Play

Angel Duran
Professor Curtis
04/29/2021
Thea 1013
Production Critique
The play ‘Our town’ was written by Thornton wilder. It was written January 22, 1938. It was
produced by a company known as Ford's theatre. The play is used to narrate a story of a small
town known as Grover's Corners. The town was a fictional American, and the story covers the
everyday activities of the people in the town that they experienced between the years 1901 and
1913. It tells stories of the citizens of the town. Stephen Rayne directs the play. He stripped the
play to its origin. He does that by ensuring that the cast is dressed in a modern manner. He also
casts himself as a blunt. He is also a stage manager who is straight forward. The design in which
the play is performed is round. The audience is seen to be on the same level as that of the stage.
The director uses the play to narrate all the activities and themes that control the town's citizens.
The events are universal, and that's why he gives the play the name “Our Town.” The
performances in the play help in telling the story of the play. It has characters such as Thornton
Wilder and Martha Scott. Martha Scott takes up the role of Emily Webb. There is also another
character known as William Holden, who takes up the part of George Gibbs. Emily Webb is a
female, and the play was acted between the years when she was 16 and twenty, in the year 1901,
the sixteen-year-olds were more innocent and were not so exposed compared to the
sixteen-year-olds today. Emily fell in love with George. Their love story is the main theme of the
play. It is treated as the spine of the events in the play. The costumes used in the play are modern.
According to the director, he used the costumes to act as an intermediary between the “setting of
the play and the current times.” His inspiration on the outfits came from modern and ancient
styles. The types of costumes that dominate the play are vests and boots. There is also the use of
new jeans and a skirt used to bring about a classic fashion. The color of the costumes also helped
in bringing uniformity to the stage. The author made sure he brought about a very vivid image of
the set design. He ensures that he controls how his texts are interpreted and how the parts are
acted out. He goes ahead to explain to the director that the absence of a scene should be acted in
a way that it creates an imaginary scene in the head of the audience. The set is designed in a
convincing way to the author, and the props used are made so that they explain what is about to
happen in the next act. The set could be "amateurish," but brings out the truth of the town. The
play is set in a dark place. However, there is the use of light bulbs on the center stage where the
actors are. The light is focused in the center such that it is difficult to notice what is happening at
the back. The lighting helps the audience concentrate on the action taking place at that particular
time. It also brings some reality and life to the play. There is the use of sound effects in the play.
The play is about a town, there is a lot of noise produced in a town on a normal occasion. You
could hear voices of people speaking, cars hooting and construction machines, amongst others.
Therefore, the director incorporates sounds of roosters, he mimics the sound of trains, the bells
and in schools and the noise produced by factories. That makes the play sound real. In my own
opinion, the play should have been acted in the field. The reason is when it is performed in the
theatre; there is not enough space, and not all the resources are available. Therefore there could
be the omission of important parts, and in such a situation, the audience is required to
conceptualize what is likely to happen. Additionally, performing in the field could be cheaper
because the director will not be required to pay the extra cost of funding the props and painting
them. Lastly, the play would look more real when it is acted in the field because the audience
will be in a position to relate to their everyday activities. In conclusion, the play is enticing. It is
a play that I could watch over and over. The choice of characters is amazing since they match the
roles given. They also manage to capture the attention of the audience. After watching the play,
one may wish that they could go back to the good old days when love, trust and honesty were
sincere virtues.

Play

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Play

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Play

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Angel Duran

You might also like