Theatrical Influences in Our Town

Bienvenidos, Benji!

Thornton Wilder was a revolutionary when he came out with Our Town. He did things in the theatre no one of his time was used to doing. However, Mr. Wilder did not do it alone. Throughout his life he observed other practitioners and practices, and then blended them all together with a touch of his own style to formulate this American Classic. 

THEATRICAL EXPRESSIONISM

A good description of this concept is "a departure from realism". And Thornton Wilder , while constructing a somewhat believable town, made sure his audiences were aware that Grovers Corners and its story was not real, it was merely a play that could be manipulated in any way the Stage Manager saw fit.. The character of the Stage Manager is a key player when it comes to demonstrating this, using lines such as "now we'll skip a few hours," as well as interrupting scenes, initiating flashbacks, and stepping in and out of other roles when necessary. Expressionism focuses on the spiritual aspects of humanity, not the external parts. I think that in Our Town, the heart of expressionism can be found in the opening speech of the Stage Manager in Act III, where she talks about "something" being eternal, and how it isn't "houses, names, earth, or even the stars".

EPIC THEATRE

This Brechtian (?) method is all about the combination of narration and scene, but to make the divide very clear. In Our Town, the Stage Manager makes it very clear when the scene is happening, and when it is her turn to tell the story. The stagehands make scene changes very obvious, and the Stage Manager herself turns the lights on and off, again making what is one thing and what is another very clear. This concept of Epic Theatre also connects to the previous practice of Theatrical Expressionism, using the obvious set changes, etc. to illustrate how this play is not reality, and how this story is indeed just a story. However, the audience leaves the building thinking about the play's message nonetheless.

GREEK DRAMA

The most evident part of Greek Drama that appears in Wilder's play is that of the Greek Chorus, normally a group of people who react in the way a "perfect audience" would, if the playwright had his way. The Stage Manager embodies this chorus in a consolidated form, preparing audiences for the act or scene ahead with philosophical thoughts and questions and summing it all up when the act or scene is complete. Another aspect of Greek Drama is music, which our particular production used. The appropriate music woven with pictures of the past-- life, love, death, etc.-- created a audio-visual soundtrack to accompany Thornton's theme.

NOH DRAMA

I'm not too familiar with Noh, but the most evident relation between Our Town and any production following the practice of Noh is the limited use of props and the absence of scenery. Thornton Wilder wanted theatre to focus on what the actors created, not what a carpenter or a company did. Thespians often lean on set and props to aid a performance, and Wilder made each actor rely on each other and themselves only.

CHINESE THEATRE

This art form relates directly to the Noh, for when there is absence of set and props, pantomime becomes essential when a scene is set in a place like Grover Corners, New Hampshire. Pantomime makes the audience imagine the world for the moment it is necessary to consider, but does not interfere when the actor is the focus, not his or her surroundings.

HUMANISM

This is a theme that Thornton Wilder must have thought very highly of, as there are examples of it in nearly every page of the Stage Manager's talks, and practically everywhere else in the play. The play examines life on earth, the interactions that occur, etc. Wilder digs deeper with his sense of Theatrical Expressionism, analysing the spiritual aspect, truly making the audience think about life itself.

I know that it seems I spoke quite a bit about my character [Stage Manager], but hey, that's what i know best...

My sermon in church this morning practically jumped out of the pages of Our Town: It was about living life to the fullest, realizing that yesterday is a teacher, tomorrow is a target, but today is a TREASURE. And that time is forever marching on, we either use it or lose it. 

I leave you with the verse, Benji. Good Night.

Psalm 118:24-- This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.