Play Schematics Worksheet: Our Town Rebekah Smith AUID# 2327242 Professor Hunter PERF 220.

003: Reflections of American Society on Stage 19 September 2011

Rebekah Smith 19 September 2011 PLAY SCHEMATICS Title of play: Our Town Date play was written: 1937 Playwright: Thornton Wilder Country: USA

List three (3) major events in the world of the playwright (world, national or personal) within 10 years prior to the writing of the play. These should be events that somehow informed and shaped the playwrights work. (1) The Great Depression: Although the US economy was in recovery during the time period in which Our Town was written, many people still faced grim realities of poverty, unemployment, and instability of life. Wilders critics and fellow playwrights often felt that he glossed over the harsh realities of the real world in his other works: Our Town serves in part as a response to those attacks by presenting a picture of small-town life in a simpler time that is nonetheless complex and realistically rendered, sentimental but not oversimplified. (2) Industrialisation (the Industrial Revolution): The events in Our Town occur over a period of time between 1901 and 1913, an era that saw massive technological and cultural change in the United States. The Stage Manager character references several of these landmarksthe first automobile, for exampleand places them in relationship to events onstage, emphasizing the long-ago feeling of the plays setting. (3) World War II Technically, World War II would not begin for some little while in Europe, and not for another year or two in the United States. However, the actions by the German government in the late 1930s had already begun to create great stress and tension both internationally and at home for Americans. Wilders play was written, in part, as a sentimental reminder of the transcendental values of common lifefair play, hard work, loving ones neighbor, etc. for audiences caught between the recent tragedy of the Great Depression and the looming horror of World War II. A. Analysis of Plot and Action 1. Is there an early or late point of attack? Our Town uses an early point of attack: we come into the story at its beginning, when George and Emily are both 16. 2. Is the plot structure Climactic or Episodic? If it is a combination, give examples from the play of each form. The plot is episodic. What is the inciting incident? The inciting incident is the Stage Managers introduction of the play-within-a-play, which begins all of the action that takes place in Grovers Corners and forms the majority of the plot. Where is the turning point? The turning point, I would argue, is Emilys death (which occurs between Acts II and III) because there is at that point no going back to the way things used to be. 2

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Where is the climax? The climax is Emilys visit to the land of the living after she dies; there she realizes some of the plays most crucial themes and experiences a moment of high emotional tension.

B. Analysis of Character 1. Who are the protagonist and antagonist? (Defend in one sentence.) The protagonist is Emily, because it is through her life journey and her actions before & after her death that the plays themes are illustrated & realized. The antagonist would, I suppose, be Life or maybe Time large, impersonal, and more unyielding than actively cruel, but still a determined obstacle for the protagonist. 2. How is character revealed? (i.e., by symbols and imagery, interaction with other characters, etc.) Due to the deliberately sparse nature of the set (basic chairs & tables, ladders to simulate the second floor, etc.) the emphasis of much of the play is heavily on characters dialogue and interactions with each other. Characters are developed for the audience through the conversation topics they choose, the views they share on a variety of subjects ,and the way they treat each other. Give one instance of character change. In the play, Emily starts as an idealistic teenager with her head in the clouds; by the end of the play, she has come down to earth and learned to appreciate life for itself. Give one instance of a character trait activating the drama. Emily is consistently shown throughout the play to be a bright, curious, thoughtful person who seeks to understand things. Therefore, when she first finds herself among the ghosts in the graveyard in Act III, and discovers that she is allowed to revisit her life on Earth, it is this curious and intelligent nature that leads her to try and revisit a day in her childhood, which action drives the play to its climax and resolution.

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C. Analysis of Theme (Thought) 1. In a brief phrase or sentence, identify what you perceive as the primary theme in this play. The primary theme of Our Town is the primary importance and even the beauty of the collective human experience of life, which far outweighs the tiny individual lives that comprise it. 2. In a brief phrase or sentence, identify one lesser theme in this play. One lesser theme of the play is the need for human fellowship and companionship in an impersonal and even cold world.

D. Analysis of Language (Diction) 1. Is the play verse, prose, or a combination of the two? Prose

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In what ways does the language of the playits imagery, style, rhythm, descriptive content, etc.help to create the sense of a unique world appropriate to this play and no other? The language of the play quite concretely creates the world in which events play out, since it is the primary way in which the audience is informed of the setting on stage (as scenery and props are little used.) The speech patterns of the Stage Manager vs the other characters (as discussed below) also sets up the framing mechanism of the play within a play. Consider each character as a voice in the plays overall dialectic, contributing to theme, idea, or meaning. Choose one character and explain (in one sentence) how his/her diction makes him/her unique. The Stage Managers way of addressing the audience (breaking the fourth wall) and joining the rest of the cast as various voiced-over characters mark him as set apart from the action inside the framed play and identify him to the audience as a part of the framing system.

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E. Analysis of Sound (Music) 1. Choose one musical cue or sound effect. Briefly explain (1-2 sentences) its significance to plot or character, or the way in which it contributes to the theme as you perceive it. Wilder makes reference to choral music, especially the hymn Blessed Be The Tie That Binds in several places in Our Town. Both the hymn itself, with its message about hallowed fellowship and human unity, and the idea of a choir, which utilizes many individual parts to produce a single unified piece of art, reflect and substantiate the plays notions about the importance of companionship, unity, and working together. F. Analysis of Spectacle 1. Choose a prop, visual effect, or setting as described by the playwright. Briefly explain its significance to plot or character, or the way in which it contributes to the theme as you perceive it. The most significant visual effect in this play is arguably the lack of many visual effects. Wilders highly specific stage instructions call for a bare minimum of furniture a couple of rose bowers, some chairs and tables, a ladder or two while the rest of the props and settings are constructed from mime and conversation. As stated above, this throws a much brighter spotlight on the way in which characters talk, act, and interact. It also highlights a second minor theme of the play, one which would have had particular resonance for Depression-era audiences: the idea of a simpler life, one in which happiness is not based on possessions.