The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Come to ‘Our Town,’ say Chardon young thespians
School is out for summer, everybody!
Well, just about for most folks. But that doesn’t mean that our area young thespians have packed it in on intellectual pursuits until August.
For the ninth consecutive year, Geauga Lyric Theater Guild in Chardon is sponsoring their Annual Teen Drama Project. This year’s production features 19 cast members ages 13 to 19 and is Thornton Wilder’s classic drama “Our Town.”
Performances are at Geauga Lyric Theater on the square in Chardon at 7:30 p.m. June 1 and 2 and at 2 p.m. June 3. Tickets are $6 to $8 and are available at www.geaugatheater.org or by calling 440286-2255.
“This show has been interesting on a few levels,” director Angela MiloroHansen tells me. “The first is that many of the cast have only ever done musicals. Musicals are wonderful and incredibly difficult, but are so very different than straight shows. ‘Our Town’ in particular as a straight show requires such subtle nuances to the acting and characterizations in order to make it as natural as possible.”
“Our Town” is consistently one of the most frequently-produced plays in the nation over the last several decades. The show’s universal themes are part of the reason for this, as are the simple staging opportunities that allow for a flexible presentation.
“‘Our Town’ is universal and addresses the idea that for thousands of years human beings have followed the exact same pattern of life and day-to-day activities,” Miloro-Hansen says. “In order for that to come across, the characters have to be portrayed as genuine people, and not caricatures. That’s a lot harder to do than it seems, and actors of all ages struggle with subtleties. I’ve asked the cast to be as observant as possible of their personal lives and bring those tiny details to their performances.”
“The main message of ‘Our Town’ is to remind the audience of the beauty in the smallest moments, things that we forget about most of the time” agrees 16-year-old Cara Robbins who plays the Stage Manager. “It’s fascinating for me to be in a show that has no real unique plot, yet has such a powerful message. It’s interesting because it’s one of the most universally relatable shows written. Everyone grows up. Everyone lives. Everyone loves.”
“The other interesting thing is that I really wanted to take a different approach to the show than other productions I’ve seen,” Miloro-Hansen says. “It’s so tempting to make ‘Our Town’ depressing and dark, especially as Act 3 takes place in a cemetery. Every time I’ve seen it performed, the dead are monotone, unmoving, depressed, vacant creatures. And yet if you pay attention to Wilder’s stage directions, he specifically says they are pleasant and smiling — just a little out of touch with their earthly life as they grow more distant from it. For me, there are two quotes spoken by the Stage Manager that really solidified my take on Act 3: ‘We all know that something is eternal. And it ain’t houses and it ain’t names, and it ain’t earth, and it ain’t even the stars
... everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and that something has to do with human beings. All the greatest people ever lived have been telling us that for five thousand years and yet you’d be surprised how people are always losing hold of it. There’s something way down deep that’s eternal about every
human being.’
“Without giving too much away by naming
them, the characters that are dead in Act 3 are all people who died in very sudden, abrupt ways — burst appendix, in childbirth, sudden illness, etc. — and were not mentally prepared for death, the way one who has been sick a long time might be,” Miloro-Hansen continues. “These characters aren’t monotone shells of what they used to be, but taking their time to process and prepare.”
“‘Our Town’ is such a different show,” agrees 16-year-old Regan Cole, a member of the ensemble. “It doesn’t have a big plot that you follow, but it’s a show about life and why you should pay attention to the little details of life, which I think is still very relevant today. People need to stop and realize what they’re doing in every little movement and live in the moment.”
“It’s my hope that people leave ‘Our Town’ thinking about every little thing they love on Earth, down to tiny sensations like walking barefoot in grass and cold water on hot days,” Miloro-Hansen says. “To quote Emily Webb from the show, ‘realize life while they live it, every every moment.’”