of the stars.ā He was inspired from the towns among the New England hills where he spent his summers as a tutor andālater a writerāat the MacDowell Colony, taking long walks through the villages.
āIn choosing to include āOur Townā in our TPS performance season, we asked ourselves: āWhat does an American village look like today?āā said Baldwin. āFrom the start, we knew that we wanted to bring together an acting ensemble that reflected contemporary American life in its complexity and diversity with regard to race, ethnicity, gender and sexual expression.ā
Another goal, Baldwin said, was to challenge the actors to see their ātownā from multiple perspectivesāand for audience members to have the chance to see different actors play each role. To do so, TPS created one ensemble of actors that plays two different configurations of roles. That ensembleāchanging and evolving each nightāserves as the central ācharacterā of the play.
TPS Interim Chair, Rebecca Makus, who also is the productionās scenic designer, noted how the play resonates with the theme of this yearās production season examining the American experience from multiple angles. She asked, āWho are we past and present? What questions have we asked (and continue to ask) about our national identity?
Patrons may see both casts perform at a discounted rate. Please call the box office at 470-578-6650 for this special offer or click to purchase tickets. (Discount for second show is not available when purchasing tickets online.)
ā Kathie Beckett
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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Ā鶹“«Ć½ offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 51,000 students. Ā鶹“«Ć½ State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university's vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Ā鶹“«Ć½ State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.